Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from my brother telling me that my dad has passed away. We have been waiting for this to happen for a very long time. Back in 1970, I flew from California to Michigan when he came down with cancer and we had thought that it was the end for him then...As it turned out, he was one of the last to go in our family since both my mother and her brothers and their wives have all preceded my dad. But finally, he has gone to join them in the world of spirit somehow. He has not always believed that at all. In fact, he believes that death ends everything, and there is nothing more after that. I suspect that he may have half wished that the rest of us are right that there is life after death but he never fully accepted it.
I guess the only way for sure is that we die to learn the truth of it. In my case, I know that his mother who was a religious fanatic did survive as she made her appearance in our backyard in Michigan where she proved to me that she had powers even in spirit by unleashing my pet yorkshire terrier Clancey. He stayed in that position until I opened the doors to let him in the house, and he was ever after affected by it, even to the point whereby he did the same as she and made his appearance to me in the bathroom in Colorado.
Yes, dogs have spiritual energy to reappear to reassure their master or mistress that they live after death also. I looked down while sitting at the toilet and could see his energy vibrating ghostlike in front of me just as my grandmother had waved at me in the backyard patio that June in Davison, Michigan.
So for me there is no doubt about Heaven, Perfect Love, and God's promise to be fulfilled. I cannot say exactly the way that each one of us should practice our faith. I am the type who does not like attendance at church as the way of stating my faith. I rather like practicing it through goodness, kindness, generosity when able, and other means of showing that one has a God centered life.
I will admit that the numbness of constant ongoing routine no matter whether reciting the pledge of Allegiance, the playing of the national anthem at every sporting event, or the regularity of saying the same prayers at Church each and every Sunday becomes very tedious, boring, routine, and finally nonsensical. It loses meaning after too many performances that become mere motions instead of sincere prayers or sincere oaths of allegiance.
A book I loved is called Keys of the Kingdom where a priest recognized that a protester against religion was more religious, devout, and faithful than some of the socalled rice Christians. My dad falls into that category a bit. He seldom gave himself credit for the good things that he did, but he would punish himself severely for the bad things or errors that he made. He was rather too harsh on himself at times, and as a consequence, that carried over to other people as well.
He is gone. He is finally relieved of the suffering that he has endured over the past years. I am hoping that he has caught up with his closest friends and relatives. He had many friends through his business and his work. His men would visit with him at our home in Michigan when he was supervisor at the Buckeye Pipeline Co. in Flint,Mi. I am wondering how I can get word to any of them. It is in my brother's hands but I doubt that he knew any of them as he was far away in Jackson and did not really know much about them. I am sure that Taylor is alive and well yet, having been a much younger man...but then my dad lived so long that perhaps Taylor has passed away too. I do not know..
At any rate, in his last years, he had the comfort of the people in the assisted living home. It is much harder when retired and living in a new city to become acquainted and to make friends. But he had made so many while walking in the ranch at the home here in Scottsdale that I will have to let them know now. His friend Debra who had taken care of him for most of his years in Cortez told me that he had liked to walk so much that finally when he was unable to walk, he just gave it up. I am sure that that is probably true but he was also very tired when we had talked the last time. He had told me then that he felt only so-so which for him was an admission of ill health. I pray that now he has rest and peace. It is finally over. This long ordeal.
No comments:
Post a Comment