I was feeling very sad about my dad's passing, a few weeks after the funeral. Knowing my sister had had an ADC from a friend who passed suddenly a few years ago (which she had shared with me a few months ago), I phoned to talk with her. I really hoped she had had an ADC from dad. I really needed to know dad was ok and was really still there somewhere. I did not ask her directly about it. But, during the call, I began to cry. So, she decided to tell me what had happened to her that day.  

She had asked our dad to contact her, if he could. Had been asking him for some time, I guess, since he passed. She really wanted to hear from him. (She and my dad were close.) She had not been listening to any music since his passing, on the radio. But, this day, after a long day mowing, she was in her car, had dropped off a worker, and decided to turn on the radio and try to do something "normal" by just listening to the radio. She may have mentioned really wanting to hear from dad, prior to turning on the radio, not sure. I.e., if she vocalized it again or not.  

Our dad was a USAF pilot and had been buried with military honors. While we did not talk a lot about his career (it was not what he was about, really), it was a very special week of honoring him in that way, nonetheless. He was buried in a military cemetery in military "blue" uniform. It was lovely. (I will digress to what I felt like was the first ADC, for a moment....) 

This one happened to me, personally, as well as the rest of the family.... 

I was asked, the week of the funeral, to come up with the "life review". I took a book my dad had written and wrote prose from that. The book opened with a sentence about the railroad whistle blowing the noon whistle when my dad was born. That started the eulogy. The eulogy was filled with funny anecdotes of our dad's life, which we all laughed over... 

A day later, at the graveside burial, with military honors (which was stunning for all of us), at the end, suddenly a train whistle blew. I knew right away, that was a signal. Dad was born to a whistle to family and was laid to rest to a whistle, with family. It was a very comforting feeling. I thought to myself, "Dad would definitely arrange that...." It was a way to "reach out" to us, I felt. If i had to classify it, I'd definitely call it an ADC. It was dad saying goodbye or "I'm here" or something.  

Back to the story of my sister in the car....and a week later from the burial and two weeks after his death... 

She turned on the radio and a David Bowie song (Space Oddity) was playing and the precise words - where she turned it on were - "Major Tom to ground control." She nearly had to pull the car over. It was stunning to hear those words. Our dad was a Major and his first name, Tom. My sister liked to emulate my dad as a kid, dress up in his military garb, etc. She was the one most likely to do that, in fact, growing up (ie, for halloween). It was the perfect tool for communicating...the perfect song. 

Our dad was truly on a new flight...in space. If that's not an ADC, I don't know what is, because it really felt like a communication. (And, I've since read that "music" can be used.) 

She went on to tell me the rest of the lyrics (which I'll print in a moment) that told her he was floating around up there, things looked different, tell his wife he loves her (which was really important to dad, as he was her caregiver at the end and said "I love you" and squeezed her hand, shortly before he died). It was everything my dad would want to say, including that he was "floating around up there"... As if to say, he is very close. In fact, that was what my sister said, "He's very close to us." 

Here are the lyrics as they played, starting in the middle of the song, which really was actually, quite significant (the lyric is him talking to us):

"This is Major Tom to Ground Control

I'm stepping through the door

And I'm floating in a most peculiar way

And the stars look very different today

For here

Am I sitting in a tin can

Far above the world

Planet Earth is blue

And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles

I'm feeling very still

And I think my spaceship knows which way to go

Tell my wife I love her very much she knows" 

I began to weep when she told me. She said, "That was dad." And, her voice sounded strong and happy. I was happy, but also crying. I SO needed to hear that message at that moment, but I had not tried to call earlier to get any verification. Yet, it came the day I needed it and when I phoned.  

Later, I looked up the lyrics and could hardly believe it. So much was said in it, in particular that his spaceship (soul) knows which way to go. Dad's belief was so strong in God & Christ, that it gave me great comfort - that lyric. And, it is true, even more so, that my mom KNOWS how much dad loves her. But, of course, he'd want to tell her...... There was just a lot of comfort in the lyric that can't be felt unless it is meant for you. That's my only way to explain it.  

That was the end of the ADC. But, I knew it was a) my dad, b) he is out there, and c) he's alright and wants mom to know we love her.  

I had some times before and after this that I felt my dad was "talking to me" in my brain in a rapid-fire way. Almost predicting my thoughts and answering in an interrupting way. I felt him asking me to get a piece of jewelry one day (when returning some items I'd just purchased for him before he died, that did not fit, that I had to return...I had waited until after the funeral and returning home...) I have no idea if that was just my wishful thoughts or a true communication. But, it felt good to me. And, it felt like he was "around".... I can't decide what is real and what is not. But, the communication to my sister was definitely real. And, it made us all very happy and peaceful.

Was the experience difficult to express in words?     No  

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?   No comment                                                                                                      

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?    Experience was probably real

Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:    It's easy to dismiss this as coincidence. But, of all the pieces of music to play, and on that lyric? It felt like my dad's way of contacting us w/out frightening us.  I know the LAST thing he would want to do was frighten us. He was a very loving father. I know he will be worried about us, and if he can hang around a bit to watch over us or make sure things are ok, he'll do that. I think this song was just a way to let us know he's "out there".... The whistle blow felt more like a little "wave hello" almost playful. But, certainly something that we would be able to find "meaning" from... Again, subtle, so as not to frighten us, is my guess. Of course, people could easily dismiss this, as I said, as mere coincidences. I understand that viewpoint.

Was the experience dream like in any way?    No   

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?    Uncertain    I think there is/was some healing in that it helped to know dad is there somewhere. Though I believe in heaven, an afterlife, etc., I was not prepared that I would be so anxious to have some sort of confirmation. I didn't expect to "need" that.... I thought faith would be enough. But, now that this has happened, I find I just want the contact, to *know* for certain what I in fact, believe. Or, just to have contact w/ someone I miss because it's so sad to be separated by death.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?    Worst: that it did not happen to me directly (music). Best: that it did happen and I could get some peace/joy from it.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?    Yes    I feel that my dad could be watching me. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's mostly a good thing. But then, it feels a bit like an invasion of privacy, too! He would laugh at that, I'm sure.   

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?    Uncertain    Just more curious.... which led me to this site...

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?    Uncertain    It is hard to ascribe this to something with any sort of certainty. It has its own measure of "faith" attached to it. So, I can only say it makes me more curiuos about the afterlife. And, that we may have ways to communicate from there, if allowed. I spoke w/ my dad about some of what I felt were NDE's he experienced (my mom, too) when he was very sick. So, I felt this spiritual side was definitely real.

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?   No

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?    Yes    One experience was witnessed by all the family and the other just by a sister.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?       No   

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?        No   

Did you become aware of future events?           No   

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?     No   

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?    No   

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?    No   

Did you see a light?    No   

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?   No   

Have you shared this experience with others?    Yes    Family and friends. They seem glad I had the experience. I think they believed it was valid. I think it impacted my husband the most, to hear the tale. Maybe because he was there for all of the funeral, the death really impacted him, etc. And, it was really a stunning lyric, under the circumstances....

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?    No   

Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experience?    I hope we hear more from my dad, if he is able. I hope we can feel it is valid and true and not just coincidence or wishful thinking. I hope that time will not erase the memory of it.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?    No   

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?   No   

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?      No   

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?    Yes