The most loving comforting human being God placed in my life, the man who supported me in everything I did, loved me through all of my horrible faults and disasters and even made house calls to his patients, was my father, Dr. Lawton. When he died of lung cancer, my life was devastated. No child should ever lose their Daddy young and I did. I was grown when he died and needed some sign that he was okay. I knew he was. He was the epitome of God’s love for us. It wasn’t until much later that he appeared to me in a dream. He came out of a brilliant blue background, dressed in his go to work clothes, a suit, bow tie, his salt and pepper hair the same as well as his glasses. He was healthy. The cancer was gone and he was happy and healthy again.
I said, “Daddy, what are you doing here, you are dead?” It was as if this was a waiting room, a brilliant blue waiting room we met in. We hugged the father daughter hug, I wished it never ended but it did. He still had that musky earthy smell, a mix of Captain black tobacco and pepper with a hint of orange.
He said, “I came back to check on you Beth. Are you okay?”
I replied, Yes, I am okay, Daddy, are you okay?” It was awkward, and I was almost uncertain as to how I should act.
He said he was.okay. He had a smile that you just knew was a joking smile. He was happy. No more pain. I told him I loved him and he said he loved me back. It was awkward because I knew he was dead and so did he. How do you hug a ghost?
Then he was gone.
I wish the moment had lasted longer, as I wish his life had because I had a lot of questions and a lot more love to give him.