When Cardinals Appear: The Stories Behind My Holy Water Bracelet Giveaway

There is something about a cardinal that makes you stop.

Maybe it is the brilliant flash of red against an otherwise ordinary day. Maybe it is the way they seem to appear at exactly the right moment. Or maybe it is because, for so many people who are grieving someone they love, cardinals have come to represent something much bigger.

There is a familiar saying: When cardinals appear, angels are near.

For many people, seeing a cardinal after losing someone they love can feel like a little visit—a reminder that love is still close, even when the person we love no longer is.

If you know the story behind Hi, Dad, you know how much that idea means to me.

Since losing my dad, Ralph, I have learned to notice those little moments differently. A butterfly. A sunset. A cardinal. The beautiful things that make me stop for a second and think: Hi, Dad.

And that is part of what makes this giveaway with Holy Water Bracelet so incredibly special to me.

The Meaning Behind Holy Water Bracelet

I fell in love with Holy Water Bracelet, because these are not simply beautiful pieces of jewelry. Each bracelet contains authentic holy water sourced from the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, sealed inside its charm.

But what has become most meaningful to me is not simply what is inside the bracelet. It is what the bracelet can represent.

Hope. Courage. Love. Faith. Remembrance.

And sometimes, the bracelet you choose for yourself ends up belonging to someone else.

There is something profound about recognizing that another person may need what your bracelet represents more than you do. I have had that happen three times recently.

Three bracelets. Three completely different people. Three moments I do not think I will ever forget.

A Bracelet For Courage

The first happened while I was walking Panda. I noticed a woman who appeared to be crying. I could have continued walking, but something told me to stop. I walked over and simply asked her: “Are you okay?”

She looked at me and asked if she could have a hug. “Of course.” As I hugged this woman I had never met before, I asked her what was troubling her.

She told me she had escaped the war in Ukraine to come to the United States to be with her son. But she had been forced to leave behind her beloved dog, her friends, and the life she knew. She did not know if they were safe. I could not stop thinking about the courage it must have taken to leave everything behind while simultaneously carrying the fear of what might be happening to everyone she loved.

I told her to wait for me.

I ran inside my house and came back with my Joan of Arc Holy Water Bracelet.

I told her: “I do not know what your faith is. It does not matter. But what Joan of Arc stood for was bravery and courage, and that is what you need right now.” And I gave her my bracelet.

I have seen her several times since then while walking Panda. Every time, she is wearing it. And every time, she seems a little lighter.

A Bracelet For Love

The second bracelet went to someone I love who is walking through an incredibly painful divorce. Her story is not mine to tell, so I will keep the details private.

But I watched someone I care about begin to question things no person should ever have to question about themselves—their worth, their dignity, and whether they deserve to be happy again.

I had a porcelain heart Holy Water Bracelet. And suddenly, I knew it was not mine anymore.

I gave it to her, because I wanted her to have something tangible to look at during the moments when someone else’s words made her forget who she was. A little reminder wrapped around her wrist: You are loved. You are worthy. You matter.

The bracelet meant so much to her. But I do not think she realizes how much giving it to her meant to me.

A Cardinal For My Publisher

And then there was my publisher. While working together on Hi, Dad, she shared something with me that stopped me in my tracks. Whenever she sees a cardinal, she says: Hi, Mom.

When she read my book and discovered that a cardinal appears in the story—and that seeing one is one of the moments when I say Hi, Dad—she immediately felt that our connection was somehow meant to be.

And I knew exactly which bracelet belonged to her. My cardinal Holy Water Bracelet. I gave it to her on her Birthday, or should I say our Birthday, as we are Birthday twins!

She now wears it every day. She later told me it was one of the most thoughtful and beautiful gifts anyone had ever given her.

That bracelet began as something I wore. Now it means Hi, Mom. And somehow, that feels exactly right.

Why Cardinals Mean So Much

Cardinals have become deeply connected with remembrance and the people we love who are no longer physically beside us. For some people, seeing that unmistakable flash of red feels like a message. For others, it is simply a moment that makes them stop, remember, and feel close to someone they miss. I do not think we necessarily have to explain those moments.

Sometimes it is enough to simply receive them. For my publisher, a cardinal means: Hi, Mom. For me, it means: Hi, Dad. And perhaps for you, it means someone else entirely.

Sometimes The Bracelet Is Not Meant To Stay With You

These three experiences completely changed the way I look at my Holy Water Bracelets. Because the beautiful part is not simply choosing a bracelet whose meaning speaks to you. Sometimes the most beautiful part is realizing that its meaning has suddenly become someone else’s.

Courage for a stranger who had to leave everything behind. Love for a friend who needed to remember her worth. A cardinal for a woman who still says Hi, Mom.

Maybe we do not always know why something comes into our lives. Maybe sometimes we are simply meant to carry it until we meet the person who needs it next.

The Holy Water Bracelet Cardinal Giveaway

And now, this story gets another chapter, as I have three cardinal Holy Water Bracelets to give away to three people.

And hopefully, three more stories that have not even happened yet. Maybe you will keep yours forever. Maybe you will wear it when you are missing someone you love. Maybe seeing that little cardinal on your wrist will remind you to look for beauty on a day when you desperately need it. Or maybe one day you will meet someone who needs its message more than you do. And you will take it off your wrist and place it into their hands.

Would that not be beautiful?

Want To Win One?

I am giving away three cardinal Holy Water Bracelets over on Instagram.

Please head to my Instagram giveaway post for the official entry details and your chance to win.

And if someday you look down at your bracelet and realize someone else needs it more than you do? Maybe you will know what to do. ❤️