Advice From Beyond

As you read this post, imagine a pristine park. A winding path winds through the trees, and at each curve in the path, a park bench is placed. Just behind the bench, an old-fashioned street light gives off an inviting warm light, shining on a person sitting on the bench. This scene feels welcoming, and since I have had a difficult day, I decide to stroll through the park. 

When I approach the first bench, I recognize my grandmother Grace. She looks up at me and invites me to join her. It seems like forever since I have talked with her. I accepted her invitation. We start out talking about day-to-day events, and I update her about the family.  She nods and smiles as I fill her in on how things are going. 

She says that since everything is going fine with the family, she is wondering why I look stressed and even sad. With that opening, I updated her on the difficulties of the past several days at work. I have one person that is very difficult to work with. Our workload has been heavy. Deadlines have to be met and this person is not doing their part. The tears start to fall. Grandma puts her arm around my shoulders and holds me for a few moments. This is comforting and I love the closeness after my challenging day. 

She quietly begins to share thoughts with me about ways that I might handle the situation. It was almost like she was with me at work and understood what was happening. I listened carefully and thanked her for her ideas. She stood and hugged me and walked back the way I had come.  I decided to continue on my path.

As I continued my walk, I reflected on our conversation. It seemed strange to me that Grandma’s words were so insightful. We had not discussed work problems in the past and yet her advice was perfect. Up ahead I saw another park bench. As I came closer I realized there was a person seated there.  

I suddenly realized that my Dad was seated on the next bench. I picked up my pace and when we were face to face, we shared a warm heart-to-heart hug. It was so good to see Dad. I wondered what he was doing here in the park. He was often too busy to take time to relax. As I sat and snuggled with him he asked me a similar question to the one I had talked about with Grandma Grace. I again shared a bit about my current dilemma. Dad and I had often discussed the business world. He had a great handle on resolving business problems. Once again, I found myself listening closely as he offered suggestions based on my current issues. When he had finished, I thanked him again and offered him a hug. He smiled, told me he loved me, and said he’d better get back to things that needed attention. I hated to see him go but I understood. 

I didn’t watch him go. I was deep in thought and grateful for his input. I felt like it was getting late so I’d better keep walking. I walked past several empty benches. This park was peaceful and serene. It was a great help for my stressful condition. 

Off in the distance, I saw a bench with yet another occupant. I approached it cautiously since it was late at night and I wasn’t sure who I would be dealing with. Again, as I came closer, I recognized my beautiful, oldest sister Kathy. She was dressed fashionably and sat reading. She looked up from her book and said Hello to me. I was shocked because I hadn’t seen Kathy in what felt like, forever. We repeated the pattern of my previous two visits. We talked and reminisced about old times and the last time we had been together. She offered me suggestions for my work problems. I took it all in. She stood and we said our goodbyes. She wished me luck and she smiled and waved as she walked away.

This time I sat on the bench for a good long time. I was so impressed with the information these three important people had shared with me. As I started to continue my walk, I heard a bell ringing in the distance. 

My alarm clock woke me out of a sound sleep. I fluffed my pillow and laid back for a few minutes. I reflected on the suggestions I had received and then it hit me. The three people I had shared with had passed away many years ago. And yet, they seemed very aware of my world today in the present time. This all happened in a dream.

As I got out of bed to start my day, I was aware of how much better I felt. My stress was gone and I felt capable of handling the issues we discussed. I smiled to myself and thanked Grandma, Dad, and Kathy. I know that our love for each other and our connection is still alive and well.

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