For important context, I've been recently reading a lot about NDEs, psychic phenomena, etc. I've always had an openness to ADCs but considered them less communication with the dead and more universal symbols of comfort to the living.  The last communication I'd had with my father after his death was when I was about 16, doing a Ouija board with my mom.  He communicated through it clearly but it was also confusing as it was coming through my mind and through the board, but he was sharing jokes that made sense to my mom and only kind of made sense to me (like about his golf handicap being low.) I never did Ouija again and didn't really seek out conversation with him.  We had a loving but challenging relationship and I was very angry after his death, feeling abandoned. It is only in the past few months that I've felt open to communicating with him again, but with uncertainty as to how I could be vulnerable enough to be open to him, even though I feel confident that he is a radically different consciousness now and is far more personified by love than other traits that defined him to me more in life.  We had just watched the Surviving Death mini-series (which, to be honest, I enjoyed 1/10th as much as the book) but the episode that talked about After Death Communications really stood out to be.

Yesterday, my wife and I took our 2 year old granddaughter to a library in her home town.  We had been there before, and knew the library had a playground, but I hadn't noticed it also had a really amazing rose garden. My father loved roses, so I went into the garden to walk and asked for a sign.  I was looking specifically for one of the roses to be named Charles, which it wasn't, though I did find it amusing that much of the royal family had a rose named after then EXCEPT for Charles.  However, one of the roses was named Barbra Streisand.  While I thought that was amusing at the time as I love her, I didn't really think much of it, even though I was drawn back to it a couple times. I talked to him while in the garden and asked to connect and for more signs from him. It did feel like he was more present than usual.

That night, as I was falling asleep, I immediately woke up when I heard in my head, very clearly, Barbra Streisand singing the classic song from Yentl, 'papa, can you hear me?' I nearly burst out laughing and woke up my wife to tell her. Suddenly it all made sense. My father and I loved watching Barbra Streisand and one of my clearest memories of him is watching the DVD of one of her concerts in the living room.  As he was dying, I sang one of her songs to him on his death bed. In my mind I think of him most of all through his love of music and Barbra was a big part of that love. I honestly couldn't have picked a better communication, and it was also a valuable lesson not to expect a sign to look a certain way and to be open.

Was this experience difficult to express in words? No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?      Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

          Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:   As I was falling asleep, I heard the song 'papa can you hear me' by Barbra Streisand after seeing a rose bush that day with the varietal named 'Barbra Streisand'

          Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?     inside my head, it was very clear, like the recording (I know the song well)

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?     NA, it was a song associated with him

          Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   no

          Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   I was falling asleep, but hearing it woke me up immediately

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?         No

Did you see the deceased?       No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased? No

How long did the experience last?      hard to describe as it was in two parts

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?       sudden

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          Yes

So playful and laughing, with an energy of 'wake up! I'm here, here's the BIG CLUE so you can figure this one out by yourself'

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  not really

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:   I could have made the associations myself, and I am open to that - but it does seem random that a rose named Barbra Streisand was in a random garden in Kennewick. My logical brain notices that there were lots of other roses with celebrity names, and I know that Barbra loves roses...but the 'papa can you hear me' felt like an extremely clear sign

          Was the experience dream like in any way?          Uncertain

Because I was falling asleep when the song started playing in my mind        

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  When I was talking with my dad in the rose garden, I felt a bit sad and desperate, really wanting to connect with him and frustrated I wasn't (and other private feelings I had towards him to). When I heard the song, I was relaxed, content and about to fall asleep.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience? Yes  I just felt really overjoyed because my father was actually a very playful person, which I had forgotten about in my anger and resentment towards him. It reminded me a lot of what I loved about him.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Waking up and laughing.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?          Uncertain     I'm open to it being real.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?    Yes

I've made one with my wife that we will send a certain set of words when we die.  Thank the universe we are both currently alive and well so no results at this time.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          Joy, laughter, and understanding

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          No

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?         Uncertain

Just a sense of a gentle instruction to be more open

Did you become aware of future events?      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    They all seemed to think it was lovely.

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

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?          Uncertain

I had had a cannabis gummy before bed, which often makes me feel more open to psychic experiences, but the sign happened earlier in the day without cannabis

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?           No