When I was a teenager my father died very suddenly in a horrific car accident. I was the last person to see him alive. He always hugged me and told me that he loved me…being a teenager, I kind of thought that that was “Un-cool.” Then suddenly he was gone and life stopped and my family spiraled into unwelcomed changes. I couldn’t sleep at night, and each day I felt like I was being hit with wave after wave of pain and grief.
At the peak of my grief, my father appeared to me in a dream. He stood at the foot of my bed, his face was peaceful and he had a glow or an aura about him. He smiled and told me that everything was going to be ok. I’ve missed him and thought often of him over the years. The times I’ve missed him the most were when something significant was happening in my life: When I graduated from high school, then college, then marriage, and the birth of my own children my birthday, his birthday. But somehow that dream always stayed with me. Is there life after death? Who among the living knows for sure? Was it some type of mental coping mechanism my brain invented? Who knows?
What I have learned from my father’s death: life is real; life is precious and everyday matters! I try to remember to not let insignificant problems come between me and the people I love, my wife, my children and other family and dear friends…and compared to life, most of the problems I deal with are insignificant. All that I can do is love the people I love…today…there are no guarantees for tomorrow. When I part with a family member or a dear friend – the last words they hear me say (if I’m blessed to see them again) are “I love you.”