My dad passed away four years ago. There have been several times when I could ask a question and then I imagined what his answer would have been and I could remember the sound of his voice. It was almost like he was there-but not quite. A couple weeks ago I dreamed that I was in line at the bank and I heard Daddy's voice behind me saying, "You think this line is going to take much longer?" I turned around and there he was. I put my arms around him and lay my head on his chest and said, "Oh Daddy, I've missed you so much." He said, "I've missed you too, Sis." I could feel the warmth of his body and the shape of his chest under my cheek. Then he asked me, "You takin' care of your Momma?" And I said, "Yeah, Daddy." Then he patted me on the shoulder and said, "That's good." I turned my head away for a moment and when I looked back Daddy was gone. I awoke at that moment, wide awake and sat up. When Daddy died he had been suffering from cancer for over four years and his body had shrunk quite a bit. He hadn't been taller than me for many years due to his advanced age. But in the "dream" he was taller than me by a head, more like he was when he had been about 45 or 50. When I put my arms around him his body felt strong and solid, not weakened, the way it did just before he died. I am certain that he was there and talking to me. If there is life after death, I have hopes for some things for my dad. I hope that he has seen his mother who died when he was only 6 years old. He missed her deeply all his life. I hope that he finds his little dog, 'Dodo' that died from drinking poisoned water. He always loved dogs and often mentioned how sweet his little Dodo had been. And I hope that he will know peace and joy for all eternity, he deserves it.

Oh wow. It's been a decade since this was posted, but I'm so happy to see it again! Ttodd had such wonderful style, as this space clearly evidences. This is the sort of thing that's missing from this forum since the GardenWeb days. Ah, but it used to be so inspiring to see rooms like this on a regular basis!

Greywings, I have been coveting glass lamps lately so that is a great place to see if a small change would help! Jrueter, that looks great! I will show DH for all I could find last night were white washed walls. Thanks Grandmaof3, Accents are a great idea too. I will be honest I would love to like the room with just a change of paint color and a few small accents! Nosoccermom, I love the pics you posted and the natural pine is soooo lovely. I think mine might take a bit of sanding but I can try on the smaller pieces first! I already have an eggplant hall and navy guest bedroom abutting this room:( Maybe I will change the guest to grey and use the navy here! I am going to try a few paint samples on sat. to try and find a paint color first and after that if the pine pieces still make me say meh I will than decide how to change them out. Would a blue grey work the present comforter has dark grey with silver and robins egg accents. But I was afraid that a light blue might bring even more yellow undertones out of the wood. Thanks again!

This is an old post, but found it and wanted to share two things that happened to me. Sorry, this is long. I had a friend and neighbor for 30 years, but I had moved 20 miles away. We kept in touch, but I hadn't heard from him for awhile, or contacted him, so called one day, and his phone had been disconnected. He was in his 60's at the time and not the best health. I thought he had died, and no one had told me. So I went to see about him. I knocked on his door and he came to the door, and he looked terrible. Always was a slim build, but he looked like he had lost more weight, and he had a long beard...whereas he had used to always be clean shaven. To make a long story short, he was very depressed. I had been just about his only contact, being very much a loner. He hadn't picked up his mail or paid any bills...so phone was cut off. He wasn't even aware of it. He had no edible food in his house....a couple of moldy burritos in his fridge, and wine bottles stacked like cordwood in all the cabinets. I picked up his mail, got him to write checks to pay his bills, bought groceries for him....and wine and cigarettes, since that was what he mainly existed on, and by going to to the liquor store for him, it kept him from driving. I straightened up his house and did his laundry. I promised I would look after him until he died. He had been diagnosed with emphysema years prior, and his family doctor had chastised him for smoking. He had said he would quit...even bought some nicotine patches, but never used them. He didn't quit smoking and he never went back to the doctor. How long could he possibly last? A few weeks? A couple of months? He lived 8 years!! Every day I went to see him, and brought food for him...which he seldom ate, I didn't try to make him do anything, but every day I asked him if he wanted to go to the doctor or did he want me to contact his family. He always said no. I think he lived so long because I am very healthy, and I haven't been sick in years, and he never left his house the last four years of his life. I took care of everything for him...his yard, house, even getting someone to come in and cut his hair. Once in a blue moon, he would shave. I was there every day, sometimes twice a day, and a couple of times, 4 times. I slept on his floor a couple of times when I thought death was near. Remember...it was a 40 mile round trip to where I lived. I furnished him with books and magazines and movies to watch. Got him interested in talk radio to give him a little diversion. In other words, I did everything I could to make him happy. He was a very intelligent man and a voracious reader. We had many long talks over the years. We both knew he didn't have long to live. I asked him if he would contact me if he could, after he passed. He didn't believe in an afterlife and told me so. Still, every so often, I would ask him again. I think to shut me up, he finally agreed. Still, I would sometimes remind him. I was with him when he died. He went quickly when his time came. I went in the kitche to get him a Gatorade, which he had said he wanted, and came back...two short breaths and he was gone. After he died, I dreamed about him several times. In one dream he was taIking to me on the phone, and he asked me why I didn't come see him any more. I hated to tell him that he had died, and the niece he didn't like was living in his house. But, I did tell him, and he said, so incredulous...like he had never considered it. "Are you sure about that?" It was exactly like something he would say if we were having a conversation before he passed. For several weeks, I didn't dream about him any more, and then I had a dream and he told me he had something to tell me....but before I found out what it was, I woke up. I tried to go back to sleep, hoping to finish the dream, but I couldn't. I finally got up and when I walked around the foot of the bed, there was the letter K (his name was Ken). It was made out of dozens of little drops of water. I was home alone. My husband was away at work for two weeks. No water in the room. No pets. Completely alone. I can't even say I was shocked. I knew it was Ken. I knew he would contact me if he could. I started to not even take a picture of it. He was a very private person, and he wouldn't have liked that I took a picture and showed it to anyone, but I did, and sadly I lost it when I lost my phone. So you will have to take my word for it, and of course, you don't know me, but it is the truth. So here is the second one: My husband had a terminal illness. He had asbestosis and pulmonary fibrosis. We lived on a bayou, and flooded badly during Hurricane Harvey. Lost just about everything...8' of water in the yard and 4' in the house. He could no longer work, and since I have horses, he wanted me to have a place that made taking care of them easier. So we moved 175 miles away, to east Texas. He passed away about 18 months later. I asked him to contact me if he could. Unlike Ken, I didn't have to talk him into it. He said he would. (However, I did remind him a few times}. About two weeks after he died, my niece sent me a gift...it was a clip with his name on it, the year he was born, the year he died, and the words...."Your wings were ready, but my heart was not." I knew it was a clip of some kind but not what it was for. A couple of days later, someone told me it was a visor clip for your vehicle. Oh. So I was going to go out and put it in my truck. But I couldn't find it. It had been laying on the kitchen counter. I looked everywhere for it. Under the furniture....never found it. I felt terrible. I had moved away, and would probably not see my niece again, but if I did...I wouldn't have it. I felt terrible. I even considered ordering one just like it, in case I did see her again. Six weeks passed. Covid restrictions let up here....I was glad to be able to be out and about again. I went to the thrift shop that had just re-opened. I had indigestion. I knew I had a bottle of Tums in my truck. It has bucket seats, and I thought the bottle had fallen between the console and the seat. I got down and looked under the seat on the driver's side. Not there. I went around to the passenger side, looked under that seat...there they were. Took two and went in the shop. Came out about an hour later, opened the door on the driver's side, and there was the clip. First thing I saw when I opened the door. It wasn't there when I went in...I would have seen it, especially since I got down and looked under the seat. You may think I had taken it to the truck and forgotten about it, but if I had done that I would have put it on the visor, and I didn't even know what it was for until someone told me, and then I couldn't find it. So those are my signs. I had asked my husband for something specific. I live in the country. There are milions of butterflies and cardinals here. I wanted something to be sure. It has given me a lot of comfort. I still miss him terribly and sometimes the grief catches me by surprise and is so painful again, but this tells me, he is okay, and he is near.