The Light in the Living Room : Dad's Messages from the Other Side
My father was an ordinary man - rock-steady, humble, unexcitable.  It seemed totally out of character for him to do anything as unforeseen and dramatic as returning to the physical plane after his death.  Little did I know that his visits would lead to something even more unforeseen and dramatic - messages channeled through him to me from the other side of the veil.My siblings and I grew up hearing Dad say, "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all."  He lived by that standard and expected everyone else in the family to do so as well.  Nothing escaped him. If one of us was even a little bit off, whether it involved hammering a nail straight or throwing a runner out at third base, he saw it and told us in detail how to do it better the next time.  It was tough trying to be as adept as adults when our ages weren't yet in the double digits, but we often were.  We wanted to please Dad; we sensed that the reason he placed the bar so high for us was that he just knew we could clear it.For me, the hurdles to clear were supposed to have included finishing college, getting married, working a few years, having children, joining the PTA - and not straying too far from the Midwest.  I had gotten married, all right, and returned to my hometown after college. But then I discovered that I loved working, so I put off having a family.  Based on my track record at work, I was awarded a fellowship for a doctoral program that was too good an opportunity to turn down. That led to a divorce, which opened the door for me to move to the West Coast.I spent the next 18 years as a single woman pursuing a career and a spiritual path with equal zeal.  I consulted with corporate clients about strategy, organization and leadership.  I wrote business articles, conducted seminars and built an extensive professional network.  I also practiced Zen meditation and went to an ashram in India.  I learned how to read astrological charts and tarot cards and the I Ching.  I explored past lives to discover their connection with this one.  I read metaphysical literature and poked around in all kinds of alternative ways to make sense of what was happening.I was also paying the mortgage and recycling the junk mail and maintaining close relationships with family and friends.When something stymied me after Dad's death, he would appear out of the blue.  He would flood into my consciousness with a love that was so overwhelming, all I could do was cry. It never occurred to me that Dad might actually be leading me around the obstacle I was facing, though soon afterward I would often find my way past it.Then in 1996 his visits became more frequent and profound.  It was a traumatic time for me.  I had developed a tenacious case of pneumonia. Run-down and stressed out, I knew I had a choice: take some drastic measures to lead a healthier life, or do nothing and let my body take even more drastic measures.  I chose the former option.  I quit my job.My physical condition was precarious, and I had walked away from my financial security.  I decided to begin writing in a journal every day to address the unsettling changes I had introduced into my life.  The very first morning while I was journaling, I felt Dad arrive.  He told me telepathically that he had important messages for me that I should write in my journal.  Not at all confident that I could understand what he had to say, I turned to a new sheet anyway and wrote "Dad Page" at the top.  Somehow I was able to hear him, and I let my hand write his words.  The first entry in this book is what he told me that day.Each morning when I began writing, I both anticipated and was apprehensive about whether Dad would appear.  I wondered, what if I never hear from him again?  What if this isn't Dad at all, but my desire to be in touch with his spirit?  What if he is here but I am not aware of it?To assuage my uncertainty, Dad would flood me with a tidal wave of love every time he had a message for me. When I became accustomed to the process of accessing his words, he asked me to continue without such reassurance.  It took a great deal of his energy to provide it in such a forceful way.Dad's guidance became invaluable in helping me navigate the unknowns into which I had thrust myself.  His messages were a mixture of support and encouragement, wisdom and candor.  He named my fears and helped me transcend them.  He revealed the larger context for my life, framing time and space in a totally different way.  He nudged and cajoled, celebrated and comforted.In time Dad told me that his messages weren't meant for me alone - that they needed to be made available to others as well.  He suggested that I type my handwritten journal entries from him into the computer, then review the material.  Doing that helped me realize the wealth of insight in his messages.  From there I deleted the personal context and focused on the universal themes embedded in each message.  The Light in the Living Room is what emerged.This is wisdom handed down from father to daughter, and now from daughter to other fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, friends and family.  May it light the way for you as it has for me.