WHAT I TREASURE: MY BOX OF FEATHERS

On the outside it looks like an extravagant trinket from the past. One that perhaps belonged to a king or queen, prince or princess, protecting a grand jewel. Inside homes a bundle of soft white feathers resting peacefully on top of each other. My nan has been sending me white feathers for over 10 years. This small beloved box safely holds moments of comfort – when I needed it and unexpectedly. Each feather, all 137 of them mean more than words can say.

In 2012, two years after my nan left us, my mum and I went to see a clairvoyant. She relayed messages to us that only we could’ve made sense of. Nothing about what she said was vague and given we revealed almost nothing - it was a spine tingling experience. The clairvoyant even revealed her best friends' names - Joan, Glenys and Maureen. They aren’t exactly common names! She told us to look out for white feathers as this is her leaving us messages.

Some fell on my shoulder from the sky, some would land on my front door step as I put my key in the door. Others have appeared on the top of my duvet, as if perfectly placed when I wasn’t looking. Some have fallen into my car whilst driving and the windows were closed. Some would wait for me to stumble across them in gardens and homes. Others would appear in the strangest and most unpredictable place. “If I hadn’t walked down this path, I’d have never seen you!” is what I have said to myself many times over the years.

It’s hard to comprehend that there is another place that our loved ones are watching from. This trinket box reminds me every day that whilst she is no longer here physically, she is always with me in spirit. She sends me these to tell me it’s all going to be ok. She sends me these to tell me to enjoy life and be happy. To live life to the full and to laugh often. She sends me these to remind and comfort me that she is always with me and watching from another place. These feathers of the purest, innocent white in my treasured trinket box are my piece of heaven and even a decade on my angel is still leaving me messages.