06/19/2026
💗It’s that time of year where we will see hot air balloons drifiting through the sky.
For me, it’s a reminder that there is so much more to what we see.
During Rob's hospital stay, a chaplain brought him a blanket covered in red hot air balloons.
Looking at that blanket, I remember saying to him, "When you get better, we're going to do something we've never done before. We're going to take a hot air balloon ride."
😔It was a promise wrapped in hope, but life had a different plan.
On a cold November day, Rob passed away. As we were trying to make sense of the unimaginable, a bright red hot air balloon appeared in the sky. I did wonder if i was imagining it.
🎈But then, I heard Whitney's voice from the lower level, Mom! There's a balloon in the sky!"
She was only 12 years old. I had not shared the story about the blanket or the promise I had made to her dad.
Yet there it was. I don’t believe in coincidences.
💝Some people may call it a coincidence. I call it a gift.
In one of the hardest moments of my life, I was reminded that love continues. That our connections don't end when someone leaves us. That the people we love have a way of remaining part of our story.
Since that day, every red hot air balloon feels like a little reminder that Rob is still with us. Not in the way I wish he could be, but in the countless ways our loved ones continue to show up when we least expect it.
So today, if you're missing someone you love, I hope you keep looking up. Keep believing that love is bigger than loss, that connection doesn't end when a life does, and that hope has a way of finding us when we need it most.
Because sometimes, in the most unexpected moments, we're reminded that the people we love are never truly gone. The love never dies, lifting us, guiding us, and reminding us that we are never alone.
💗Do you see the signs? The gift your loved one left behind?
***de
