When I was a boy, if I had something to be up for in the morning – be it school or a special event – my Dad would appear by my bed early in the morning. Very quietly, almost silently, he would whisper my name, “John,” just that, and I would awake right away. I have many memories of mornings exactly like that.
This morning I set an alarm a bit later than usual. Two minutes before the alarm would’ve chimed, more clear than a bell, just by the bed, I heard my father’s voice. “John,” he said, as on those mornings long ago.
I’ve not heard his voice, of course, since his death in August of 2000. But there it was. Unmistakable. And calling me to wake up.
A native of the North Shore of Boston, I currently live in Worcester County, Massachusetts. I worked at Boston College as the Acting Director of The Church in the 21st Century Center until August, 2010 and served until November 2016 as Canon for Formation, and Dean of the George Mercer Jr. School of Theology of the Diocese of Long Island. I was happy to serve as Rector at the Church of Saint Anselm of Canterbury in Shoreham, New York from late 2016 to early 2020. I began service as Rector of The Church of Saint Matthew in the city of Worcester on the first day of the fateful month of 2020.
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Believe it. 
He’s letting you know that he is still with you.
wow…
Exactly what Linda said – he is letting you know that he is still with you. Probably more than you know…
How beautiful, John. To what, indeed?….