Ah...Prescription Pain Kilers

They do bring on the most interesting dreams. Here's mine:

I was a contestant on American Idol and I was up first. But there was some confusion and I couldn't get to the stage right away, so Bo went in my place. When he was done singing, I was up. I stood on stage and realized that I knew my song inside and out, but I just blanked. Rather than just standing there, I decided to belt out "The Gambler" for my grandpa [see his eulogy here].

I started off acapella with "You've got to know when to hold'em..." and I sung my ass off. The band started in with me and the back up singers joined me on stage and we rocked the house. I "brought it," as Randy Jackson would say. I didn't hear what the judges said, however, because whatever crisis kept me from the stage the first time was still unresolved.

In the aftermath, I kept trying to find out how it went, but no one would tell me how I did or what the judges thought. At one point, I stopped running around and just stood there thinking. I sensed someone standing to my left, slightly behind me. It was my grandpa, looking dapper as ever in a navy blue suit. He just smiled and gave me a kiss on the lips and then followed my grandma out of the room.

It felt so wonderful to see him and to get a kiss, complete with prickles from his pencil-thin moustache. I know it was his spirit. He didn't speak to me but he didn't have to. I knew he was pleased that I gave him a shout-out and thanked me for it in the best way possible.

The dream went on in the usual Sunday night, pre-return to work way, but when I woke up, I still felt the joy of being visited by his spirit. I love you Grandpa. Thanks for the kiss.