A Thank You Letter

Dear Joe, Phil, Gary and Charlie,

I want to thank you for everything you have done for my Dad......and for taking the extra steps to reach out to me. I cannot express just how much I appreciate you.

My Dad was a wonderful man and I have always loved him. I have been searching for him for a very long time in the hope of reconnecting. I am going to share a few photos in case you were wondering if you had the right person. 

This is my Dad. The dogs are Pal on the left and Buddy on the right. They were rescue dogs. When Buddy passed my Dad was crushed. My son Zack gave him a puppy who my father named Chum. Below is a picture of them in our yard. Zack is the kid smiling my Dad is the one with his back towards us with a mosquito net on his head.

Buddy and Chum with Dad....Buddy passed away in W.V.

My Dad and I at a Bluegrass concert in Big Bear, Ca. 70's

Unlike the rest of my family, my dad and I had a special bond and I never gave up looking for him....sending letters to old addresses in hopes some how one might reach him and he would respond. 

As I process all my emotions from this very sad news and I look through my journals and notes from the past few weeks and years, I am astounded by a few, for the lack of a better word, coincidences that have happened recently.

I will start first with the fact that my Dad and I shared a common interest in bird watching. As we found new birds we would check them off inside the book. He later gave me the book to continue on my own.

Notice the owl on the spine.

Now my story.....

On January 9, in the middle of the day, I was heading home and about a mile from my house at the corner  to turn on to my road was an Owl. I was pretty excited about it, as I had never seen one before and I said to my husband "I wonder what it means to see an Owl in the middle of the day" It seemed significant to me. My husband and I were heading out of town for a full week the following day and while on vacation, I kept thinking of my dad. (Below is a screen shot of my phone log. I actually tried to call his old phone number on January 13 . A number from when he lived near me in Woodsville, NH knowing full well that he no longer used it and it has been out of service for over 10 years ) Odd , right?......gets even weirder.

On that same day,  January 13, I also did another Google search for him.....This is something I have done periodically twice a year since 2015. This time a new Postal Address showed up and so I began to write a letter. (Below is the first page of my draft of this letter) 

We arrived home on the 16th of January and had only been home less than an hour when suddenly that same owls was right outside my window. I grabbed my camera and took a picture of him. He was only about 25 ft from me and he allowed me to open my door and stand right out in front of him. I talked to him for a few minutes and he looked straight at me....I again wondered what was the significance of seeing an owl twice in a week in the middle of the day. I took that picture and posted it on Facebook.

The very next day around the same time the owl came back again at a different window this time looking straight at me I felt as if he were saying goodbye and he flew off. I have not seen him since.

I finally googled the significance and according to Native American Culture , seeing an Owl outside your home, especially during the day signifies death, transformation and a message from the spiritual realm.  I now truly believe it was a message from my Dad.

I typically do not pick up or listen to messages on our landline as 99% of them are spam. I was heading downstairs to my craft room when you called Joe. I heard you leaving a message and immediately thought you were selling something so I kept going and in the faint background I heard my Dads name and flew up the stairs to take your call.....I had hoped that maybe you were going to tell me he needed help or he was in a hospital. My soul was crushed to find out it was too late, he was gone. I appreciate your kind words and how you handled breaking the news to me. And thank you Gary for going through the extra steps to find me.

I soon after talked to Phil and am so grateful  to know that his dogs were being cared for by Charlie. I know this was crucially important to my Dad. I also want to acknowledge that you all took it upon yourselves to clean up my Dads home and to make sure he gets the Veteran Burial he wanted and deserved. After speaking with Phil we have decided to bring his remains back home so that he can be buried at our  local Veteran's Cemetery so that the rest of the family can be part of the memorial service.

My dad was not just a great man, but a wonderful father and a kind hearted person. He meant the world to me and I never stopped looking for him.

I'm glad to know that in the end my Dad had people in his life who really cared for him.  My husband and I are making plans now to come out and I hope I get the opportunity to meet each and every one of you.

Sincerely, I thank you.

Patricia Hughes

16 Terrace Rd

Thornton, NH 03289

my cell # 603 726-1689

Below, a picture of my dad at 15, in the military....he was just a kid