The Mysterious Ways That Comforted My Father

Some weeks, it's tough to write this blog. This week was especially hard.

We finally sent Mysterious Ways magazine off to the presses, and now I'm in the thick of planning the second issue. I called my dad this afternoon, telling him how stressed out I was. "I've had so much on my plate this week, I haven't had a second to figure out what to share in this week's Mysterious Ways blog," I complained.

"Well," my dad replied, "I've got a story for you ..."

It happened two years after my dad's father, Morey "Pop" Hunter, passed away. My dad and mom were in Chicago for the weekend to attend a family wedding. Having some time to kill on a beautiful morning, they decided to go for a walk along Lake Shore Drive. As they strolled along Lake Michigan, my dad gazed out over the water. There must have been a hundred boats enjoying the day in the sun. The ships sparked a memory of Pop. On a family trip to the Italian coast, Pop, well into his 80s, decided to go into the water for the first time in about 40 years ... by jumping off a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean, just to make sure he didn't miss swimming through the seaside grottos with the rest of us. We had to throw him a life preserver, and it was a struggle to get him back onboard afterward, but we all loved his enthusiasm.

"So your mom and I are walking along the lake, and we see a bench," my dad continued. "We sit down, and I look in front of me. I notice that the boat parked right there is called My Way. One of Pop's favorite songs."

"Frank Sinatra," I interrupted. "Pop loved him."

"There's more," my dad said. "Then I noticed the name of the person the boat was registered to. It was printed in big bold letters: 'M. Hunter.' "

Wow. I'd never heard that story before, and I'm glad my dad shared it. It's incredible how these moments of comfort seem to come from nowhere, just when we need them. Thanks, Dad, and Happy Father's Day!

Oh, and it may seem like a shameless plug, but my dad did say he was interested in purchasing Mysterious Ways magazine for some of his clients. Dad, if you're reading this, just click here to subscribe today!