It's disconcerting, amazing, and intriguing how folks who've left us come back to us in dreams so real. I noticed you've been listening to Miles...that's a trigger for me thinking of my Mom, who saw Miles with me before he --and she-- died.

We can only treasure the moments together, even when they're not quite real.

This post touches me deeply.

Although I have been not as involved as I should in religious endeavors (I am in my 50's and am thinking more and more about that) my ancestral family has.

My Grandmother, for an example, was a heavenly circumspect but deeply religious woman. She was a founding and active member of a Church called “The First Spiritualist Church”.

The Church members were strong Christians. However, a central part of their belief system is that we can and do communicate with the dead…particularly members of our immediate family.

We can initiate communication “with the other side” via a number of mediums (which I am happy to give an example of if there is interest…but sometimes this stuff is mocked and laughed at so I rarely discuss it in public).

However, the other side can also initiate communication with us in a number of ways as well.

The most powerful and common method the other side uses to come to us is via dreams.

These experiences with our loved ones are their way of telling us they are there, they love us and they want to help us in our lives.

Some people cannot allow themselves to open that conduit to the other side. Clearly you have, Jack.

For anyone who has experienced what you have it is not a “spooky” or “weird” feeling.

Crossing back from their world to ours in order to communicate to us is the ultimate act of Love and Comfort.

Be open to it and just let it happen. With time, you will “hear” what you Father is attempting to communicate to you.

Sometimes it's a scent that's unexpected. Sometimes it's a dream that you or someone else close to him had. Or a song. Sometimes it's a toddler pointing above Grandma's shoulder and calling out (deceased) Grandpa's name. Sometimes it's a practical joke out of the blue or a gift that triggers a memory. You know it's from Dad.

My sister asked my Dad to contact her after he died. She dreamed she answered the telephone and it was Dad on the other end - "Heard you were looking for me." Typical Dad - to make a joke.

This year, ten years after his death, Dad gave each of his kids one of his oil paintings for Christmas.

My aunt spun out in the ice and heard her (deceased) father's voice - "Pump the brakes, Marge."

These visitations are precious gifts that make the wait for the inevitable reunion more tolerable.

Damn, I miss him.

I miss him too. It's weird, but sometimes I feel as if he is standing right next to me. I believe he watches over us and let's us know it once in awhile. When it happens to me, it makes me happy because it reminds me that the people we love never really leave us.

Wow Jack, this is too weird. I dreamt of my father yesterday... we were watching the Apollo moon landings together. Hadn't dreamt about him in some time.

Published by The American Bible Society
The Book of Daniel
5 - The Handwriting on the Wall

1 Belshaz'zar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chalde'ans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
8 Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
11 ... there is a man in thy kingdom, ... whom the king Nebuchadnez'zar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chalde'ans, and soothsayers;
12 forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshaz'zar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing:
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king and make known to him the interpretation.

Daniel got booked for the season on the casino stage with David Blane, so the temp agency sent me to take a look. Something about me not getting paid to daydream ....

Okay, looks like from a brief work-up on this case that the dream warns you to stock staples. Fill your pantry against food shortage, drought and famine are coming. Put by for fallow years ahead. That's why you dreamed this at the first of the year.

The incidental second case, involving Apollo configurer of light and prophecy, is a dream leading to understanding the new work ahead in building each sovereign estate and home with an individual light and outlook made of its own energy. (Referring to the worldwide Apollo project creating homemade electricity on all lands.)

I think about him too -memories from the Post Christmas parties, American Legion weekends in Wildwood with the Schwartz's and with my dad at ABF.