It's A Bus!

(our Dad worked for NZR for over 30 years - thought it an appropriate bus pic)

Getting on 'That' Bus

"always thought, the spotlight would shine down, and

one gets drawn into it's 'beam' and be lifted up to God's realm,

but it seems, that sometimes it's a bus!"

I had been talking with my sister, who said that our father was not well. She couldn't talk about it because he was listening and he didn't want her to tell me.

That night in my dreams.... I found myself sitting on this bus. Nice big comfy seats with headrests.

There were five other passengers on the bus. I happened to lean my head out a bit into the aisle so I could look down toward the front of the bus, and that was when I saw it. A little flame flickering out where the gear stick leaver was.

I called out to the bus driver, stop!, stop!, stop the bus! there's a fire in the engine, we have to get off the bus. The driver pulls over to the side of the road and stops the bus. The passengers start to disembark.

As I'm walking down the aisle I see this old man sitting in his seat beside the window. I turn to him and say... come on sir, we have to get off the bus, it's on fire and it might blow up any minute now.

The old man just sits there, I then reach over to him and take his arm and say come on sir, I'll help you. I then haul him up of the seat and put his arm around my neck (for he was weak), I put my arm around his waist and say come on, lets get of the bus. There is a lady walking behind me and I ask her to help... she just reaches out a hand and places a finger on his shoulder.

I get the man out the door and down onto what I thought would be the road, but it seems we have alighted onto a kind of wooden deck/flooring that had a safety rail on it and a flight of wooden stairs. I couldn't see any of the other passengers, that lady that I'd ask to help me, she had gone.

Well I say to this old man, come on then lets go down the steps and away from the bus... as I am helping him down the steps our surrounds start to change to a 'sepia' colour and the railings and steps turn into these old as 'punga' railings. We travel down about three levels when we step on to 'terra-firma' but I'm looking at an old, old marae village.... I can hear people talking, but I can't see them... we get to the gateway to the marae and I stop. I see people sitting in front of the marae, they're all in their pui-pui's looking at us... I look at them. I look at the old man I'm holding and say “come on, I'm not leaving you here!”.

I bend down and lift him up over my shoulder and walk back to the stairs and go up... when I get to the top, it is daylight and the bus has gone.

A week later I return to Aotearoa my dad is in hospital.... I see him on the day I arrive and promise him that I will be back in the morning and I will give him a 'healing' massage. When we (my sister and I) arrive at the hospital, we wait in his room for the nurses to bring him back from theatre. On his return they place him into the 'rocker' chair beside the bed. I rub vaseline on his lips, wet a 'dip stick' in water and moisten his mouth and whisper very quietly to him.... 'dad, it's time to go now' and kiss the side of his face.

I turn to the doctor and as we talk I hear 'that sound'.... she calls his name and shakes him, I steady her hand and said... 'no, he's gone... I heard the sound'. She tells me she has to go to reception but will be back shortly.

I'm leaning into the chair, hugging dad and crying... and that's when I saw it... the old man, hunched up, sitting in his chair.... that dream of the bus. Just then my sister walks in and says they sent her in to be with me.... she stayed long enough to utter those words then left again.

To me, that dream allowed me to 'hold' my father back on this earth plane long enough for me to return to see him, to be with him and hopefully I was able to guide him towards the light, into Gods Realm.