It was a Thursday, a week before Thanksgiving.  It was getting dark outside.  I received a call from mom that dad’s condition was critical.

I immediately began getting ready to leave – I wanted to be with dad. I wanted to give him strength, encourage him and support him with my love.

When mom called I was at work.  As soon as we hung up I began looking for the next available flight.  No airline would sell me a ticket so close to the time of the flight because of TSA rules, but I had to find an airline to take me to my destination.  To my dismay there was only one flight I could take.  It was leaving in less than an hour from JFK.  All other flights had layovers and continued with the second leg of the trip on the next day.  I had to be on that flight.  There is always very heavy traffic and hardly any chance of ever catching a cab at that time of day in New York City.  Yet right in front of my building parked – almost as if waiting for me – was a cab.  The driver must have telepathically picked up my troubles because he was swerving through traffic, taking alternate routes and genuinely making an effort to deliver me to the airport in a record time.

When I arrived at the JetBlue terminal I was met by a sea of people.  For a moment I panicked. I though to myself, “How do I buy a ticket and go through security in the 15 minutes I have before this flight leaves when there are so many people in every line?”

I stopped, took a breath and looked around.  I was waiting for guidance.  Then in the crowd I saw the airline person who made everything possible for me.

Within a few moments, I was sitting at the gate, praying and thanking God.  I felt as if the entire Universe was cooperating with me, as if someone had already made all arrangements for me. This feeling of being taken care of would stay with me and nurture me in the days and weeks that followed.

We boarded the plane.  As the noise of people putting their luggage away and preparing for departure began to subside I looked out the window and stared into the darkness.

Just like that, without any warning, a profound vision came to me.

In a split second the reality of what was in front of my physical eyes disappeared.

I saw the hospital in which dad was as part of the cityscape viewed from above.  It was dark.  Right above the hospital there was a large, very large column of white light.  In a circle around it there were beings of light – angels, guides, masters.  One of the beings had light that was larger and brighter than the rest of them.  I just knew that that was the soul of Jesus Christ.

From the point where the column of light met the hospital emerged my father’s spirit.  It too was composed of white light.  It began lifting up higher and higher.  The other spirits who were standing around the column of light were there to greet him.  His spirit reached the level at which they were standing and disappeared within the light.

While seeing this I was engulfed in a feeling of peace, tranquility and eternal, unconditional love.

And then my vision was over.

I smiled gently to myself and thought that this would be a good way to think of how dad’s spirit may return to Source someday.

When I arrived at the hospital room, my mom turned to me with tears in her eyes, held me and barely whispered “Dad is no longer with us.”

Later I learned that dad passed away in the very moment of time when I had the vision of his spirit rising and continuing into the light.

I regret that I was not physically present, standing next to him and holding his hand when he crossed over but in reality I was more present than I could have ever been.  I am so grateful that dad allowed me to be there with him and to witness him continuing on his soul path.

It has been a real blessing to have you in my life, dad.  Thank you for the countless wonderful moments we had and for overcoming obstacles together in an effort to return to love.  Thank you for helping shape my life and for always believing in me, being proud of me and encouraging me to be the person that I am today.

I miss you so much – and yet in a way I feel that you are closer to me than ever before.

I love you, dad.

I always will.

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