The week before Dad passed away, he lay in a hospital-type bed in our living room in Mililani, surrounded by all the people who loved him the most…One night as he slept, my mom saw a little white tuft of “fluff” emerging from his pajama shirt pocket. She examined it a little more closely, plucked it from his pocket, and discovered it was a lovely, half-dollar sized, soft white feather tucked almost intentionally, safe and secure next to his big, warm heart…Puzzled, she queried everyone, asking if they knew where this feather came from…but with no luck in solving the little mystery. She jokingly surmised that it must have come from an angel who was there to watch over Dad, to which my nephew, Tommy (in all of his 25 adult years), very concerned and adamant, told Grandma, she “better hurry and put it back in his pocket!”
Over the course of the next week, that little feather became a very special symbol and source of comfort to all of us. It was never far from Dad, whether it was in his pocket, on the bedside table next to his Bible, or in someone’s hand…It was a reminder to us of his noble and accomplished life…like that of a bald eagle (which happened to be Dad’s last silver U.S. Air Force insignia, pinned on when he became full Colonel, and worn until his retirement after 30 years of service)…it was a reminder of his famous soaring jump shots as an All-Star college basketball player at the University of Hawaii—he was even recognized by the press as being one of Hawaii’s top five best basketball players of all time…it was a reminder of his angelic singing voice, which amazingly warranted him a singing scholarship on TOP of his athletic scholarship…He was so accomplished, and yet, he was humble, reserved, giving and generous. That feather was a symbol of the angelic protection around him, but it was also a symbol of the protection he always provided to all of us… And, it was a symbol of true peace (often represented by a white dove)--a peace that he would soon experience for eternity.
Even after he passed away, Dad’s white feather continued to bring us comfort and peace, and it reminded us of his continued presence, particularly during very significant times…
The morning after he died, I went into the backyard to breathe in some fresh Hawaii air and just be alone with my thoughts and prayers for a little while. It was fairly cool and damp, as Mililani can often be, early in the morning in late March. As I stepped out onto the patio, I looked down, and in the open area in front of me, all by itself, on what looked like an artist’s canvas, lay a little white feather. At that moment, I could just feel my father’s presence, and I felt an overwhelming sense of quiet peace and reassurance that he was in a wonderful place now--free from illness, pain, and once again, able to soar like an eagle…
In the coming days, weeks, months, and even now—almost 3 years after his passing, there have been “white feather encounters” that are just too significant and countless to be coincidence…
At Dad’s funeral, he was honored by the military in a moving ceremony including a 21-gun salute, a flag presentation to my mom, and the playing of Taps. The picturesque Hawaii Veterans Memorial cemetery sits in a lush green valley, with a breathtaking view of the Windward Oahu mountains as the backdrop. At the end of the ceremony, the perfect pitch sound of a single trumpet echoed its Taps melody throughout this beautiful valley, and to our amazement…a single white dove slowly circled in the distance and then soared past us, almost as if on cue, in a “fly-by” performance for all of us to witness…
On Easter Sunday, a week after Dad died, I stood at the trunk of our Hawaii rental car to retrieve the kids’ long-awaited Easter baskets. As I opened the trunk, a single white floating feather descended and landed before me, as if presenting itself as a gift…Later that day, as my niece Angie lay sun-bathing in the backyard, she opened her eyes only to find another white feather land on her…
A few months later, a dear family friend--someone who was like another brother to our family, and extremely close to Dad--came for an emotional visit with us in Maryland after Mom moved here..and a single bright white feather lay all by itself on the immaculately clean, dark blue carpet in the lobby of his hotel, as we said our good-byes…It was a difficult visit for my mom, and that feather brought her a great deal of comfort…
Several times, when I had been working out at our karate school doing kickboxing, and having a particularly hard day missing Dad, I discovered RIGHT before me on the bright blue floor…what else…a white feather. I have told a couple of friends of my “white feather” experiences, and one of them--a karate instructor, shared with me one day, that my daughter found a white feather in class and handed it to him. Unknowingly, she gave it to the one person in the class that day who knew of its significance…
Someone once told me that my dad’s life reminded them of the Forrest Gump movie…His life experiences were vast…He traveled the world …He seemed to excel at pretty much everything, both intentionally, and accidentally...The DAY AFTER this was mentioned to me, the movie happened to be on TV and I watched it again, after not having seen it since it was released a decade or so before. What I had forgotten, was the opening and closing scenes of the movie-- a white feather floating back and forth through the air, over Forrest Gump’s town…
One Sunday at church, the pastor had passed out sealed “mystery bags” of “stuff” to everyone. At the end of the service, everyone opened their bags together, and he explained what each of the items in the bag represented. One of the items was a feather, and honestly I can’t even remember what he said about it. What I do remember, however, is everyone around me pulling out black feathers. I was having trouble finding mine in the bag, and when I finally felt the soft fluffiness deep in the bag, I grasped it between my fingers, pulled it out, and it was…a WHITE feather…and from what I could see--the ONLY white feather!
And the stories go on and on…
So many “little” coincidences…But each one at a time that had special significance and impact…I choose to believe that there is a higher power presence and influence in all of this…that my dad is not far away, and that he is now that guardian angel who is watching over us and protecting us still…and now HE is the one who is carefully placing precious little white feathers in our pockets…
Definition of pilgrim..."a person who journeys, esp. a long distance, to some sacred place; a traveler or wanderer; a newcomer to a region or place..."
"My pilgrim is me. I came from
