Moving into that Time of Year

You may have noticed I decided to take a few weeks off. No big deal really. Oh sure, plenty happened in the time. I had my first ever book signing at a Barnes and Noble. Terrible day weatherwise but a great event and experience. Here’s to many more!

I also had a small event at my local American Legion post which did really, really well for sales. Veteran’s Day fell in there and I settled in with fellow vets to commiserate and swap stories- all of which seem to get crazier as the years go by.

But what really got me thinking was the one year anniversary of the death of a good friend. Now I promise this isn’t a boo-hoo teary eyed post, but something…. higher. Here’s how it went down.

We learned of our friend’s passing with great distress. Who wouldn’t? Thanks to Covid we couldn’t even see him in the hospital- no, it wasn’t Covid related at all- hospital rules. Anyway, we were all struggling to process what just happened. I was angry, sad, the whole gamut of emotions. This man was still young and had undergone so much. It wasn’t right. Not even a little.

One night, while I was sleeping I found myself sitting next to him in a pure white room. He was dressed in white. There was no background, nothing to distinguish where we were. He and I laughed and talked about bourbon and cigars- because of course. I don’t know how long, but it felt like we were getting everything off our chests. He abruptly looked at me and said, “Ok, I gotta go.” I blinked and he was gone.

I woke up feeling my mouth twist into a smile and had a sense of completeness.

Now, I don’t know if any of this exists, ghosts or heaven, but I do know that my heart felt lighter and I felt better about everything. As if I was reassured by that little conversation. When I called his wife a few days later and told her she informed me I wasn’t the first one to tell her this. Others had called and said something similar.

So for me, as we move into the holidays, I take solace in the thought that despite any pain or suffering we might endure in this mortal life, there is a better day awaiting.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.