Once I feared death.
Although I’d always believed in heaven, death terrified me. Its finality. The way it wrenched our special ones away from us. Death seemed a punishment. And no one—not even the most righteous—escaped it.
I no longer dread the Reaper.
I know without a doubt, the afterlife exists and our passing from this realm is just another stage of our being. We don’t dissolve into the ether when our human shells fail.
The true essence of who I am—my personality, my soul—will continue on.
Death alters relationships, it doesn’t extinguish them.
Don’t get me wrong. The passing of special people remain sorrowful events as the physicality and the everyday give and take we enjoyed cease to exist.
Through my experiences and hearing anecdotes from others, I’m convinced our departed loved ones visit us to
- cheer us on,
- bestow their affection and
- share pivotal moments in our lives.
Love remains eternal.
God is love. And as our divine parent, the Great I Am surely encourages us to share this greatest asset even after our passing. It would be unthinkably cruel to sever the love we’ve shared with others just because the body ceases to exist.
Last August, I experienced an exceedingly vivid dream.
I stand amid a crowd in the Goldfield Hotel lobby. Everyone attending is special to me; I know this even though all their faces are obscured. I jump up a few steps on the stairwell, raise my arms and proclaim, “Today, I’m proving to you the soul lives on.” On cue, a huddle of spirits hoists me onto their shoulders. To the crowd, it appears I’m levitating in a sitting position; they can’t see the entities carrying me. A deafening cheer erupts from the group. Everyone follows as I’m paraded along the first floor. The intensity of love is startling. I’m taken around a corner, when a family member walks up to me. He’s different from the others in that his face is clear and his voice unmistakable. He smiles and exclaims, “I finally understand what you’ve been saying. I now know the soul truly lives on.”
When I awoke, I continued to experience the dream’s intensity. I couldn’t shake the sensation that I was surrounded by those who cared about me. I held this remarkable feeling with me all morning.
Around noon, my phone rang. I learned the family member I’d dreamt about died suddenly of a heart attack the afternoon before. Hours later, as the memory of my night’s slumbers came back to me, it gave me some solace. My loved one who crossed over was well.
Acknowledge those who’ve crossed over.
When a departed dear one pops into your mind,
- talk to them,
- send your adoration and
- allow yourself to believe they can visit you.
Embrace your relationships and realize that you’re never alone.
For more information on life after death, I recommend these websites:
My faith in an afterlife was greatly strengthened after a very close family member passed away. I don’t see her, but I feel her with me, sharing my joy, helping me through hard times, sharing her strength and wisdom.
That’s great that you paid attention to your feelings. I think it helps us in our grieving process to know and realize we feel our loved one’s presence. Take care.
Kudos for talking about mortality, Kathleen. I’ve learned more about life . . . from death. I travel to Winnemucca once a month to do grief counseling for the hospice out there. That part of the journey still carries so much meaning even though it’s been twelve years since Patty died.
Thank you, Tony. I have a great deal of respect for those who tackle grief counseling. If you don’t mind sharing, what is the top thing you’ve learned about life from being around impending death? I imagine you have great insight on this topic.
Thanks for that compliment, Kathleen, but I can only lay claim to the experience and pass that on. The most profound thing that I learned after my wife passed away went something like this: I have always been a walker, and during those weeks after she ‘d passed, I’d stop and think about her. And as there were plenty of memories where we lived before I’d met her, I’d try to trace a meaningful path back to what I was going through. It’s a habit of mine that goes way back. And there came a time when I was doing this when this truth was gifted upon me: Even though she was invisible, her love was real, tangible. I realized that God the Father, who loves me infinitely more . . . that I had never seen Him . . . but his love had to be as real as that. More real, as a matter of fact. Other things happened that added to this.
When I drive the 2 1/2 hours out to Winnemucca, I’m tethered to some meaningful things because of loving someone, and having lost them to death. I know my life is more than a quest for a career, it’s a journey with purpose. I know that love is eternal, and its own reward, and service is a great love, not always glamarous, most often dirty, messy, and not frequently acknowledged. But when I hold to that kind of love, I honor God, a person named Patty, and maybe myself. Occasionally there’s a story, but always, there’s love.
Wow. Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful, beautiful response. I don’t know if any of us can quite fathom the exceptional love God has for us. Thank you again for sharing! Take care.
[…] « Our souls live on Stopping the startle By Kathleen | Published: May 2, […]
My mother passed last week. She was 92, and we were blessed to be able to care for her at home. She had me at 40, and my sister at 42. I know she is in a better place, but my heart hurts and I miss her so much!! I hope she knows how much she was loved. This blog helps me so much. Thank you.
Dear Shannon,
Sending my deepest condolences, prayers and love your way. Losing a parent is one of the toughest events we must endure, and I’m sorry you are going through this pain. I am convinced that she knows how much you guys loved her. And, I believe the love between you two will never pass. My hope is that with time, you will be able to feel her love. Thank you for letting me know that this post helps. All my best to you.
My mother (who was also my best friend) passed 3 years ago suddenly. Since then she has visited me numerous times thru flickering lights and every time I know it is her and can feel her presence and know what she is trying to communicate to me. I got married on April 19, 2022 and she communicated with me that day by flickering the lights on the table that my new husband and I sat at during the reception. I have been telling my father, who at first was very skeptical, about the lights flickering and one time he even saw it for himself but was still skeptical until one night…he heard 3 knocks on his door of his bedroom and said he knew it was my mom. Since then, more activity has happened and last night at 4:19 AM, an alarm went off on my cell phone that I had not set and had never heard before…it sounded like harp music with birds chirping in the background, it was beautiful! My husband reached over to turn it off and there was no alarm set! 4/19 was my mom and dad’s wedding day and my mom’s parents wedding day and most recently my wedding day… to make things even more interesting, I was having a dream about my wedding day when the alarm went off! This had to be my mom communicating with me? I believe that my husband and I are twin flames and my mom is very happy for us that we finally found each other in this life. I want to continue to communicate with my mom and am also thrilled that my dad is becoming more open to it as well. I definitely know that our souls live on and have always believed that! God Bless!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I love that your mom is making her presence clear to you and your father. It’s such an amazing gift to impart to you both. I am always intrigued by the way our crossed over loved ones use our technology–it’s so classic that the alarm had never been set. I feel your mom is sharing in the celebration of your marriage. Congratulations on your wedding. May you share decades of friendship and love together.