Our relationship with our parents can vary. On some days, it feels like they are the only people you have, while on others, it is complicated. However, when you see their hair turn grey and wrinkles on their faces, the complications and challenges you face in building a relationship with them don’t matter anymore.
It was 10 days before her father’s death when Amber and her dad were photographed together. Although her relationship with her father sometimes suffered, in the pictures, she could only see their imperfectly perfect relationship. The father-daughter duo stood under a golden maple tree in the picture.
Amber had her hand on her heart, and in the picture, their eyes were locked, depicting that they always silently understood each other, no matter how strong their bond was.
Amber loved her dad! In his last days, they had a few heartfelt conversations in which Amber confessed how she wanted to know that he would be okay after passing. All she wanted was a sign, even if a leaf fell in her path. Hearing this, his dad grunted first and said everything would be near, and you would know in my eyes. After a few days of the conversation that Amber might never forget, she was lying beside him in his hospice bed.
She wanted to let go of the thought that she had no control over when and how he would leave this world. All she wanted was to be fully present in the moment. Amber did not leave his side; she held his hand to feel her father’s warmth and light. She whispered in his ear, “Take this love with you.” It was the love she had always wanted to show, but could not because of the relationship dynamic.
On the first of November, he peacefully passed away on the same breath, and Amber was able to witness his final breath. Surprisingly, she was not traumatised but was at peace as she knew that the bond between them would still be unaffected by his passing away. The father-daughter love was eternal.
Amber started witnessing the signs she wished to feel his presence shortly after his death.
She sensed his presence with her. On a casual day when she was exhausted, she heard him instructing her to get out of the car and not cry anymore. And this was not just a one-time thing; it was consistent. Every time she needed reassurance, he was there! It felt like her dad was the wind and she, the leaf.
After all these signs that made her skeptical at first, they started keeping her at peace and helped her heal from the grief powerfully. Amber was now happier on Christmas, decorating the house, and on days she was alone, she did not fear; instead, she knew those were the moments of oneness and peace. Although losing her dad was tough, it changed her perspective on so many things. She had now realized how the experiences help one to learn that there is light in every individual.
What surprised her the most was that she sensed not only her father’s presence but the presence of other souls as well, e.g., one of her dad’s friends who passed long ago, when Amber was a toddler. She was never alone! Amber firmly believes it is nature’s way of connecting people after death. She knows she will get to meet her dad again and express all the love she couldn’t express in this life. Her journey of fighting with the sorrow of losing her dad has become truly beautiful with his presence in the little things, and it was all that she wished for!
