Whenever I needed my Dad, he was always there for me. Even at those times when I didn’t think I needed him, he managed to be the unexpected supplier of reassurance and unspoken love, and somehow I still feel that even though he is gone. The other morning I was realizing how much I still missed him, when this cardinal appeared in the front yard. I think there’s a family of them nesting in our front hedge, so this isn’t out of the ordinary, but I’m taking it as a reassuring reminder that Dad is still here, still guiding me, still a source of support even when I might think I don’t need it.
The next day, during a meditation, the cardinal returned to perch in the one section of the Japanese maple that was visible from my vantage point, as if peering in through the front door to make sure I had seen him.
Grief winds its way through this winter, while the universe works in wonderful ways if you allow it.
