Your Daily Focus: Dirt
My Dad passed away at about 9:30 p.m. last evening. I was with him, and most of my kids were with me as well. It was really amazingly peaceful and beautiful. It was just all really so perfect. He was ready to go, and all of us were prepared to release him.
My Dad’s public expression of his belief of the afterlife was that he was simply going to become dirt. He would have no awareness of anything, and his body would go back to the earth. So here’s how it all went down the last few days.
Since my Mom passed ten years ago I have been looking for an old recipe of hers of a chocolate chiffon cake that my Dad, sister and I always requested for our annual birthday cakes. The recipe magically appeared last week in an email from my cousin in Minnesota, apparently at the request of my Dad. My girlfriend just happened to be visiting from Atlanta this last weekend so we were able to bake the chocolate chiffon cake and invite my Dad over to share it on Easter Sunday.
Regarding last evening, it just happened my oldest daughter Kate and her husband Josiah decided to spend the evening sharing the hospital room with my Dad, and it turns out that she heard the last words my Dad spoke out loud, “I love you,” when she kissed his cheek. I came back to the hospital around 8:30 and my son James just happened to request joining me.
With the four of us in the room, and me sitting on the bed and holding his hand, his breathing started to slow, and eventually stopped. I cried like a baby, and after about two minutes I told him I loved him. He immediately started breathing again. Wow! What a surprise! I can just imagine him saying, “see, I told you you loved me Rick!” In the room, we all laughed when I told him he really got me good. Always the joker.
A bit later he stopped breathing again, opened his eyes a bit and mouthed a few words to us. We all imagined them to be words of love and thanks. It was just amazing to be present in that moment, and have three of my kids there to share it, and to comfort me. And for some odd reason, the Angels game was playing on his TV the whole time!
I can’t imagine all of this just happening by coincidence… I believe he and my Mom had a hand in arranging this most beautiful departure. As he left his physical body and awoke to the spiritual-only world, I can just imagine him saying, “Wow, I did that! What a ride, did I ever forget well!”
Thanks Dad, for making this really easy and wonderful for all of us who love you. And if you are dirt, you are surely the happiest, most loving, most smilin’est dirt that’s ever been seen!
Rick
Peace in your heart brother.
Pat
My sincere condolences with the passing of your father. You are so blessed to have your family with you.
Rick. .. I am so sorry for the passing of your father. Having my father gone by the time I was 34 was a devastating blow. He was only 57 .and now I’m older than he is. . .but I will never forget his acceptance, sense of humor, support and the light that came from him. All of his children admired his intelligence, his joking, and his great love of his family. I know that you, too, will keep all of those special memories of your father alive and hopefully, it will give you comfort. I have come to believe that there are no coincidences in life and that having all of the circumstances play out the way they did was nothing short of divine intervention.
Again, my condolences to you and your family.
Rick,
I’m so sorry for your loss. We all know his spirit will always be with you.
Peace,
Gary
Rick,
Thank you for sharing your heartfelt message with us all. No doubt he is looking down upon you all with radiant love and joy filled admiration. He was truly blessed to be surrounded by so much love, as are you having your family with you.
I send love, light, and healing to you all….
Blissings….Teri Williams
Rick,
(by the way, I love your name.. reminds me of one of my departed brothers).. I am sorry for your loss, but, as my granddaddy always said, those we love, though gone from the physical plane of earth have never completely gone from us, as they live on in our hearts in their very own location therein. My one brother has been gone for 35 years, and yet, when I close my eyes, I can still see his bashful smile, blonde hair and blue eyes, and I can remember both of my brothers laughter.
Your shared story of the last moments of your dad’s life were touching and filled with love. There will always be a void of not being able to physically touch them, but they are always alive in our memories..
Take the time to grieve and do all the crying you need.. it is cathartic .. again to borrow a phase.. “better out than in”…
May God gracefully guide your dad to his eternal life .. he and your mom will be reunited..
Carol
Rick, thank-you for sharing this amazing story. I am sorry for your sorrow in the loss of your father, but am also very grateful to you for sharing your experience and positive outlook with others. I know you will inspire others to see the beauty and joy in this type of experience. Just because our loved ones are no longer in a human body, does not mean they no longer exist. I believe and trust that our spirits live on and do many more great things after they leave their earthly body.
Peace and love,
Karin
Hi Rick,
I am sincerely sorry to hear of the passing of your father. I have been blessed to still have both of my parents in my life. They are both in thier 80′s and still in good health. They have been a very infuential part of my and my children’s lives. Thank you for sharing your heart warming story because I know it will be emotionally tough on me when the day comes that I must also say goodbye.
Rick,
I hope you and your family continue to be comforted by your dad’s presence with great memories. I hope new memories that you had forgotten about come up and give you joy.
Please accept my condolences on the death of your father. Even though it was a peaceful passing and you know he is in a better place, it is always a difficult thing to let go of a parent. My dad passed two years ago this past January, on his 88th birthday, and we had similar experiences. He went into hospice on Wednesday evening at about 6:00 and we spent time with him that evening. At one point, although he was completely unresponsive to us, he suddenly had the most beatific smile upon his face that my brother and I just knew he was glimpsing something wonderful. On Thursday morning, he chose to slip quietly away before my brother and I could get to his bedside. He died four minutes before I arrived. Thank you for sharing your last moments with your Dad.
Rick,
Thank you for sharing this with all of us! My thoughts are with you as this is such a huge transition in one’s life.
Lost my Dad quite a few years ago. Is it a coincidence that I thought of him this morning when I smelled fresh cut grass?? Made me smile and then I opened your email.
I think you may find that you feel closer to him now than ever before. I know that I found myself smiling and laughing through the tears.
Talk often of your Dad. He is not far away.
My prayers of healing to you and your family.
Maureen
Dear Rick,
My condolences to you and your family as you process the loss of your Dad. Thank you for sharing this special moment. I was reflecting a bit on your father’s expression of the “dirt” transition, and, couldn’t help but think that without dirt, very little growth takes place. Therefore, in my understanding, to be the base of all that grows is truly an eternal gift.
Bless you.
Nancy
Hi Rick:
Thank you for the touching story of your dads passing. I was in the hospital and there
to visit my dad in shifts because we knew his time was coming to leave the pain and
suffering. I was in meditation with my powerful crystal from Brazil. All of a sudden it
got very hot almost like a burning situation and I was lead to go into the room. 10minutes
he was gone . I was happy to be there in his transition and will never forget him. He lives
in me with his humor coming through me and memories that no one can take away.
He is not gone he is just at another astral address. Sending you prayers and know your
Dad is out of pain.
Dear Rick and family,
My heart goes out to you all, and my thanks to you for this wonderful story and tribute. I’d like to share some lines from the late poet John O’Donohue that have always given me comfort:
Though we need to weep your loss,
You dwell in that safe place in our hearts
Where no storm or night or pain can reach you.
– John O’Donohue
It seems that he also had your father’s ‘plan’ in mind when he wrote A Blessing for Death, a favorite of mine, although I would that it were called A Blessing for Life. I marveled at the parallels.
A Blessing for Death
I pray that you will have the blessing of being consoled and sure about your own death.
May you know in your soul that here is no need to be afraid.
When your time comes, may you be given every blessing and shelter that you need.
May there be a beautiful welcome for you in the home that you are going to.
You are not going somewhere strange. You are going back to the home that you never left.
May you have a wonderful urgency to live your life to the full.
May you live compassionately and creatively and transfigure everything that is negative within you and about you.
When you come to die may it be after a long life.
May you be peaceful and happy and in the presence of those who really care for you.
May your going be sheltered and your welcome assured.
May your soul smile in the embrace of your anam cara.
-John O’Donohue
peace,
barbara
Rick –
My sincere sympathies to all of you on the passing of your father. What a beautiful way for you to honor him! Thank you for continuing to touch us in ways we could never expect. You are an amazing person. Much love and peace to you in the coming days.
Diane Konrath.
Dearest Rick,
At this time I offer you my deepest condolences for you and your family. Your father is in a better place and free from pain. His destiny was to leave behind a person who has helped many in their spiritual awakening and whom many look forward to learning. I’d say he contributed to this world in a huge way and in a way each one of us here benefitted from the support and love he provided to his family.
Know that he is in a better place along with your Mom looking on.. God Bless
I laughed and cried when I read your story today. I felt the emotion through your words and am so happy you were able to share those moments with your father and your family. You are a constant inspiration, thank you so much for sharing in your special way. – all my love
I feel privileged that you chose to share this with us all – thank you & NAMASTE x
I am so sorry about your father passing, but he is finally at peace!
Both of my parents are deceased, I watched them both suffer, they are
finally at peace!
I send my deepest condolences! God Bless!
Thanks for sharing a very personal moment with everyone. Your positive outlook is so refreshing and uplifting. I love how you see the beauty life has to offer, even in times of death. I also love the perspective of “dirt” and your last sentence–VERY powerful!
Rick,
It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since your mother’s passing. Thank you so much for sharing about your father. He is right, from dust he was formed and to dust he returns (Gen. 3:19) But because he is also spirit, he lives on. I would have loved to have met both of your parents, though I feel knowing you is part of knowing them. A blessing you are.
Comfort and peace to you and your family.
Jan
Dear Rick so sorry for the passing of your father and still maintaining to share with all of you followers that was so heartfelt . Thank you so much and my you have peace knowing he is in a better place to watch over all of you .
Dear Rick,
I’m sorry that I didn’t read this until today. My prayers are with you and your family. Thank you for sharing this special story about your father’s last hours with you. I believe that all those things that happened are not coincidences, but part of a grand plan and you were open to see them. It’s so wonderful that you had him in your life this long. Be grateful for that time and cherish the memories that will keep him close at heart.
Wishing you peace and happiness,
Your friend,
Amy
I did not see your posting until today.
How fortunate for you that your father left this earth in peace. Having your family around you was such a rich blessing.
May peace be with you.
Laurie