Learning to Trust the Signs from Loved Ones. A Widow’s Story of Connection Beyond Loss
- Jaclyn Hoffman
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
A personal journey into afterlife signs and spiritual communication for widows.
It still feels tender to admit this, but receiving signs from Alex has become one of the most comforting parts of my grief journey. I know how odd that may sound because who would ever imagine they’d be finding comfort in messages from the other side?
But here I am. And honestly, I treasure each and every one of them. They have carried me through days when the ache felt unbearable, and they’ve lifted me in moments when I didn’t even know I needed lifting.
I am grateful to have embraced signs early too and much thanks to a friend who saw a medium just weeks after Alex died. Not by coincidence, of course. She goes every year, and I didn’t think much of it at first nor did I care when she nonchalantly stated she was going to see one. But what she did next, well, that mattered. She shared a clip from her reading with me, and Alex came through.
She asked all the right questions. You know, the intuitive ones I wouldn’t have even known to ask in those first raw weeks since losing Alex. Plus, I never spoke to a medium before. I digress. So the medium answered:
“He gives signs through dimes.”
I immediately shared that with my parents, who said, “We’ve been finding dimes everywhere, even in unusual corners of the house." I hadn’t seen many myself yet, but that was about to change.
The medium also mentioned, “Someone is wearing his sweatshirt. Someone is wearing his hat.” That one stopped me in my tracks because yes, that someone was me. For days on end, I wore his green 511 cap and one of his usual hoodies.
And that was only the beginning.
The Day the Coins Stopped Me in My Tracks
A few weeks later, grief hit me so hard I felt like I was coming apart at the seams. I felt like a ticking time bomb. The kids were at school, the house was so quiet, and I finally let myself fall apart. I wailed into the couch… the kind of scream you feel in your bones. The kind that empties you. I had to release that pressure valve.
When I finally stood up, exhausted, I walked outside to grab the garbage cans and that’s when I saw it.
A dime.
Two pennies.
Placed in a tiny triangle at the base of my driveway.
I froze. You know those moments where your whole body just knows?
I don’t believe for a second that was random.
Around the same time, the number 55 kept showing up on clocks, license plates, signs, and phone numbers. And every time, I felt Alex. I even told my mom how connected I felt to that number and that Alex was sending me a nudge, a nod, or wink that he's here.
Now let me fast forward just a little. I met my new partner, Ian, in 2021. And on the very first day I visited his house, I looked at the cars in his driveway and one of the plates on his vehicle had 55 on it. I couldn't stop smiling at this and while Ian thought I was smirking at his "old man" Buick, I was thinking I was thinking, “Of course you would show up here, Alex.”
It felt like his quiet way of saying, “You’re allowed to be here. You’re allowed to move forward. I’m not going anywhere.”
Some things you just can’t make up.
The Cardinal on the Truck & Other Sacred Signs from Loved Ones
Since then, the signs have continued and these are just a small handful since 2019:
Rainbows at the perfect moment
Dimes in unexpected places
Repeating numbers on license plates
A car with out-of-`state plates pulled up next to me with the plate read AEX-1370. I immediately translated it to Alex 370. This was his badge number.
And one early spring… a male and female cardinal perched on Alex's black pickup truck were playfully interacting with each other for hours on end.
It was as if Alex was gently saying, “I’m here. I see you. Keep going.”
And Then there was Our River Guide
In August 2024, I finally planned a white-water rafting trip, a dream activity that Alex and I always had intended to do but it just didn't happen.
We were camping: Ian, his kids, my kids, and I. When we were exiting the shuttle that took us to the river, Ian turned to me and said, “You need to ask that river guide what his last name is.” We already knew his first name was Alex prior to getting on the shuttle, but Ian insisted I ask.
So down at the river, as our group was getting into the rafts, Alex, the river guide was passing through. Something told me to ask.
“Hey Alex, what’s your last name?”
Walking by, he answered:
“Hoffman.”
I shockingly replied, "are you serious?"
To which he responded, "yeah, know someone with the same name?"
All I could muster up was "wouldn't you like to know."
(I was not about to tell a 20-year-old kid that that is the name of my late husband, but I will say I immediately told our kids who were with us on the trip, texted Alex's mother and brother, my Blue Babes girls, and shared with my widow's group. I felt compelled to tell the world!)
I still get goosebumps writing this.
If that isn’t a sign...I mean, come on.
Helping Others Recognize Their Own Signs
I shared these stories with my widows’ group, and I saw the hunger and the longing to feel their own person’s presence. So many widows whispered:
“I wish I knew how to tell if I’m getting signs too.”
That longing became the spark behind a collaborative workshop with my friend Robin, an evidential medium as well as talking about this in my counseling and coaching sessions. Because here’s the truth:
Signs aren’t reserved for the lucky. They’re not random. You don’t have to be “spiritual enough” to receive them either.
We are all constantly receiving them. The work is simply learning to notice…
and to trust.
This topic spring-boarded a workshop I host in my office called Discovering Signs. Many widows and other grievers have attended this workshop to learn about connection to our loved ones on the other side. This is in collaboration with my friend and evidential medium, Robin Marie.
How YOU Can Start Recognizing the Signs
Here are some gentle ways widows (and any griever) can open themselves:
1. Pay attention to repetition
Numbers, songs, animals, objects. If it keeps showing up, it’s not coincidence.
2. Follow the feeling
Most signs don’t arrive with fireworks. They arrive as a warm “knowing” in your heart.
3. Ask for something specific
A phrase. A number. A certain bird. They love meeting us where we are. But also be open to what they deliver. For example, a live lady bug might not be something you see in the middle of winter, but you may encounter a bench with an assortment of lady bugs painted on it. Our loved ones love to keep us on our toes!
4. Thank them
There is effort put forth by our loved ones to send us signs. Thanking them strengthens the connection and that gratitude becomes a bridge between worlds. It softens your heart, raises your energy, and invites more moments of connection. And in grief, where everything feels so heavy, that openness matters and the healing continues.
5. Keep a signs journal
When you write them down, you’ll see patterns… and build trust. I was in awe when reading previous entries in my journal of all the subtle signs I experienced along with the larger ones I've shared here. Again, our loved ones are constantly sending us signs to assure us they are close.
6. Share your signs
Affirming and talking about signs received (like we do in my widow community) makes them feel even more real and invites more in.
Remember, Love Doesn’t End. It Changes
Receiving signs from Alex hasn’t erased my grief, but it certainly helps me carry it differently. And it has also softened the edges.
It has reminded me that the bond we had and the love we built didn’t die with him. It simply shifted into another form.
A quieter one.
But still very much alive.
And you deserve to feel that connection too.
What signs have you experienced since losing your person?
I am grateful for all the signs you send me, Alex. Keep them coming, love.
I love you forever and forever, Mr. A.
xo,
Jac
P.S. One last thing. I was just scrolling through my camera tonight and was looking for photos of signs I've collected over the past few years. I came across shots of the dump truck that Alex owned and drove the day he died. Please peek at the speedometer. Like I said, you just can't make this up!!
P.P.S. Would you like to come to my Discovering Signs Workshop hosted in collaboration with my friend, Robin Marie, an evidential medium? It's a fun and informative group. Lots of great energy! I love witnessing the experiences people have in the workshop and seeing them leave not only with hope, but with a renewed perspective on moving forward with their grief.
Join my waitlist below and I'll send you info on our future workshops coming in 2026! Hope to see you!!
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