Thanks EH...your thoughts and words are so appreciated.

Dots, I'm encouraging you to try. I opened a book my dad signed for me and read the words, again, last week. You'd think I'd have bust out bawling from a feeling of loss... but, instead, the warmest feeling ran through my body, and without effort, a smile crossed my face. I just stood there and soaked in the feelings.

Gims..very sorry to hear about your father passing. As you seem to feel..I am sure that he is still there with you..helping you on the way. I think that our loved ones are aware that their passing can be very difficult for some of us..and so they stick around for awhile..and come back now and again..more intimately..over the years.

HI!!! Princess and Eagle..I´ve missed you alot here!

Hugs to everyone!

I do feel as if he's still here... and it seems our relationship is unhampered and stronger, now. I will stand on this belief from now until forever... he woke me up with a good strong five-finger jab on my left shoulder the day of his memorial service... it was him, or an agent for him... whichever, it reinforced my belief in those we can't see. It was the third of such connections in my life (ones that I recognized, anyway).

Hi Gims, I do believe in connections with those in the afterlife. Or an "agent" for them as you say. There is some comfort in that concept.

PL, I wouldn't have believed it until my DH's father passed. My change in thinking came from what I believe was a visit from him 3 days after his passing. You are right, there is a comfort in believing such.
I feel as if my dad fully knows and understands all that went on in his last year... the true content of hearts and minds of all involved. That gives me such peace... no one can sway him one way or another, anymore. I have no case to plead, now. He knows how I felt, what I was thinking, and how much I love him.

Gims, I too am a firm believer in these connections...I've had far too many to believe otherwise...and they are impossible to "unsee" once we've seen and felt them.

This past Friday night, our tour group was enjoying a celebrational supper in a restaurant in Madrid. Hubby and I were sitting at a table with two other couples, enjoying wonderful conversation and food. Eventually the conversation changed to Christmas talk, and actually became somewhat somber as we found out that all of us had lost loved ones recently and that we had all lost our Christmas spirit to some extent because of those losses. We commiserated with each other, and then the musicians came and sang at our table.

While listening to the music, I felt a hand squeeze my left shoulder. I turned around but nobody was there. Since I was sitting with my back against the back corner wall, there was no way anyone could have come around the table to touch me. Yet I could still feel the warmth of that handprint on my shoulder. And although I still don't sense who it was, I do know it brought comfort and a lovely sense of being watched over.

These connections happen frequently, and almost always break through moments of deep sorrow and draw me back into life and light with that sense of being companioned and loved.

gims, what a sweet occurance. That was beautiful. So glad to hear you are at peace with where he is and how he's feeling these days.

And, Gims, his presence WILL stay with you forever. I often ask my Dad for advice. And it's funny, I know what he would say; and I follow up on it.

I truly hope so, EW, I truly hope so. My youngest sister expressed how so afraid she was that she'd forget his face and his deep bass voice... I gave her a portion of one of his taped sermons my mom gave to me years ago. If I knew how to share it with you all, I would... it's kind of funny and so indicative of him. Maybe Mama Red could help me get it linked here... not through youtube, though... I don't want to put him on display to that broad an audience. Is there a soundbite storage site?