I have sitting on my desk a wallet sized picture of my father looking rather spiffy in a suit. I keep it on my desk as a reminder that my dad is watching over me from heaven. A strange phenomenon started happening shortly after my father passed away. My mother whenever she had to make an important decision would ask my father for his advice and in the strangest places my mother would find a coin or coins.
Now, there is a story to why finding a coin or coins means something to my mother and our family. On the day my parents got married they didn’t have much money or time for a honeymoon. So, the story goes that they got married in the afternoon and decided to honeymoon in Phoenix. My father and mother stopped at lucky wishbone on their way to Phoenix and that night decided to catch a movie. The movie they happen to pick was called Five Red Pennies. Starring Danny Kaye, who portrayed Red Nichols who was at the time a popular big band leader who at the height of his popularity gave it all up when his daughter contracted polio choosing rather to help his daughter to recover.
As my mother told me of these events, we began to believe that it was my father sending a message to us and this phenomenon has continued since my father’s passing each time there has been an important decision to make or we wonder if my father was approving of a decision we had to make.
Just recently for an example, my mother had decided to remove some old paneling which needed to be replaced. As my mom and nephews were removing the paneling, I made the comment that dad would approve of this. No sooner, had the words come out of my mouth my mother found a penny hidden behind some old paneling. With amazement and a laugh, I said, see dad is watching over us.
Now, I realize that some people find it difficult to believe that those who pass over to the other side or “heaven” as I like to think of it, can see us or communicate with us. I am hard-pressed from all that I have read to not believe that such phenomenon is possible and does likely occur more often than we are aware of. One just needs to read the accounts of Jesus birth to know that angels did appeared announcing his birth to a group of shepherds. The writer of Hebrews makes this comment, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” So, it is not hard for me to believe other things are not possible.
John Burke who wrote one of the best books I have read on what heaven will be like wrote in his book “imagine heaven” the following, “Real people and real relationships do not end when this life ends, they go on to new depths.”
When I look at the picture sitting on the desk of my father, I cannot imagine what he must be experiencing each day (time does not seem to exist in heaven according to the author) but, I imagine he is blown away. I also imagine him whispering in an angel’s ear, “would you mind dropping a few pennies to let my family know I am thinking about them or there is a big decision being made.” I also picture my dad singing the Five Pennies song that Red sang to his daughter to my mother.
Thoughts? E-mail: francisearly@francisearly.com
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