On our recent trip to Hawaii, we wanted to honor Dylan Skye Goedeker as we always do when we go somewhere. My daughter’s family spent a lot of time and money getting the sky lanterns there as they were flammable and not able to be on the plane. On several occasions we tried to find a good location to light them and send them out to sea but the wind was not cooperating with us.

Animal lover Dylan Skye Goedeker and his dog Addie.

The last night in Oahu, we went down to the beach and once again the wind was blowing toward the dry land. We were disappointed to miss our last opportunity to send our ceremonious lights to our handsome boy. We sat in a parking lot on a ledge overlooking the ocean as the crowd left from taking sunset photos. It was very dark except for a street light which illuminated the area a bit. I saw a shadowy figure of a woman approaching people one by one and asking if they had seen a brown dog who left home collarless.   As she approached my husband she asked the same question only this time she gave him a card and asked him to call her if he saw her dog. He said “Is he friendly? Will he come when he is called?”. She replied, “Yes, his name is Dylan.” And she moved on, unaware that she had given us an amazing present. With knowing glances, chills, tears and laughter we were thankful for the beautiful sign our little boy Dylan had sent. We were still able to celebrate his life by the ocean with our personalized wood chips (which will be a topic of another blog). We realized that even when you can’t do what was anticipated, it can turn into something even better. An extra special sign from Dylan! The signs our loved ones give us are not always what we expect. They come in many forms and we must be open to them.

This story cannot end here leaving us wondering what happened to the dog that was the reason for our beautiful message. Calling the number on the card, the women graciously shared her story of how the pure bred Chocolate Lab was found by friendly people who where already out posting dog found posters. Dillon is now sporting an embroidered , soundless collar just in case he escapes again. This lovely stranger was surprised but honored that she and her Dillon were able to deliver a much needed message at a time of disappointment.

Our little six year old Dylan was a true animal lover. It’s no wonder that he would use a dog to send a message to our dog loving family. A photo of Dylan’s Labrador puppy is in our book, “My Loved One Shines On! A Gift from Beyond”.  The words, “Yes everybody, I am right here, in a tiny small puppy and even a mirror.”are written along side of it.  Just 5 days after his passing, Dylan Skye shared these words with me, his grandmother Disa Van Orman, to let us know that he is still with us and will be sending us signs and love. He wants us to share his message with the world to reignite a flame of hope, love and joy.

Thank you for the message Dillon. Thank you for our signs our sweet boy Dylan!   We’d love to hear your story about a message you received from a passed loved one from an animal.  Please share.

Dillon, the dog who delivered a message from a passed loved one.