I was still calling for my Father when I awoke on the bench. It was a dream I kept repeating to myself. But it was like no dream I have ever had. I looked around the station to see if anyone had heard me, but curiously the station was empty and silent. Looking at the clock on the wall it still said 8:35, that was the time that I had arrived here. The hands had not moved, maybe it was broken or had time stood still.

Standing up , I started calling out my daughter's name, it ricocheted off the walls of this cavernous building and it echoed in my ears almost as if it were mocking me. There could be no way that she missed me. She would not leave the station without me. She knew that I was a person of tradition and that I would meet her here, no matter what. It perplexed me and I yelled out her name as loud as I could, but there was absolutely no one here. I cried out, Help! but there was no reply. Many possibilities went through my mind, had there been a national calamity? Had there been a terrorist attack perhaps? My mind grasped at any and every possible explanation.

Hurrying out the door and into the street, I noticed right away that there was no traffic, autos or pedestrians, it was eerily silent, the weather was neither hot or cold, and there was no wind at all. What was going on? Maybe I am still dreaming! I thought to myself that has to be it! Maybe I am losing my mind?

I hurriedly walked towards my home. I was walking at a fast pace, and yet I was in no pain at all, nor did I need my cane. I even began to run! I had not ran for at least 20 years . Even the snow was not an obstacle. I glided over it with ease. My heart raced as I made my way back home. I knew that everything would be just as it was before if only I could be home again where the people that I loved were. I was like a man out in the desert searching for water.

As each block passed, I counted them off until I reached three blocks before my home, there had been a terrible crash, A car had ran the pavement and into the wall of a store. There was nobody in the car but curiously there was a blue duffel bag lying on the ground half buried in the snow. I picked it up and looked at the name tag, it said G. Bailey. Not wanting to leave it there, I carried it with me to my home. Bounding up the front steps and through the door, I said, I'm home! I was so happy to be home that I started laughing uncontrollably. I could not wait to see my wife, children and grandchildren.

I dropped the bag in the vestibule, Hello! I cried out. I could not wait to see their faces; they were probably worried about me. I called out again. Nothing to worry about, I am all right. I fell asleep at the station. I called their names, but there was just silence. In the living room there were suitcases and bags on the floor, they were my children’s, but this was odd because they should have put them away. I looked to the window area where we had put the tree, my wives liked it by the window so that people could look in and see the decorations, but they had not even begun to decorate it yet.

I proceeded into the kitchen, on the stove were pots but they were all cold. My wife took pride in her cooking she would never just walk away or leave things on the stove to spoil. Into my mind entered a terrible thought, did something happen to her? Were they all at the hospital? No, No, I cried out, this could not be. I picked up the phone to call but the phone was still dead. I asked myself why did I leave and not tell her.

I fell to my knees and I cried out. Please Lord, help me! Please let me see my family again. Suddenly the room turned dark, and there was complete silence that was all encompassing, I believe if a noise was made or a word spoken it would have been absorbed by the silence. It became so dark that I could not even see my hands which were in front of my face. I looked up and there was a light that just hung in the air. The light grew larger; it was a golden light, a light unlike anything I had ever seen before. It then began to take form and I became afraid but I was transfixed to the spot and could not take my eyes off of the light.

I closed my eyes but the light still shone through, in a split second I was transported to a field filled with beautiful flowers and tall green grass, suddenly this light transformed into a human like figure. I was afraid and fell to the ground. Nothing was spoken, but somehow in my mind the words “Do not fear" were transmitted. I looked up. The being of light came towards me. I did not want to blink thinking it would disappear. Coming right up to me, it put what looked like a hand on my head. I stood up, and this being of light, stretched out its arms and embraced me. An image appeared in my mind, I was transported back to when I was a very small child, and I was sitting on a floor of a kitchen, playing with pots and pans, while my Mother stood at the sink, singing a song. My arms went around this being of light, this light of encompassing love, and I just cried out loud, MOM!

The light was so beautiful and loving that I did not want to let go, I was ready to leave the world behind. But it communicated to me, "that my time was not yet". The room grew dark again and how long I was in the darkness I could not tell as there was no sense of time passing. Then I felt something touch my hand, at first it was very light, almost as if someone had put a feather in your hand. Then whoever was holding my hand, their touch became more firm. A small light appeared and I began to feel pain, I wanted to cry out but I couldn't. But this person clutching my hand, I knew this person. I could just tell by their touch. The light gradually became larger and I could see but my eyes were unfocused. I heard someone say something but I could not understand what they were saying. I just grabbed the hand that was in mine and held tightly. I was determined not to let go.

The person who was holding my hand came closer to me, I could see, it was my darling Sara and I did not want to take my eyes off of her. I said her name as clearly as I could but there was a tube down my throat. It seems I was in a hospital surrounded by my family; there were my children and their children. She spoke to me and told me that I had been hit by a car on the way to the station. She pointed to a young man at the foot of the bed, and said, honey this is George Bailey; he is the man who saved you. He was on his way to the rail station when he saw the accident; he couldn't get an ambulance so he dropped his bag and carried you all the way to the hospital. I heard a nurse say the man’s’ name, George Bailey. isn't that the name of the guy in that Christmas movie? The young man replied, "I know, I get that all the time and every time a bell rings, an Angel gets its wings".