I'm Still Here!

My friend Jack posted on Facebook:  “Woke to a cold house, checked the furnace and then called my dad and told him the symptoms.  He showed up with a spare igniter he already had and I had heat within the hour!  For those you lucky enough to still have their dad, or someone like him, remember to thank them for all the little things they do to help.  Peace and love.”

I am so grateful for Jack’s post.  When you write or say something good, one never knows how it will affect another person, so it’s always important to put good messages out there – these are the kinds of things that are meant to be shared.  What Jack wrote made me stop and realize that even though my dad passed away 2 years ago, he still “shows up”... not with an igniter for my furnace, but with one for my soul.  For instance...

When my daughter and granddaughters and I were walking in the Susan G. Komen Race, a pink balloon tied to the stroller suddenly came undone and took off up in the air.  I could clearly hear my dad say in his mischievous tone of voice, “This one’s for me!”  Ha!  Daddy was walking with us!  (Probably slowed down to walk with us, because he loved to RUN in races.) We watched the balloon go up, up, up, until we couldn’t see it anymore.  But we knew it was still there!  Daddy’s message to us:  “And even though you can’t SEE me anymore, I’m still here.”

When I was recently worried about Jill crossing the U.S./Mexican border, I heard my dad say, “Don’t worry, Jeanne.  I’m gonna be there with her.”

I’m sure my dad is still very close to me many times.  If I was less preoccupied, and spent more time in expectation of his presence, I would probably notice him more.  Thanks, Jack, for the impetus for a new way of thinking and being.