My robin story

My 90-year-old father was an atheist. I believe it is very likely our consciousness continues after we die. While my father was dying last year, he and I had discussions about this, and I told him that if he found his consciousness continued after he left us, then I wanted to know. He humored me by saying, "I will be the first robin you see in the spring." I laughed and said that was not good enough, that it had to be obvious - like the robin would have to be wearing little glasses. So, during the last few weeks of his life, robins and my father became the theme. One of my sister's called and said, "Daddy, I saw a flock of robins and thought of you." He responded, "Why do you think I chose robins? Because they are so common." Now I need to describe where my parents live, which is on the 8th floor of a 16-story high rise on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia. The living room where my father's hospital bed had been has two walls of plate glass windows. My father died on a Saturday evening, April 13, 2013. On Sunday my husband and I left. On Monday my mother, sister and brother-in-law were in the apartment straightening up, putting things back together, when they all came together in the living room where my father had died. As they stood there talking, suddenly something caught my sister's eye. She gasped and said, "It's a robin!" All three looked over, and there on the window sill of the 8th floor sat a robin. It flew up and down and up and down and threw itself repeatedly against the glass. My family stood there, hugged and cried.