Grandpa came to visit today.

I sat on my sofa and watched my two little girls, ages 3 and 1, playing today. They were running around the house, yelling “Catch me” and “Tickle me”. They hid behind curtains and fell to the floor in fits of giggles as they were caught and tickled relentlessly. I asked my oldest daughter what she was doing, and she told me with the biggest grin that she was playing with her Grandpa. She was so thrilled with this special visit that I could only sit back and watch the events unfold.

My two girls played with Grandpa for over an hour and a half. I watched my oldest child telling her Grandpa all about her studies and all about her little sister. I watched the youngest one giggle and grin while she, too, was chased around the room. They hid behind furniture and curtains, saying “You can’t find me.” I saw them fall to the floor together rolling around laughing so hard, all the while saying “Tickle me” or “Stop, stop.” There is no doubt that these two girls were having the time of their lives playing with Grandpa.

I couldn’t help but be amazed at this phenomenon taking place in my midst. We had not seen Grandpa in such a very long time. In fact, my oldest daughter was only 2 months old the last time we saw Grandpa. I doubt she could even remember him from anything except the photographs scattered around our home. That he would come to visit in this way is nothing short of a miracle.

You see, Grandpa passed away three years ago. He died the very day that my oldest daughter turned 2 months old, having held on as long as he could through the pain and agony of the cancer that was overtaking his body. I couldn’t see him today when he visited, and yet I know he was here. My girls told me all about him and what he looked like, how he was chasing them and tickling them. I am so amazed at how the love of this wonderful man could transcend all the boundaries of space and time that we hold to be constant. How else could this visit be explained, except by the wonders of something that we can not fully comprehend?

I called my husband to tell him of the day’s events. On the other end of the phone, I could hear the tears in his voice as he considered just how things might have been had the cancer not taken his father from us. Not one to believe in paranormal phenomenons, even he could not deny the excitement in his children when they told him of their visit from Grandpa.

Authors Note: This visit actually took place about eight months ago from the date of this writing. There has not been a recurring visit as of yet. However, my oldest daughter still talks about the day Grandpa came to visit and will tell anyone who is willing to listen all about how her Grandpa chased her and tickled her that day. I feel truly blessed to have witnessed this event. I miss my father-in-law dearly and have no doubt that he would have been the most amazing grandfather to my little girls had he lived to see them growing up. I hope he visits again before those girls are too old to see with the eyes of a child what an adult’s eyes refuse to accept. I hope they grow up knowing that he did truly love and cherish them.