My guardian angel

When Woman’s World reader Denise M. Rucci was mourning the loss of her dad, he reminded her that he would always be near! She writes:

Growing up with a mother who suffered from mental illness was not easy, so my father was my “soft place to fall.” He was soft-spoken and shy, yet a man of great wisdom, integrity and humor. I learned many life lessons from him.

My mother passed away in 1995, and a few months later, I moved from New Jersey to Arizona. I remained in very close contact with my dad and continued to rely on his helpful feedback and advice.

In 2004, when he was 87, he fell and sustained a severely broken leg requiring two surgeries. He became frail. Accepting that he could no longer live independently, he asked whether I would be open to his moving to Arizona to come under my care. I didn’t hesitate, responding, “Of course!”

For the next four years, I guided my father through bouts of pneumonia and sadness. In turn, he guided me through my new reality as caregiver and confidante. Eventually, we decided he should move into a skilled nursing facility to receive the medical care that I just wasn’t able to provide.

On a beautiful afternoon, the facility nurse called. My father was very ill, she said. I spent the next 27 hours bedside, holding his hand and telling him how much

I loved and appreciated him and how blessed and grateful I was to have such a wonderful father. He passed on Sunday evening.

The following Tuesday morning, I was standing at my kitchen sink when, suddenly, a gust of wind blew across my face and I smelled my father’s distinctive scent.

Minutes later the doorbell rang. There, lay a package from a friend containing a wind chime engraved: For my dad, whose spirit in the wind is dancing.

I was astonished, but calm soon came over me as I realized that my father, who’d so fiercely protected and guided me my entire life, would continue to do so. I have a guardian angel, and it’s my dad.

ANGEL EXPERT KYLE GRAY SAYS…

“Our loved ones become like angels when they cross over, and with newly earned wings, they guide us through our life. Love is a powerful energy, and when the body dies, the love we have in our soul continues on. I believe this is what we experience when we feel a presence or sensation such as the gust of wind Denise felt—it was the unconditional love of her father reminding her that he is always close to her. The wind chime gift further cemented the message that he is always there for Denise!”

“I smelled my father’s distinctive scent!”