I am doubly grateful to Debby for sharing this story, as I know that many people will relate to what she recounts. I met my great-grandfather in very similar circumstances, a number of times…though it was always in a wood such as the ones we had often walked together… and only when I truly needed his sage advice.
It may be argued by some that these encounters are created in dream by the mind and imagination, born from a need for comfort and reassurance. Others will accept Debby’s suggestion of astral travel and some will see it as a meeting beyond life. Whatever the explanation, such an encounter can only be born of love…
I’m happy to be back here to share an intimate story from the beyond. I recently wrote a guest post here for Sue – Messages from Beyond, and was asked by Sue to come back and share a story I touched on in that post about my visit to heaven. It’s funny how some of the things we encounter in our lives are taken for granted by us that others may not have interest in. But as Sue and I realized by the interaction we received from my last post, it seems a topic many had something to contribute to. I also know that many people may not understand or believe in the afterlife which is understandably so because if you haven’t been touched or visited by spirit, it can be difficult to be a believer.
My father had passed a few months before I had this ‘dream’, although I hesitate to call it a dream.
I was very close with my father my entire life. I don’t say my father played favorites with his children, but he and I shared a special connection since as far back as I can remember. I had a most difficult time accepting his death and that he’d no longer be in my life ever since that fateful day he was taken away.
My father had no tolerance for our cold Canadian winters and had taken to spending a month down in Miami Beach, Florida every winter for years. He also didn’t like being alone so every year he’d send me and my sister a plane ticket to join him for a few weeks. I’d save my work holiday time for these occasions and as my sister’s family grew, we’d have her babies in tow with us. We all had a great time at the beach and of course, shopping. They were good times we looked forward to every winter.
Dad left for Miami just after New Year’s day 1991. He rented a condo and invited a friend of his to stay with him the first week until my sister and I arrived.
The day was January 7th, 1991. In two days, my sister and I were set to leave for Miami to join Dad. But on this day, I had just returned home from having a biopsy to determine the early changes of cervical cancer that I had been diagnosed with. I was lying on my couch when my sister phoned me to see how I was feeling. We chatted for a bit, making plans for our upcoming travel when she asked me to hold on the line because she had to answer an incoming call. I waited for what seemed a lengthy time, but still half dozed from anesthetic, I didn’t notice the wait. Suddenly I heard horrific screams come through the receiver. It was my sister trying to tell me something I couldn’t make out through her hysteria until another moment passed and I could make out her words, “Daddy died.”
It still cuts through me like a knife to relive that day even as I write.
After my sister delivered that blow I let go of the receiver and remained motionless as though I were in a catatonic state, unable to move or talk, with bursts of my broken heart expelled, painfully gasping for air. I lost track of time but not long after that call, my then boyfriend had come by to see how I was feeling. He quickly helped me dress and drove me over to my sister’s house. Plans had to be made pronto. Everything happened so fast. In our faith, we are to be buried the next day, but my father’s body was in Florida.
That night one of my brothers and my sister boarded a plane to Miami. The next morning while they flew back home with my dad in the cargo department, my other brother and I were making funeral and burial arrangements. We buried our father the next day, January 9th, 1991.
I will never, ever forget those horrendous 2 days as long as I shall live. I was distraught for many months to come. I was unsettled within, imagining my father’s last breath without his children with him. I was grateful he wasn’t alone as his best friend watched him take his last drag of a cigarette while sitting at the kitchen table and watched him drop to the floor as he succumbed to death from a final massive heart attack. I was pained that I wasn’t with him to comfort him or to say goodbye. I missed him terribly and prayed each day that God would give me a sign that my father was in peace. And one night I received an answer.
A few months had passed after my father’s death. One night I went to sleep and I know it wasn’t a dream I had but rather, some sort of an astral planing where my soul left my body and went to heaven.
I found myself on what appeared as a dividing line between 2 worlds – the world I existed in and the gates of heaven. I stood at that line knowing I could not cross. It appeared as though I was looking into a horizon of billowing white clouds filled with white light. Through those clouds my father appeared. He walked up to me, only a few inches from where I stood, yet he didn’t cross that invisible border to hug me and I couldn’t touch him. He was dressed in the same white shroud he was buried in and smiled at me with an abundance of love in his eyes. Beyond where he stood on holy ground, I caught a glimpse of some of my other loved ones who had long ago passed, but I was only focused on my father who stood before me.
My father spoke. All that he had said was that he loved me, and he would never stop loving me, and he promised that he would always watch over me. He assured me he was safe and happy, and asked me to stop worrying about him. He was at peace.
My tears streamed down my face as I reached out, attempting to hug him, but I couldn’t touch him, despite the fact that he was right in front of me. It was as though an invisible barrier wouldn’t allow me to touch him. After he gave me his message he faded back into the clouds.
I woke up startled immediately after, feeling as though my body had been plunked down from the air, and my soul landed back in my body. Then a mysterious calm came over me, a calm I had never known since before my father’s death. I knew then he had invited me to see him one last time to put my mind at ease and to say goodbye. I’ve never had that privilege again to visit my father. But I’ve felt his presence around me many times through the years, particularly in times of struggle. It is so comforting for me to feel his presence when he visits me, if only in spirit.
©D.G. Kaye
D.G. Kaye is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.
When she isn’t writing books, you can find her on her blog at DGKayewriter.com where you’ll find an eclectic mix of life lessons, rants of injustice, writing tips, book reviews, and featured interviews of guest authors. She’s known to inject humor into her work whenever it’s warranted. D.G.’s motto is: Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!
Find and follow Debby
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Books by D. G. Kaye
Click the images or titles to find these books on Amazon
A Lifetime of guilt — What does it take to finally break free?
“Somehow I believed it was my obligation to try to do the right thing by her because she had given birth to me.”
Burdened with constant worry for her father and the guilt caused by her mother’s narcissism, D.G. Kaye had a short childhood. When she moved away from home at age eighteen, she began to grow into herself, overcoming her lack of guidance and her insecurities. Her life experiences became her teachers, and she learned from the mistakes and choices she made along the way, plagued by the guilt she carried for her mother.
Conflicted Hearts is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and acceptance, an exploration of the quest for solace from emotional guilt.
Read Stevie Turner’s review of Conflicted Hearts here.
“I often found myself drifting from a state of normal in a sudden twist of bitchiness.”
From PMS to menopause to what the hell?
D.G. adds a touch of humor to a tale about a not-so-humorous time. While bidding farewell to her dearly departing estrogen, D.G. struggles to tame her raging hormones of fire, relentless dryness, flooding and droughts and other unflattering symptoms.
Join D.G. on her meno-journey to slay the dragons of menopause as she tries to hold on to her sanity, memory, hair, and so much more!
Read Tina Frisco’s review of Meno-What? here.
“I have been a great critic of myself for most of my life, and I was darned good at it, deflating my own ego without the help of anyone else.”
What do our shopping habits, high-heeled shoes, and big hair have to do with how we perceive ourselves? Do the slights we endured when we were young affect how we choose our relationships now?
D.G. takes us on a journey, unlocking the hurts of the past by identifying situations that hindered her own self-esteem. Her anecdotes and confessions demonstrate how the hurtful events in our lives linger and set the tone for how we value our own self-worth.
Words We Carry is a raw, personal accounting of how the author overcame the demons of low self-esteem with the determination to learn to love herself.
Read Judith Barrow’s review of Words We Carry here.
D.G. Kaye is back, and as she reflects on some of her more memorable vacations and travel snags, she finds herself constantly struggling to keep one step ahead of the ever-changing guidelines of the airlines–with her overweight luggage in tow. Her stories alert us to some of the pitfalls of being an obsessive shopper, especially when it comes time for D.G. to bring her treasures home, and remind us of the simpler days when traveling was a breeze.
In her quest to keep from tipping the scales, D.G. strives to devise new tricks to fit everything in her suitcases on each trip. Why is she consistently a target for Canada customs on her return journeys?
D.G.’s witty tales take us from airports, to travel escapades with best friends, to reflections on how time can change the places we hold dear in our hearts. Her memories will entertain and have you reminiscing about some of your own most treasured journeys–and perhaps make you contemplate revamping your packing strategies.
Read Christoph Fischer’s review of Have Bags Will Travel here.
“I hurt for her. She wasn’t much of a mother, but she was still my mother.”
Confronted with resurfacing feelings of guilt, D.G. Kaye is tormented by her decision to remain estranged from her dying emotionally abusive mother after resolving to banish her years ago, an event she has shared in her book Conflicted Hearts. In P.S. I Forgive You, Kaye takes us on a compelling heartfelt journey as she seeks to understand the roots of her mother’s narcissism, let go of past hurts, and find forgiveness for both her mother and herself.
After struggling for decades to break free, Kaye has severed the unhealthy ties that bound her to her dominating mother—but now Kaye battles new confliction, as the guilt she harbors over her decision only increases as the end of her mother’s life draws near. Kaye once again struggles with her conscience and her feelings of being obligated to return to a painful past she thought she left behind.
Read Deborah Jay’s review of P.S. I Forgive You here.
If you have had a strange experience or encounter that you would like to share, please get in touch with me at findme@scvincent.com (or my usual email if you already have it) and we can discuss a guest post.
I am not looking for sensationalism or fictional tales… but in light of the response to some recent posts, I think it would be both useful and reassuring to others to realise that none of us are alone in these strange encounters and experiences and perhaps we can open discussion on what they may be or may mean.
If you would like to share your story but prefer to remain anonymous, we can discuss that too. If you would like to share your beliefs and opinions on the nature of these experiences, I would be happy to talk about a guest post. Through sharing with respect we may learn to understand our world and each other a little better.
Thanks again Sue, for inviting me back to share my visit to heaven. ❤
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Thank yu for doing so, Debby, it is a beautiful and moving experience.
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Thanks again Sue. A moving experience that resides in my memory as clear as the night I experienced it. 🙂 ❤
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Some things we may call dreams, purely for want of a better word, change our lives and stay with us. ❤
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Indeed! But I cannot call this one a dream. ❤
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I know ❤
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I forgot to thank you for you most beautiful introduction too Sue ❤
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My pleasure, Debby xxx
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xxx
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Wow! What an amazing story. You were lucky to have that connection, Debby. My mom died when I was 3. I always hoped she would visit me and let me know how I was doing. If she did, I was never aware. I was not close to my dad. Years ago, I went back home to visit for a friend’s wedding and was promptly informed by my step mother that my father had died months earlier. No one even bothered to contact me. Maybe I built up a cosmic wall of protection… you know, to save me from the pain. Your story is amazing and I am happy you had that time with him. A true blessing. ❤
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Thank you for sharing Colleen. I do believe you had manifested that wall of protection. We have to be open to receive, and you were not by choice. Thank you for reading. I believe I stood on holy ground. ❤
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Oh, I agree, Debby. You were allowed to visit for a reason. Wow! What an experience. ❤
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Reblogged this on firefly465.
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Thanks for sharing Adele ❤
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My pleasure, Debby. xxx
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Thanks, Adele xx
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You’re welcome, Sue. xxx
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Thank you, Debby, for sharing this wonderful event after all the heartbreak and chaos. Thank you, Sue, for hosting. I had a similar experience to yours Debby and the fact of this further convinces me of proof. xxx
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Never doubt your inner feelings Adele. Some things cannot be explained. ❤
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Very true, Debby. xxx
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This is a very moving post, Debby. A terrible shock to loss a loved one that way. I am glad you were able to find peace through this encounter.
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Thank you for reading Robbie. I remember that visit like it was yesterday. I was blessed to have that special privilege. 🙂 x
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What a very lovely and moving story, Debby. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
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Thank you so much Mary. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 x
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This is amazing and I can totally relate to the intro Sue. I was always told certain forbears looked out for me. Debby–dude fav–amazing post. Sue, I hope you are good. Hat off to you lady xxx
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Thank you my Lovely and thanks to the dudes. Of course we all have someone looking over us, we may not just all be aware. 🙂 xxxxxxx
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Everyone except them poor dudes xxxxxxx
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🙂 xxxxxxx
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A beautiful and comforting experience, Debby. I’m so glad that you shared those moments with your dad. When my brother died, my mother and father had some powerful experiences that I described as a softening of the border between life and death, physical and spiritual realities. Thanks for sharing your moving story. ❤
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Thanks so much Diana. I love your term, ‘a softening of the border between life and death’ that’s such an appropriate expression. ❤
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How wonderful, Deb, that you were able to find peace through a type of contact many have reported but none of us can explain. I chose to believe that there is “else” when we leave the earth plane, but no one in my family has ever been able to contact me in any fashion I can recall. I hope we will see each other again. You were surely blessed by this encounter – thank you for sharing. And thank YOU, Sue, for hosting.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
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Thanks so much M. Another term I love from these wonderful comments – ‘else’. So true that many report, and none can explain, yet fascination abounds from many on the subject. We can only share our experience and hope they enlighten, convincing another of another world isn’t our job. 🙂 ❤
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So true, Deb. We can convince others of nothing, physically, psychologically or spiritually, unless they are already seeking. Even then, all we can do is share experience and information.
xx,
mgh
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Exactly! 🙂 xx
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Reblogged this on Stevie Turner, Indie Author. and commented:
Fascinating. Just had to share this!
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Thanks so much Stevie. 🙂 x
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
As part of Sue Vincent’s series of experiences of other worlds than our own, she hosts a post from Debby Gies on the heartrending story of her father’s death and effect on her life at the time.. but also an experience that brought much needed closure and peace to heart and mind. #recommended
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Thank you so much Sally, for sharing to your blog,. and for your most beautiful intro, as always. 🙂 xoxo
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you Michael. 🙂
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A deeply moving story, Debby. Thank you for telling this. I believe.
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Thank you Jennie. I know you believe. 🙂 xx
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You’re welcome, Debby.
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You are a brave soul for sharing your experience. I felt like I was right with you in that ‘dream,’ but more like as Diana describes it, that ‘softening of the edge’ that you were able to enter. I’ve had a similar experience – not with my dad (who, like you, I feel his presence often) but with a wonderful friend, decades older than me. One of these days, I’ll share that story, perhaps here on Sue’s site. The main point here is that I’m so happy that your dad was able to ‘contact’ you, and assure you of his love and everlasting presence. What a gift!
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Thanks so much Pam. It was a real gift. And I would look forward to reading about your experience. I hope you take Sue up on her offer! 🙂 x
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What a magnificent story Debby. It is a gift to receive something so life altering and full of love and hope. I literally went through every emotion reading it. Like Madelyn and others I am not sure what is waiting for us on the other side but I find it hard to believe there is nothing.
There are always stories in newspapers, movies and television shows and to be honest I expect then to be ‘beefed up’ – in fact whenever I see something saying based on a true story (like the famous Hatfield poltergeist) I often think the only true bit in the show is the location!!!
This is why I think stories from people like you, Shey,, Sally & Sue are important… because you have no axe to grind. Yours is simply an naked, honest account of a genuine occurrence.
I like to hear about writers’ experiences because, whether we write fiction or non-fiction, we know how to analyse and dissect events and how to separate objectivity from subjectivity, and fact from fiction- it’s what we do.
Contrary to what the layman expects writers are in fact LESS likely to glamorise an experience than people who do not work in the medium and MORE likely to report the truth as honestly as they can.
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First of all, thank you for your lovely interaction here Paul. And yes, I wholeheartedly agree, as simple writers sharing our stories and not writing it for the media, is pure sharing of experience, no hype necessary. By sharing, others may be able to relate, or perhaps feel validated for their own encounters, believing these things can and do happen to others. It may have been 26 years ago, but I will never forgot how vivid that experience was and still remains within. 🙂
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YES, YES, YES! Wise words Debby! Hugs Px
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🙂 🙂 x
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What an experience Debby, I’m so glad you managed to ‘meet’ your father again. As you say, it does indeed make you wonder if he came back especially to say goodbye. xxx
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Thanks Marje. I have no doubts . 🙂 xx
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Oh, Debby, I am so happy you got to see your father one more time. I had a similar experience after my son died, but he came to me. I’m not ready to write that story yet, but I will some day. Thank you for sharing your wonderful meeting in heaven. Love and hugs, dear friend.
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Oh Michelle, you know exactly how it feels to get that privilege to see our missed loved one that one last time. I know how hard it is to write. Many tears came back to the forefront just writing this post. You will know when you’re ready. Thank you my friend. Big hugs back to you. ❤
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What a beautiful experience, Debby. And, no, it wasn’t a dream it was what I call a “visit.” There is a difference. I’ve had similar experiences – one with my mom and the other with my late husband. You’ve inspired me to perhaps make a post about the experience with my husband because he was literally giving me a tour of where he was. Incredible!
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You’d be most welcome to share it here, Jan 🙂
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So glad you can relate Jan. I have no doubts it wasn’t a dream. It seems we were both gifted with the privilege! I’d look forward to reading your story. You should consider contributing it here at Sue’s. 🙂
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What a beautiful gift, Debby. You brought tears. Thank you for sharing. XO
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Thanks Natalie. I’m glad I could evoke those emotions in you. I shed a few writing these memories. ❤
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❤️
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❣
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Spirit flow from love and this is a beautiful story Debby and very moving, Thank you. ❤ XXxXX
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Aw, thank you my sweet friend Jane. Thank you for visiting and reading. Hugs flowing back to you. ❤ xxxxxxxx
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❤ xXx ❤
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What a lovely post Deb, I am touched by your love for your dad and it must be that attachment, which took you to Heaven to see your dad for the last time! Love and hugs.
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Thanks so much B. I absolutely believe if we’re open to receive anything is possible. 🙂 ❤
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Oh how wonderful this would be. I’ve missed my mother so much and been angry that she won’t come see me. Somehow I know she could but it doesn’t happen. I’ve finally accepted that there’s a reason. I do sense her occasionally and maybe that’s enough. She thinks I’m strong so maybe she uses her visits for others.
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You can’t be angry Jacqui. Keep your heart open and don’t be afraid to talk to her. I’m sure she can hear you. If you’re already sensing her by smell, talk to her when you feel her around. Twenty-six years after my father passed and I still talk to him. His portrait hangs in my office, everywhere I’ve lived. In times of struggle I look up to his photo and ask if he can lend a helping hand and he’s never let me down. When he told me in heaven that he’d always be there for me, he’s proved it over many times. Open your heart and receive. ❤
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Thanks for sharing your story about your dad and how you got to see him again. I’ve never had an experience like that, so can’t say how much of a believer I am in such things, but I don’t discount them. My mom used to clean rooms and check guests in at an old bed and breakfast that was supposedly haunted. She has some really weird stories to tell about random doors closing and things falling off tables, etc.
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What a great story to share, Sue; and beautifully told, Debby. I understand your anguish at not being there for your father. It sounds like he went quickly, doing something he enjoyed which is small compensation. What a sense of comfort your astral travel provided.
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Thank you Norah. Yes, what a gift I was granted. 🙂 x
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Indeed! 🙂
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What a beautiful and moving story, Debby. You were given an incredible gift and I’m so happy that you were able to experience the peace and love that your father felt. Thank you for sharing such a personal story.
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Thanks so much Amy. Indeed, it was a gift. 🙂 ❤
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Thanks for sharing such a beautiful and comforting experience, Debby.
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Thanks for coming over to read Olga. 🙂 x
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Such a lovely story. I had something similar happen to me after my son passed. Someday I’ll be able to tell that story. Hugs Sue and Debby.
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I hope you will be able to share that with us Michelle. ❤
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So do I 🙂
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❤❤❤
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What a beautiful experience, Debby. Talk about closure. This was so perfect and needed to move on. I hope/wish I could go to that place as well and see my maternal grandmother one more time. As a skeptic, that opportunity might not ever arise, but you never know… I carry her close to my heart – figuratively and literally – always!
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Thank you Liesbet. Start by opening yourself to the possibility of connecting – being a skeptic doesn’t allow you to receive. 🙂 ❤
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Thank you Debby for sharing! This put a smile on my face. God bless you and your father’s spirit.
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Thank you for sharing this story! It’s really beautiful to have encountered your father’s spirit this way. I’ve been reading about experiences like these and accounts from people who have experience near death experiences (NDE).There was a fascinating tale about a doctor’s account and conversion from skepticism to belief.
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