Life After Death

I do believe life continues after our bodies die. I believe in Heaven and so, for me, loved ones become guardian angels. I can’t see them but they are very close. And scientifically, our life force (energy) doesn’t just go away. It continues in another dimension we can’t see or touch. But, again, loved ones are near and sometimes come through. My first experience was in 1980, after my beloved Grandma died. After the funeral, my mother and I stayed in Grandma’s cottage to help pack up things. Grandma had an old radio on a kitchen counter set to music similar to that played on her favorite TV program, The Lawrence Welk Show. I would hear the radio change from Imus In The Morning to her station. I thought it might be a coincidence but it happened several times over a week. Grandma was always security conscious and the last thing she’d do at the end of the day was make sure her back door was latched with the dead bolt lock. My mom was outside taking in a load of laundry and I heard her calling for me. I went to the back door and found it was locked. Mom was angry with me and blamed me for locking her out. I told her it wasn’t me and we were both perplexed. In 1982, my cousin Anne and I shared a two bedroom apartment. We liked to invite neighbor friends to come over on Friday nights to play cards. We’d put out a bowl of chips or plate of cookies to snack on. This particular night, we had home made cookies and there was one left on the plate as we played. Suddenly, Anne shivered and just moments later that plate came off the table into the air and started moving toward our guests – like someone serving. We gasped or screamed and one friend grabbed the plate to stop it. The cookie then slid forward toward him. “Grandma wants us to enjoy all the cookies,” I blurted. We laughed nervously, all of us astounded. Later, after our guests had gone, Anne said she’d felt Grandma moving past her. Grandma stopped long enough to brush Anne’s shoulder gently, a loving gesture she had for all of us grandchildren. I married my first husband, Rich, in 1985. In 1987, at the age of 27, after our first son was born, he was hospitalized with congestive heart failure and we learned he had Marfan Syndrome. He had to take medication for his heart and follow up frequently with cardiologists. By the turn of the century we had 2 more kids and had become interested in a program starring John Edward, the medium. We kiddingly told each other that whoever went first would come back and somehow communicate with the other. Rich died in 2001. I began to receive electronic communications and Monarch butterflies. My printer would turn itself on and print out a heart while I was in the kitchen. My scanner would also turn itself on, my desktop would power on and there would be Rich’s image. I’d go look in the scanner and nothing was there. I would wake at the same time every night for several weeks and our song would be playing on the radio. I saw Monarch butterflies all over. I didn’t think of it until I was driving with a dear friend and a Monarch got trapped on my windshield. I quickly pulled over not wanting to harm such a beautiful creature. As I let it go, my friend said “That is Rich letting you know he’s here.” I remembered what we’d kiddingly told each other and wondered aloud why I didn’t see or hear him. She answered it was because I was grieving so hard he couldn’t come through. He did after some months. I had to buy a new car to replace our ancient station wagon. I bought a Toyota Sienna van and as I drove off the lot, I felt a sudden burst of warmth and I glanced into my rear view window thinking it was the sun. I saw a flash of Rich sitting in the very back, smiling at me. While I was driving to work one day, my mind wasn’t focused and I started to make a pass that could have caused an accident. I felt a stomp on my foot over the accelerator and the van leaped ahead. No accident. I said thank you to Rich. He showed up in dreams, usually saying he was ok and that I would be ok. The last time I saw him the dream seemed real. He picked me up off the bed, rocked me gently for a long time, and said it was time for him to go. At about this time, I was looking for widower penpals online. I still felt like I would never remarry and wrote back and forth to a couple of widowers living far far away from me. One day I got a profile of a widower that looked startling like Rich and I deleted it before the shock of it even wore off. Three months later, that same profile showed up again and as my finger went toward the delete button, I heard Rich whisper in my ear “Give him a chance.” I did and now we are married. And in 2018, I lost my sweet 18 year old cat. She used to climb on my hip and sleep with me overnight. I missed her terribly and grieved but then as I was falling asleep on night, I felt her land on my hip and settle down. It seemed I could feel the pressure of her weight and I fell asleep. She visited me at night for several months and it was such a comfort. Life does go on. We are surrounded by our loved ones. I have no doubts.