photo credit: Frederic B. Allyn III
This post has been floating and swirling around in my mind like clouds in the sky for several months.
Today, they came together to form an image and this blog post.
Cathy and I stood in the back of a full-beyond-capacity church for a memorial service of my brother’s girlfriend, who died unexpectedly in a car accident on Thanksgiving eve.
I saw my brother sitting near the front of the church, with another brother, and my parents, who had flown from Florida to offer support that only a parent can provide. I prayed that my brother could endure the emotionally-driven service.
The priest made his audience cry, laugh, and appreciate the person whom my brother had waited his entire life to meet.
He repeated this simple phrase a few times: “In the silence, there is music.”
Each time he said those words, he offered the congregation a moment of reflection. (He was a very talented speaker.)
During one period of silence, a ringing cell phone reverberated throughout the expansive church. I looked at Cathy with amazement and she returned a similar expression.
The priest quickly commented, ” I am NOT that good.” The music of laughter filled the church.
Near the end of the mass, I heard a female pour her soul into the most passionate and beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace I have ever heard. When she finished the song, she nearly collapsed, overwhelmed by emotion. It was as if an angel was singing through her.
In the silence of the church, the vocalist/angel made music!
After the mass, Cathy and I joined my family. My despondent brother said, “Wouldn’t you know it, that was my cell phone that went off during the mass.”
A few months later, Cathy and I visited with a friend who has the unique ability to see and communicate with people in the spirit world.
I told her about the ringing cell phone at the funeral service. She offered some sage words that made perfect sense.
“Music and technology are the easiest way for spirits on the other side to communicate with us. A flickering light bulb, a particular song that comes on the radio at just the right time, a cell phone ringing during mass. Yeah. Those are all signals. They are someone saying, ‘I’m here with you.'”
She continued, “Sometimes, the best way for loved ones to help and guide us is from the other side. It’s hard to understand and accept, I know. Believe me, I’ve asked my dad and Marc to explain it to me many times. (Her father and brother died in a tragic swimming accident.) Yeah, they are not with us physically, but they are never far from us spiritually. Technology is their way to remind us that they are still with us. We just have to pay closer attention to things that seem so insignificant.”
In the silence of the clouds, angels are singing.
Do you hear them?
Be Kind. Be Thankful. Be Significant.
Peter
