Heaven, Dad, and Hummingbirds (Lisa)

I have prayed ever since I can remember but I can’t say I always believed, really believed in prayer. I don’t know if I felt worth listening to. And anyway, all those saints, Mother Mary, even Jesus, he lived on this earth so many years ago, how could He know me?

I needed a recent saint; one that might remember me somehow. And then my dad died; very young, very sad, broke my heart, loved him so, missed him so. He became a saint to me when he died and then he taught me a lesson about prayer.

After my dad died an amazing thing happened. Every single time I needed him, prayed to him, he was there. When I asked him for advice or comfort, he always had the perfect words of love to share. I felt his perfect love for me always. Now, you must understand, I am one of nine children. When my dad lived his life here on earth with me there was never enough of him to go around. And, besides me and his other children, he had work, bills, his health and a million other things tugging at him , keeping him from that perfect love.

My father’s death helped me understand a heaven in which I was able to grow spiritually, especially in the area of prayer. In my new understanding of heaven, I believe that my father is everywhere in all space and time. He is forever with me, but you see, I believe he is also with you too. I believe he has the capacity to know and love everyone perfectly now. What profound joy that must be for him! I mean can you imagine?!

We have all experienced the joy of perfect love for a mother, father, spouse, child or best friend, not every moment, but those perfect moments - when everything is right and you are acutely aware of how incredibly perfect and beautiful and wonderful your love is for another person. It’s a wonderful feeling. It’s religious. It’s holy. It is so perfect. Now imagine always feeling that way about that person, now every person you know, now every person that ever existed. Really knowing them and loving them that much. That is how my dad loves me, loves you, loves every person who ever existed. He loves every person who has yet to be born.

Now my dad, at times, also cursed like a sailor and could had a short fuse so if I believed HE earned the heaven experience, and I do, then I must believe all those Saints deserved at least the same. Makes me realize that this is how Jesus and all the saints in the heaven feel about me too. They love me perfectly! Pray with them. They know and love you perfectly too!

The day I had this revelation, I had a close encounter with a hummingbird! I had never seen one in nature this close. It hovered, this way and that, only 12 inches from my nose. I sheepishly, quietly whispered, “Dad? Is that you?”

That night I had a dream. I was very distraught over the health of my daughter at the time and sitting all alone in the grass I was filled with despair until that hummingbird returned to me, and then another and another and another until there were hundreds of hummingbirds forming a dome around my head. I felt like it was my dad coming back to me saying, “See my child? I am here for you and all the saints in heaven are here for you too.” I was filled peace and when I woke, I remained the same. Thank you, dad. I love you! Thank you, Spirit of God, who whispers wisdom even into our dreams.