“When somebody passes away, people often think that person is gone, and that they have to say goodbye,” says Bianca, “but I truly believe that’s not the case.”

Bianca tells stories of how she has known through the years that her departed grandmothers have been with her. She’s known it through their scent, a bird, a flower, through colours in the sky—and, even, through unexplained help that prevented a serious car crash.

But, this story is about how the shape of a mermaid and an abundance of butterflies have comforted Bianca and assured her that her best friend Aliesha is still with her.

“March 11, 2015, my best friend Aliesha passed away,” says Bianca. “She and I were like sisters…super close, and were always there for each other. We both had medical issues, so on rough days we would always vent to each other, knowing that we were venting to someone who truly cared, wouldn’t judge, and would really understand.

“In my room, I have the sewing machine that my Nonna taught me how to sew on, and that we would use all the time together. It folds up like a desk, so I often will do my homework on it.

“The day after Aliesha passed away, I was working on one of my school assignments, which was a painting, so I had all my watercolour paints and paintbrushes out, along with a small bottle filled with water.

“In the painting, I included a quote that Aliesha always would say to me: ‘We will fight our battles, and we will win!’

“At one point, I accidentally knocked the bottle over. When I stood to mop it up from the carpet, I realized that the coloured water was in the perfect shape of a mermaid sitting on a rock. This was very powerful to me because Aliesha used to call herself a mermaid. By that, I knew that my best friend/sister was still with me.

“I was given the huge honour of presenting her eulogy. As I was spoke, the lights in the funeral home flickered; and, after I finished presenting, the priest made a comment that Aliesha was definitely there with us.

“Aliesha and I always had some sort of contact. We lived a couple of blocks apart, so we would often hang out, but we also kept in touch almost every single day through text messaging, FaceTime, and Skype.

“Since she has passed away, once in a while my phone will go off as if I have a notification, but when I check, there’s nothing there. To me, this is definitely a sign from Aliesha, as if she’s saying, ‘He-y-y-y, what’s up? How’s it goin’?’

“Like my Nonna and Nonna, who I know are also still with me, Aliesha would call me her ‘Little Butterfly.’ Shortly before she passed away, she told me she would haunt me with butterflies. She has definitely kept that promise. During the warmer weather, whenever I look or go outside, I always see at least one butterfly. Even when I am at the mall, or browsing online, I will always see something that has a butterfly on it.

“I am constantly surrounded by beautiful butterflies; and, I hold this sign that Aliesha is with me very close to my heart.”

The Meaning of Forever Project continues to accept stories of comforting experiences with loved ones who have passed on, and of near-death experiences that have helped to show the continuation of life beyond the physical body. You can email your story to us at themeaningofforever@gmail.com and you can find more about our project on our Facebook page, and our Meaning of Forever Website.