From Dave:

My dad passed away in 2001. Several weeks after his funeral I finally worked up the nerve to go through his personal belongings in his bedroom. In one of his dresser drawers I found his old pocket watch. I had never seen it before and, as far as I know, he had never mentioned it to anyone in the family.

His initials were engraved in the back and I can only surmise that my grandparents had probably given it to him as a high school graduation gift back in 1934.

I pulled out the stem, set it to the correct time and wound it. Needless to say, I was not at all surprised to find that, after about 65 years, it no longer worked. I put it in a small cardboard box with some other items and put the box in an upstairs closet.

Three years later I removed the pocket watch from the box in the closet and put it in a solid cherry box I keep on my bedroom dresser. It remained in that box among the silver dollars and assorted other small treasures - until one morning in April 2005.

When I got out of bed, there it was, in plain view, on top of my dresser. Not only was it running, but it was set to the correct time.

I have heard that our departed loved ones sometimes visit us in the middle of the night. And they sometimes leave clues that they were there. I truly believe my dad came to see me that night. And to make sure I knew he was there, he took his watch from the cherry box, set it to the correct time, and left it on top of my dresser so I would see it first thing in the morning.