She got flowers for a chanting session for their dear friend, Mary, who was on hospice care and very near the end of her life. After Mary retired, she had worked with community based organizations helping seniors deal with issues surrounding death and dying.

That chanting session had been six weeks and 3 days ago….

She wanted to see if the flower would survive until 49 days after Mary died. It was clearly almost gone, but she was so grateful she had saved it. When she went to look again, the flower and one green stem had moved from one side of the vase toward the center front.

She said she knows the dog did not move it, and she is taking this to be a sign that Mary was there to mark the end of the 49 days1

Many Buddhists believe 49 days is the longest length of time the intermediate or “bardo” state before a person’s next incarnation can last. “Could be that Mary’s already reincarnated, though I would think she might want to rest a bit before coming back,”she shared.

So grateful to share in the magnificence that was and still is Mary.