Who do you miss the most during the holiday season? No, not someone in the “Mr. Wonderful” category -- but someone in the “who really made a difference in my life” category is my choice.
I miss most of all, my Dad. He may have passed away 13 years ago but he is still here with me. If any of the things listed below have happened to you, then you and I share a common bond with a loved one. My theory is that my Dad truly never left me but is here with me just .. “differently”.
I still smell his aftershave from time to time. Williams Lectric shave was his choice and we bought him a new supply every Christmas. I have none in my house but the aroma is still present now and then. It makes me smile.
Do your lights flicker off and on? I was driving on the interstate one day when this happened to me. I let my Dad know that I would be “okay” and it subsequently stopped. It makes me smile.
Does an article of his clothing “fall from the shelf” now and then? I have my Dad’s “go to church” hat. Every now and then, it falls off of the shelf into my hands. It is a gentle reminder, I think, about getting to church every Sunday. It makes me smile.
Do you sense his presence in the room where you are sitting or as you are walking along the edge of a steep incline? I feel sometimes that he is in the room with me. Something (or someone) was “pushing” me back from getting to close to the edge of the Grand Canyon last summer. It makes me smile, glad that Dad could share this beautiful scenery with me.
Do you wake up and feel a rush of warm air against your cheek when you are first falling asleep? I have often felt a warm breeze against my check and knew that it was my Dad letting me know that he was still “watching” over me. It makes me smile.
My little niece spoke to my Dad on a regular basis. He helped her hold her softball bat correctly, she said. (No one had actually shown her how to do this when we first tried to hit a ball. She knew because he told her how to do it, she said). My Dad and she actually “talked” about things and she relayed his words to me, often joking about my bad cooking, quick dusting skills, or just cracking a joke. After a time, she saw less and less of his face; his smile faded, she said. Not really, though, because she and I still smile when we talk about him today.
If any of the above has happened to you or to a family member, then you are not alone. These unusual phenomena never really scared me; they make me smile.
And as this Christmas season approaches, I always smile when I think of my Dad. He was a strong man who fought serious health issues but never lost his smile and often said that there were others who “were worse off” than he was. He made a difference in my life and I will always be thankful for that. Embrace those who make a difference for your life. Tell them now. Tell them often. Be glad that they still make you smile.