Tatay

I had so many paranormal experiences that I don't even know which one to start talking about but I decided to start with this. I've always been sensitive to seeing things but not on a regular basis. I feel I am more sensitive with the presence of death, that is why I always avoided going to wakes.

Back in 2005 my dad became gravely ill and was placed in the ICU. Technically, he went in and out of a coma. On the 3rd day, when the curtains were pulled up for the viewing at the ICU room, I was staring at my dad and I can't help but cry. Like I know what was going to happen, as I stared from the viewing window, I noticed that it was like sort a flash of light and then I saw white cloud-like smoke come out of my dad (it was like in those magic shows when the magician waves a wand and poof some smoke something like that). The particular thing about the smoke was that it was shaped almost like a person, it looked at me and then kind of flew off).

After that it was like something was pressing against my shoulders and I was let in the ICU. I started crying and I was staring at my dad but I could no longer feel him there, it was like this was just a shell. At the same time I was staying with him at the ICU, people started seeing my dad everywhere, our washing machine even mysteriously spin dried some clothes even when no one was near it. And all I felt was dread for knowing what was going to happen but felt helpless. My dad passed away midnight that day.

When my dad passed away, I was at the hospital and my mother was at home. My mom was at home and I didn't have the heart to tell her because she was frail, didn't want to lose both of them at the same time (both of them were already old). When it happened, all the lights in our house went off and my mom felt like there was someone beside her and the room went cold and kissed her and then it was gone. Our house was the only one that seemed not have any lights. The lights went off 3 times only in our house.

The day after my dad was buried, it was only me and my mom at our house. She was in the bedroom and I went out to the living room and laid on the sofa (the sofa's location was where the coffin was placed during the wake). As I laid down I could feel someone stroking my hair.

That was proof for me that when we pass this world, there is indeed a soul. I also believe that we are indeed given a few days to wander this earth before we finally move on but I think every now and then the souls and spirits of our dearly departed are allowed to visit us.

I remember before the 40th day I had dreamed of my dad telling me to be good because he will be going and can't visit me anymore. The poignant thing about the dream was that I was talking to him and we seemed to be in the middle of a wide desert and in the middle was a single tree and it was like twilight or dusk or both and he was standing under that lone tree. Made me believe that I should not be afraid of the after life.

This is just one story, I still have a lot of other encounters with other apparitions.