T WAS A HOT AUGUST MORNING in 1989 when I received a phone call from my mother, saying that my dad had passed away. He had gotten up that day and gone to mow the lawn of a neighbor who was ill with leukemia. It was a hot and sultry day. Later, another neighbor said he recalled seeing my father sitting on the curb that morning with his head in his hands, his lawn mower nearby.

My mother was in the bathroom getting dressed when she said she heard a “voice” urging her to go outside to check on my dad. When she stepped onto the front porch, she found my dad slumped in a chair. Mother was just moments too late. Dad was gone. A neighbor rushed over and attempted to revive him, but it was no use.

After I spoke with my mother by phone that morning, I began to prepare for the eight-hour drive with my husband and 5-year-old son to my parent’s home. While in the shower, I cried and even screamed. I asked Dad why he had left my mother like that and wondered what was going to happen to her now. In my grief, I wasn’t thinking clearly and was actually trying to carry on a conversation with my Dad.

As I stepped out of the shower, I suddenly felt a very large and warm presence before me. I stopped. I wasn’t afraid but distinctly heard a voice saying, “It will be okay, everything will be all right.” For a long time, I believed that my Dad had paid a visit to me that morning. Since then, I have come to understand that God actually sent an angel to comfort me.

After this uplifting encounter, I managed to regain my composure and remained calm throughout the trip, the funeral and afterwards. I knew that my mother was going to be just fine, and my instincts were right.

Author unknown
CHRISTUS The Regis/St. Elizabeth Centers
Waco, Texas