Although it has been 11 years since my dad left us, there is no question in my mind that he is still nearby, watching over and protecting his family- just as he did while here on earth.
This became especially apparent recently. My mom, at 91, was reaching the conclusion that she could no longer stay in her home of 30+ years. It’s pretty amazing that she was still there as it was, I know, but the maintenance and the stress involved with being in the house alone were beginning to overwhelm her. She was trying to make the difficult decision of whether or whether not it was the right time to move to senior housing.
The only place she would consider living (close to all five of her children) was beautiful and had everything she could possibly need. However, for the specs in an apartment that my mother desired, they also had a waiting list…of up to 2 YEARS!!! That would’ve been enough to dissuade her and put the decision off, but something incredible happened.
In working with the salesperson at the community, we found (coincidentally) that she had a connection to my father. It seemed a close family member of hers attended Siena College. While a student there he suffered a tremendous loss, and was in a very bad way. My dad had counseled him. This individual was extremely grateful for the help that he received and felt forever indebted to my dad for pulling him out of a dark place. He was of such a young age and my dad’s help truly changed the trajectory of his life at that time. This took place over 30 years ago- yet he is still vocal to this day, in his appreciation of what my dad’s guidance meant to him.
Remarkably, not long after we learned this, an apartment with the exact specs that my mom wanted became available- and somehow my mom wound up at the top of the waiting list! Both my mom and I were convinced that my dad- through a good deed done decades ago- was ‘calling in a favor’ of sorts, giving his stamp of approval and paving the way for my mom to make the change. She simply could not ignore the stroke of fate that seemed to be presenting itself, and decided to move forward with the process.
Oh…and if you think this is a stretch of a coincidence, there’s one more thing. When my mom went to see the apartment and sign the paperwork to reserve it- we were speechless to discover the apartment number was 276! Of ALL the apartment numbers in the entire community- it was the same number as my father’s childhood home!
I think there are at least two lessons here:
Continue to do good deeds and spread positivity in the world. You may not see the results immediately. But, you might just be setting your loved ones up to reap the rewards of your actions somewhere down the line.
Love is a bond that never dies. Those that leave us behind are always there, watching over and caring for us from heaven. Just look for the signs.
