Never Give Up, Your Spiritual Sign Is On The Way!

I asked for a yellow butterfly as a spiritual sign. And in the most unexpected moment, it appeared. My true story will give you chills…

My story begins in September 2022, when I was 49, and suffered an ischemic stroke.

On the way to the hospital, I was silently saying every prayer I knew.

I told God that I wasn’t afraid to die.

I knew I’d go to Heaven, but I also said I wasn’t ready yet.

I still had more to do.

In my heart, I also asked my deceased grandfather, who I’d lovingly called Papa, to be there to greet me if it was my time.

I felt that if I was meant to stay, then I must have a greater purpose.

Thankfully, I made a full recovery.

But I never told anyone about that private conversation in my mind. Not a soul.

Fast forward to January 2023.

My Gram was 95 and incredibly healthy.

She wasn’t on a single medication!

Out of nowhere, she had a stroke of her own.

A couple of weeks into her recovery, I was sitting with her in her hospital room.

We were talking about why things like this happen.

Suddenly, she leaned over and said softly, “Papa told me what you said to him when this happened to you.”

I looked at her, eyes wide and full of tears. “What??” I asked.

She said that on her first night in the hospital, she’d had the same conversation I had—with God and with Papa.

She told him she wasn’t afraid to die, but she just wasn’t ready yet.

And Papa told her that I had said the very same thing to him a few months before.

There was no way she could’ve known that. In that moment, I felt completely validated in everything I believed about Heaven and life after death.

I’ve always felt it was real—but now, I knew.

That night, we talked deeply about mortality, faith, and what’s beyond this life.

I asked her, when her time came, if she would send me a sign from Heaven.

Something special to let me know she was at peace and that our connection would continue.

We didn’t want it to be something common like a cardinal or a coin.

Yellow was one of her favorite colors, and she said, “How about I send you a yellow butterfly?”

I live outside of Chicago, and yellow butterflies aren’t often found here.

We mostly get Monarchs or white ones.

Yellow ones are rare, which made it perfect. We agreed that would be our sign.

She went on to live another year and a half.

In August 2024, I left for a work-related trip to Hawaii.

My Gram had been growing weaker, but she was still doing okay when I left.

Not long after I arrived, my mom called with the devastating news.

My Gram had passed away that morning.

I was heartbroken.

I hadn’t seen her in a couple of weeks because life had gotten busy.

It crushed me to be ten hours away by plane.

But then I remembered the butterfly. I thought, “If there’s any place I might see a yellow butterfly, it’s Hawaii.“

I cried and cried in that beautiful place.

Oddly enough, it felt comforting to be away from everyone.

To just be with my grief.

The family agreed I should stay a few more days before flying home.

Hawaii was the one place Gram had always dreamed of visiting but never got the chance to.

So I decided to soak in some of the beauty for her.

A few days later, I was sitting by the pool.

I was eating lunch and quietly, desperately pleading in my mind: “Please show me something. Please let me know you’re okay.“

An older woman, probably in her 80s, was sitting in the lounge chair next to me.

She started chatting—asking if I knew the people in the pool, what I did for work, just general small talk.

She reminded me so much of my Gram.

Gram joked that people always talked to her, and she talked to everyone.

This woman wore a silk headband, and she was facing me straight on.

After about 20 minutes, she said she was off to meet her husband for a walk on the beach.

Before she got up, she took my hands in hers.

She said, “You should be so proud of yourself for everything you’ve done.”

I can’t explain it, but I felt this incredible warmth. It felt like my Gram was there.

The feeling was so strong, I got teary-eyed.

Then, as the woman turned to stand up, I saw it: on the side of her headband was a big, bright yellow butterfly.

[Scroll to the end of this story to see my real-life photo of the headband!]

I burst into tears.

She stood up and walked away.

I tried to call after her, but she was already gone.

I never saw her again. But something inside me shifted. I felt this deep peace and love. My heart was full.

My Gram has been on my mind a lot lately.

Every Good Friday since I was born, we had a family tradition of coloring Easter eggs together.

Everyone got involved – my mom, my cousins, Gram and me.

This was the first year we didn’t do it.

It’s been one of those tough “firsts” after losing someone you love.

When I came across this true spiritual signs story and saw the yellow butterfly, I felt this little wave of peace rush in.

I took it as a sign from her: I’m still with you.

Yesterday afternoon, right after commenting on the story, I had a doctor’s appointment.

I was still thinking about how strange and beautiful it was to come across the story when my Gram had been so heavy on my heart.

I pulled into a parking spot.

In my mind, I said, “Thank you for the signs—please keep showing me you’re around.“

And then I looked up.

The car parked directly across from me had a license plate that said PAPA.
The car parked right next to me? GRAM.

I swear you can’t make this stuff up! I snapped photos immediately and sent them to my family.

It made all of us smile and feel that same wave of peace and validation.

Along with my story, I’m including a photo I snapped of the woman from Hawaii. And the GRAM license plate from yesterday.

Now I know: Heaven will always find a way to reach us. You just have to be open and willing to trust what you feel.

This real life spiritual sign story was submitted by:

• Name: Margaret
• Age at the time of receiving the butterfly sign: 51
• Location at the time of receiving the butterfly sign: Big Island, Hawaii
• Job/Profession at the time of receiving the butterfly sign: Corporate Meeting and Event Planner
• Religion at the time of receiving the butterfly sign: Catholic

Real Photos Captured By Margaret: The Woman With the Butterfly Headband and The GRAM License Plate

Key Takeaways: Receiving a Spiritual Sign

🦋 Spiritual signs often arrive in beautifully unexpected ways. They may not look exactly how you pictured. In the story, the yellow butterfly was printed on a headband instead of alive and fluttering in nature. Spirit has a sense of creativity and surprise that loves to catch your heart off guard!

🦋 Be open to the form, not just the symbol. When you’re focused too narrowly on how a sign should appear, you might miss the magic already unfolding around you. Signs are deeply personal, but they’re not always literal.

🦋 Let go and trust the timing. The energy of questioning “Where is it? Why hasn’t it come yet?” actually creates resistance. Spiritual connection flows best when we soften, trust, and stay open. Straining or searching too hard can keep our sign from appearing.

🦋 Believe with your heart, not your eyes. True belief isn’t about demanding proof. It’s about opening to receive. Hold a quiet, trusting faith that your loved one hears you. This energy creates the space for the sign to appear. Signs often arrive when you least expect it!

---

---