Will I Be Possessed If I Try to Contact Spirit Beings?

I realize that many people are afraid they might contact the wrong person or be possessed by an evil spirit or get into trouble with dark entities if they reach out to their deceased loved ones. When I was doing spiritual warfare, (as taught by the church I was attending) I encountered all kinds of entities and my energy field was being infiltrated by lost souls looking for their way Home. I didn’t know what was happening, but I was hearing some awful things in my head.

Now, I know how to help souls cross over and protect myself from being vulnerable. Dark beings gravitate to fear, but they are repelled by love and light. Simply send a mental beam of love and light to the dark entity and it will flee. When I stopped giving power to the belief (or expectation) that I would contact dark entities, they automatically stopped showing up.

I can still feel negative energy around a person, but I remind myself that we are all one in Spirit and that nothing can harm me unless I open myself to allow it. Remember that we are never working alone; we have helpers of the highest light to assist us. If you have closed your psychic powers down because you are afraid, simply ask the angels to put a hedge around you and protect you from all harm or evil, and allow you to connect only with the light beings who are willing and able to assist you in doing God’s will.

As you begin to trust your guidance and intuition, you will find that you receive only God’s highest and best. Then you will be able to assist souls on both sides of the veil without fear.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

Seeing Ghosts and Departed Loved Ones

Why do some people see, hear or sense the presence of departed loved ones, angels or spirit guides while others do not? Possibly some people are more psychic than others because they have been equipped or gifted with these tools in order to fulfill their life’s mission.

Maybe they are here to serve as intuitive healers, psychic detectives, spiritual readers—occupations that require the ability to converse with the other side. I believe that everyone has some degree of psychic ability that can be developed. Maybe you hear and see in the spirit world, but don’t acknowledge it or want to admit it!

Jesus said over and over again, “Blessed are those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.”

Perhaps he was referring to those who can see through the veil that separates the world of physical and non-physical. Some say that seeing is believing, but I think that one must believe before they can see. Everything that we call “reality” exists because we believed, at some point, that it could be. Whether it’s drawing a picture, rearranging your furniture, decorating a cake, making a golf shot or inventing a new tool; whenever you create something, you at least have a mental concept of what it might look like or how it might operate. The Bible says that God calls those things that are not, as if they already are. In other words, what you believe affects what you experience. The good news is you can always change what you believe! Following are some ways to enhance your ability to see and hear in other dimensions and to interact with angels and deceased loved ones:

• Practice thoughts of non-separation (believe you can see/hear)
• Remove limiting beliefs and self-talk
• Heal past wounds that block the psychic gateways
• Practice energy work (such as Reiki) to remove clutter from your auric field or space
• Train your eye to see finer vibrations (learn to read auras). Also watch for plasma splotches or multi-colored sparkling light trails when in a dark or dimly lit room. You may get mental pictures rather than seeing with your physical eyes.
• Listen quietly during meditation. The most common way people experience the Other Side is through an internal voice that may sound like their own voice or the voice of their loved one.
• Be aware of an energy shift around you or a change in temperature in the environment. This may feel similar to the times when you’ve caught someone staring at you from across the room—you could “feel” them looking at you.
• Trust any sense of “knowing” you get. We all have intuition!

Pulling the Plug on a Patient

My husband is a respiratory therapist. The task of turning off the ventilator to allow a patient to naturally transition has occasionally fallen to him. He tells a story about helping a friend cross over:

I work with lung transplant patients almost everyday. However, for some reason I bonded with Jerry from the get go. I met him less than a week after his single lung transplant. I remember how anxious and apprehensive he was about the post-operative phase. He had a lot of questions. After his first bronchoscopy, I went to his room and started a conversation with him and his wife. I remember it to be a joyful experience, sharing not only medical knowledge but also information about ourselves and our families. After that encounter he was always glad to see me for his procedures. He would praise me and tell me he loved me and how thankful he was. His lung transplant was a blessing to him because it allowed him to have his wish to live long enough to see his daughter get married.

From the time of his transplant to the time of his passing, Jerry had one complication after another, but his strong Spirit never waned. After eight months his new lung stopped functioning and his native lung was in horrible condition. He was placed on a ventilator with the hope that it might give him time to recover, but it was not meant to be. Jerry had not wanted to be placed on the ventilator. After three days, his doctor asked me to talk with the family because he knew how close we were. His beautiful, loving family and friends gathered to give Jerry their love and to say their farewells. It is believed that your hearing is the last of the five senses to dissipate, and even though Jerry was well-sedated, I’m sure he could hear them when they told him how much he had blessed their lives, (he had led many to know of Jesus). The ventilator was turned off and removed but he did not pass immediately. In fact, his blood oxygen level actually improved as his friends and family ministered to him. As they sang hymns in his room that afternoon, I could see a pink and purple aura around his face and head. There were some who did not want Jerry to go and they were essentially grounding him by holding onto his feet and hands. This went on for many hours. Before I left for the day I told Jerry how much he meant to me. It was not until after midnight that his spirit departed. I believe Jerry's life mission was fulfilled and he left us at an early age because he has another mission to accomplish. I have no doubt he will be as successful in the next life as he was in this one. I am so grateful for the privilege of having known such a loving human being.

It’s never easy to let someone go, but it can be a peaceful experience when we realize the favor we are doing them by setting them free.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

My Views on Euthanasia

People with strong religious beliefs may not agree with my views on euthanasia. Many hold the opinion that voluntarily ending a human life is immoral and should not be legalized.

The Nancy Cruzan case provides the U.S. legal framework for honoring the legal right of a patient in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). Nancy Cruzan had sustained severe injuries in an automobile accident, and had been in a PVS for five years when the Cruzan family petitioned for the removal of her feeding tube. Hospital employees refused, without court approval, to honor the request of her parents and co-petitioners, to terminate her artificial nutrition and hydration, since that would result in her death. The Missouri Trial Court ruled that Nancy Cruzan had the fundamental right to ask for the removal of her feeding tube. The court rejected the argument that her parents were entitled to terminate her medical treatment, concluding that no person can assume that choice for someone else in the absence of clear and convincing evidence of the patient's wishes. Nancy had expressed to a former housemate that she would not wish to continue living if she became sick or injured unless she could live at least halfway normally. The court, however, decided that the State Living Will statute strongly favored the preservation of life, and that Cruzan's statements to her housemate were unreliable for the purpose of determining her intent.

In 1990, the US Supreme Court affirmed the state's right to determine its requirements for “clear and convincing evidence” and held that a patient in a PVS had the right to discontinue nutrition and hydration when sufficient evidence of their desire was available. In the end, a state trial court authorized the termination of Nancy Cruzan’s feeding tube on June 25, 1990, and found that a person in Cruzan's condition had a fundamental right under the state and federal law to do so. In this case, it would have been ideal for Nancy to have had a living will which stated her end of life wishes in writing.

My book, More Than Meets the Eye, has a legal copy of a living will in the appendix. Or, you may DOWNLOAD YOUR LIVING WILL HERE, and then print it and sign with two witnesses to legally secure your desires concerning life-sustaining treatment and end-of-life procedures.

Could You Unplug Your Loved One and Let Him Go?

My uncle underwent open-heart valve replacement surgery three times. During the third operation to replace his valves and repair an aneurism, his left lung was sliced open when his breastbone was being separated to access his chest cavity. The heart surgery was a complete success, which gave his family hope that he would make it. The damage done to the lung though was so severe that he was not expected to live. My family continued to hope for his survival.

With narcotics, and the help of a mechanical ventilator, he remained unconscious for weeks. When he finally woke up, unable to talk, he was given a paper and pen with which to write. The only word he managed to weakly scribble was “DIE.”

Prior to this, he had signed a document which gave his wife, and his medical staff, permission to decide what procedures would be done for him. Because of this, he gave away his power to choose. Even though he expressed his desire for passive euthanasia, he had several more surgeries as his wife exercised the rights assigned to her in his living will. To my knowledge, none of his physicians conducted an end-of-life discuss with my family, (such as the type mentioned by Dr. Milstone in chapter two of my book More than Meets the Eye about Death, Dying, and Afterlife), to help them make a decision about life support or to let him go and prepare for his death. Therefore, they continued hoping against all odds that he would recover.

After several months of intravenous feeding, he weighed only 108 pounds. A tracheotomy was performed to relocate his breathing tube, in hopes of allowing him to take nourishment by mouth. He was unable to swallow, so another surgery was performed to place a feeding tube in his stomach. His body made several attempts to carry out the will of his soul, which was to die. He contracted staphylococcal infection, then pneumonia. An aneurysm appeared in the vein where the IV had been, and had to be surgically repaired. Then a drug allergy, an intestinal infection, Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and gall bladder inflammation threatened. The longer he lay confined to a hospital bed, the more depressed he became. His doctor prescribed Zoloft to alleviate his depression.

My uncle wanted to leave his body, yet my family, with good intentions, continued to hold him back.

How do you feel about unplugging someone and letting them go? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts on humane euthanasia.

Suicide in the Elderly

USA Today has reported that, among older people with terminal illnesses who attempt suicide, the number suffering from depression reaches almost 90%. Even Jack Kevorkian, the notorious “suicide doctor,” said at a court appearance that he considers anyone with a disease who is not depressed “abnormal.”

Kevorkian and others who argue in favor of physician-assisted suicide believe that even though depression is treatable; the disabling disease is not. Treating depression in critically ill patients will help to alleviate some of the emotional despair, but it does little to relieve physical symptoms. The patient will still lie on “death row” until the angels come.

My personal opinion is that we have more compassion for our pets than we do for our dying family members. We will euthanize our sick and dying dog, but we will allow our loved one to suffer to the end. I’m not trying to pin guilt on anyone about any end of life decision they may have made for someone, I am simply making an observation in hopes of helping others avoid the end of life trauma that my uncle endured.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

Struggling with Emphysema and Life Support

My grandfather was diagnosed with emphysema fifteen years before his struggle to breathe confined him to his climate-controlled bedroom. Much of the last year of his life was spent in a hospital. The non-stop care for his declining health was beginning to take its toll on my family who never left his side. My grandfather knew that he would not be able to recover from his illness and lead a normal life. Therefore, he signed a document in which he requested that he not be resuscitated or placed on life support in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. I remember talking with him in his final days. I asked him if he was ready to die. “I believe I am,” he affirmed. He passed peacefully in the hospital without the assistance of life support.

My experience with a loved one’s decision regarding life support, has led me to believe that every person has the right to choose. This is one of the reasons that compelled me to write this book. I believe a person, who is kept alive by machines against his/her will, becomes a victim of someone else’s choice. No one should be denied the God-given power of free will.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

Thoughts on Euthanasia

Some people believe that it is not wise to circumvent the dying process. The late psychiatrist and famous author, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, shared that her experience in working with thousands of dying patients and their families convinced her that euthanasia was wrong even for patients with terminal illness. She believed that euthanasia (which she called suicide) cheats people out of the opportunity to complete their unfinished business. The unfinished business she referred to is the contemplation of the ultimate meaning of one's life. She felt the “end of life” period is a time for resolving old disputes, mending relationships, and coming to a final recognition and appreciation of all the good things that have been a part of one's life. That may be easier said than done if a person is on life support and barely have a brain wave!

Personally, I believe we need to do our resolving and keeping our relationships up to date on a daily basis. We never know when our last day is.

Dr. Kubler-Ross believed that, despite their compassionate motives, those healthy bystanders who encourage or even assist in euthanasia are stealing the last precious moments of these patients' lives. I understand her theory, but I believe that every person’s unfinished business must eventually come to an end. If one is unable to live without life support, and feels his business is complete, it would be cruel to force them or their family to suffer needlessly.

Side note here: we induce labor to bring a child into the world against its will. That soul doesn't get to choose its own birthday. Shouldn't a soul get to decide when it enters or leaves the earth plane?

What do you think about euthanasia in a situation where there is little hope for recovery? If that person has a living will stating that he or she does not want to be kept alive on machines, would you have reservations about enacting their wishes and letting them go?

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.
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My Uncle's Spirit Visits Me Before the Death of His Body

Before Christmas in 2001, after almost a year of struggle, my uncle’s body completely shut down and he went into a coma. After five days, his spirit came to me during meditation. He asked me to assist him with his transition so I began to sing, “Edmond crossed over to the other side today. Angels are with him, he is safe and at peace.”

I connected with the spirits of my aunt, my mother, and my grandmother to let them know that Edmond wanted to leave and asked them to please let him go. I never spoke to them in person, but the next day my family allowed the machines to be unplugged and my uncle was finally free to go.

During his spirit visit that day, my uncle gave me the words he wanted me to speak at his graveside to comfort those he was preparing to leave behind. He also wanted me to play and sing at his funeral service and mentioned a few songs that he liked. On the day of his ceremony, I felt an enormous peace and joy even when the rest of my family was experiencing sorrow.

Poem about souls moving on

Migration

How do birds know when to fly south for winter?
Who tells them of the season’s change?
How do souls know when it is time to cross over?
Or when it is time to enter the earth plane?
There is a voice within,
and angels about
that tell us when to go forth into the unknown
and return to known

Midwives and doctors bring souls
through the womb’s portal
but what a strong heart of love is required
to help a fellow man ease his exit
Rather than imposing your own wishes upon him
offer to open the door for him
If he refuses your help
be glad that he can do it on his own

—Yvonne Perry
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

What is Life Support?

Life support replaces a failing bodily function. When patients have treatable conditions, life support may be used temporarily while the condition is stabilized and the body is able to resume normal functioning. At times though, the body never regains its ability to function without life support. My grandfather refused to be placed on life support or be revived if he was code blue. My uncle, on the other hand, was placed on life support and suffered day after day while confined to a hospital bed for almost a year. Connected to tubes that fed him and machines that breathed for him, he could not talk or do anything for himself—things a healthy person would take for granted. Both my grandfather and my uncle were drowning. My grandfather refused the life preserver. My Uncle Edmond accepted a life raft with a slow leak in a sea of sharks.

For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

The Role of a Caregiver for Elderly Parent

You may remember reading on this blog about my grandmother, whom we call Nanny, when she fell and broke her hip and arm last year. She had been shopping at Sam's Club with my parents and was helping to put away groceries when she lost her balance and fell in the kitchen.

Nanny has always been active. She practically raised my cousins, my brother, and me while our parents worked. After I was grown and married, I lived next door to her and my grandfather (he passed in 1988). Nanny and I raised a 1/3-acre garden together, including the plowing, planting, harvesting, and canning. My mom would come by after working all day and help us with whatever task was left. In her eighties, Nanny still mowed her own lawn and lived alone. In 1998, she sold her house and moved in with my parents, who also sold their home and bought a place big enough to accommodate the furnishings of two households. My parents have made many sacrifices to see that Nanny, the matriarch of our five-generation family, gets the love and care that she has unselfishly given to us for all these years. This photo was taken last summer when Nanny turned 93 and we had her birthday bash.

Nanny's worst fear was that she would be placed in a nursing home in her old age. I've heard Nanny say many times that she would rather die than be away from her family. My mom and I promised that that would never happen as long as we were living.

While in the hospital, Nanny had surgery to insert a rod into her hip bone in hopes that she would be able to walk again. She overcame pneumonia only to find that the rod didn't hold. It was causing her much pain as it swayed back and forth, unattached at one end. Her doctor ordered tests to determine Nanny's ability to undergo a second surgery that was more dangerous than the first one. The test revealed that she had a blood clot in her groin. A filter was inserted into her leg vein to catch the clot and prevent it from going to her heart, brain, or lungs. Then, she had the surgery which left her with a ten-inch incision to heal while still on blood thinners.

It's hard to see Nanny unable to walk. Nevertheless, it has not dampened her spirits or her ability to interact with her family. Even though she's presently recovering from a third blood clot, Nanny is in excellent spirits and sound mind (thankfully!). 

My mom has taken great care to see that Nanny doesn't develop bed sores. Even though Nanny's arm didn't heal properly, she is able to use it well enough 

to feed herself, wash her face, brush her teeth, and comb her own hair. She has recovered the use of her upper body through daily exercises the physical therapist taught my mom to do with Nanny. In the photo above, Mom is checking Nanny's temperature, blood pressure, and blood gas levels simultaneously. Easily to see where I get my multi-tasking abilities!

Thanks to having good insurance that covers her healthcare, we have a hydrolic hoist to lift her from the bed and wheel her to the living room where she sits in her recyliner most of the day. She's still an avid Braves fan even though she doesn't see or hear well. She likes being in her chair because it puts her smack-dab in the middle of whatever is going on. She is a very social person, and the worst part of her recovery was being in her room alone and unable to get herself up to join the action or help in the kitchen.

I really don't see how my mom does it all: clean house, care for her mom, cook meals (not just for those who live in her household, but also for the family who comes to visit), do the shopping, and run errands while Pawpaw (my diabetic father) sits with Nanny. Mom rarely gets to leave the house for more than an hour at the time. I don't envy her, even though I would help her regularly if I didn't live five hours away.

I did make the 275-mile trip this past weekend because my mom's house was the venue for my daughter-in-law's (Amanda) baby shower. My cousin's daughter is also expecting a baby the same week as Amanda so while we were in town, we had both baby showers: Jessica's on Saturday and Amanda's on Sunday. That meant a lot of extra cleaning, shopping, and cooking. Mom was thrilled to have a chance to get out of the house and have help with the daily chores and someone to help her with

 exercising, bathing, and tending to Nanny. The time we spent together was fun. Here is a photo of Nanny, blindfolded and playing the cotton ball game at Amanda's shower.

Nanny is fortunate. Most families don't have an attentive caregiver like my mom. The nurses who come to visit once a week are amazed that Mom never had any medical training. She has simply cared for people all her life and is willing to do whatever it takes for her loved ones to be healthy and happy--even at her own expense. She is so tired these days. I'm very glad that she has arranged for other family members to come in and care for Nanny around the clock next week. Mom and Dad are going to Florida on vacation for a much-needed time out.

Two Types of Euthanasia

Twice in my life I have watched the health of a loved one deteriorate until their body could no longer support life on its own. It’s like watching someone drown while holding a life preserver in your hand, except the victim has made a legal choice to refuse your help. In each case, a precarious but necessary decision was made—whether or not to allow euthanasia.

There are two types of euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia, which involves “not taking action” to prevent death, (when doctors refrain from using life support to prolong the life of a terminally ill patient) and active euthanasia, which requires an action on the part of a doctor or medical practitioner to “pull the plug” or administer a lethal injection to bring about the impending death of a critically ill patient.

If you have comments about euthanasia or want to share your story with your readers, please contact me on my writing Web site.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

Deceased Pet's Visit from the Afterlife

Carl, a friend of mine, wrote me this week with terrible sadness and void that came as a result of losing his dog, Nellie. The pet had a successful surgery a couple days prior to remove a nasal carcinoma. She fought valiantly afterward and the family thought she would be fine and hopefully have at least another year with her. But, she began to have neurological symptoms and got worse with seizures and very high fever. Her systems shut down quickly.

Carl says, “We had to let her go, there was no other option. To keep her on life support was not life; that would have been cruel and selfish on our part and she never would have recovered. It was just so painful to see her like that; that wasn't Nellie. We miss her so much the pain is unbearable. We know she is at peace and is not suffering, having gone home. I had asked her for a sign before we let her go and last night while watching In Treatment on HBO (how appropriate), I was in a state of near twilight when I felt her energy, her light being presence come and sit near my feet on the cool tile by the sofa in our greenhouse living room. She was well, totally vibrant, and glowing with light as she smiled and reassured us that she was okay. She came to make sure we were okay. That made us feel much better although the loss is ever so painful and comes in waves. We know that souls never die, just move on to higher planes; we have seen and experienced too much to think otherwise.”

Carl and his wife appreciate your prayers and good wishes for Nellie. As you can see, animals live on in the afterlife the same way humans do. Life is never destroyed; only transformed. Carl is no stranger to the loss that death brings. His beloved brother committed suicide when Carl was a teenager. His father passed when Carl was a young man. He writes about their visits from the other side in his book Bader Field.

I emailed Carl to check on him again today. He says that Nellie’s visit has provided consolation and is helping him and Arlyn move forward one step at a time. “Nellie is okay now and not suffering anymore,” says Carl. “Her visit was a Godsend and her assurance was ever so relieving for us. It all happened so quickly, and maybe that was kinder because we really had no options except to let her go home where we knew she would be free, healthy, happy and youthful and spirited again. She gave us 16 blessed years and for that we will always be grateful. We are focusing on the treasured memories; the good times and the ones that made us laugh, which were so often and so many.”

Please join me in sending love and light to Carl, Arlyn, and Nellie. They will be reunited one day.

Visits from a Grandmother

Here's a story from Christine Plaisted, whom I met on Twitter. I appreciate her sharing her inspiring story with us.

Interestingly enough, my family has always had spirits visiting them, both strangers and familiar. My grandmother is the one who has visited me most often and been with me when I have needed her. She was the matriarch of the family and has visited others in my family since her passing.

My grandmother and I were always very close. She lived with us until I was eleven and even after that I spent many days with her, sometimes weeks with her during the summer. She passed away when I was seventeen. It was very hard on me and the rest of the family to lose her because she had always been there for us. I found out a year later that she would always be there for us even after she had gone.

When I was eighteen years old, I went on a mountain trip with my church youth group. We were sledding down the mountainside on truck tire inner tubes. It was in the afternoon, and the sun had started melting the snow, turning it into slippery ice. I made a huge mistake, one that almost cost me my life. I got on an inner tube with a young man (my accidents always seem to have a young man involved somewhere) and immediately after we pushed off, I knew we were in trouble.

We were going too fast. Even now, I don't have a lot of memories of the accident. I remember the trees rushing passed me. Then I remember coming to on the ground in severe pain, knowing that I had hit a tree. I checked to see if I had broken my back and damaged my spinal cord by wiggling my toes, my fingers and my ears. Yes, I wiggled my ears to see if I was paralyzed at the neck. Obviously, I wasn't thinking clearly.

The rest of the afternoon was even less clear. I was going in and out of consciousness. I knew I had a lot of internal damage. I was air lifted to the hospital emergency room because the rescue workers were sure that I wouldn't make it down the hill in an ambulance. My left lung was collapsed, I had broken three vertebrae and eight ribs. My liver was lacerated, and my stomach and intestines were perforated. I was in really bad shape. I was rushed into the operating room as quickly as possible and they patched me up as best they could.

It was after my operation that my grandmother came to visit me. I was alone in the room in ICU, and was just starting to wake up when I saw her sitting at the foot of my hospital bed, knitting. I had tubes everywhere and couldn't talk, but as I rustled in bed, she saw that I was awake and looked up from her project and smiled at me. She got up, put her hand on my arm, and leaned over to kiss my forehead. She told me everything was going to be alright and to close my eyes and rest, which is what I did. I don't know how much longer it was when my mom and aunt came into the room to check on me, but I told them that they had just missed Grandma. They just looked at each other a little worried.

A couple of days later, my grandmother came to visit me in the hospital again. My lung was still in bad shape from being collapsed and I had exercises that I had to do to try and re inflate it. I can still remember how painful it was to try to breath. My grandmother was there when I woke up. She sat there talking to me a little while telling me that she knew I could do the exercises and that she was very proud of me for working through the pain. The exercise was to blow into a tube to make three little balls go up in three different chambers. I was unable to make even one ball rise until my grandmother talked to me that day. I finally got one ball to rise to the top of the chamber. My brother came by to visit me a little while after that and I told him that I had gotten the ball to rise while grandma was visiting. He questioned me a little but didn't remind me that grandma had been gone for over a year.

It wasn't until I got out of ICU that I remembered that my grandmother had died the previous year and that the visits she made were not physical but were in the spirit. After that, I knew that she would always be there for me when I needed her.

She also visited me after my oldest son was born and he had to stay in the hospital in the PICU for four days. She's visited me in my dreams many, many times and she
has also visited my sons when they were young.

It's never easy losing someone you love, but they are never truly gone, just in another place where it's not as easy to get a hold of them. It's comforting to know that my grandmother has been there to help me through some really tough situations and she always will be.

Christine Plaisted is a single mom of two teenage boys who she has home schooled
their entire lives. You can find her at
http://www.besthomeschoolplace.com her home school blog,
http://www.paganwitch.com her Pagan & Law of Attraction blog, and
http://twitter.com/wyndsong to follow her on twitter.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

A Visit from Father After He Passed

Blogger Chelle Cordero shared a wonderful story with us about a visit from a deceased loved one. Chelle said:

I truly believe that I have had several "visits" from deceased loved ones - one of the most memorable was the night after we buried my dad in 1977. I stayed at my mom's apartment that night so she shouldn't be alone and I fell asleep in my dad's chair which looked down a long entry hallway. Perhaps some would say I only dreamt this, but I woke up to the front door opening and my dad walking in. He came partway down the hallway towards me and told me how concerned he was for my mom. He said he would be there for her when the time was right. Then he "faded". In early 1979 my mom passed away. The day of her death both my husband and I saw a "cloud" descending from the heavens; there was no mistaking the rigid lines of a staircase. It is comforting to know that my dad helped my mom up those steps and they are together now.

Tell me about your visit from a deceased loved one.

If you'll post a comment here about your loved ones spirit visit, I'll convert your story into a post and give you credit as a guest blogger. If you would like to send me a longer story, please send it to me via my writing Web site, or send me a message on Twitter and I'll give you my email address.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

View of God Creates Fear of Death

Rev. Cherise is a very special spiritual teacher and healer and one of the most spiritually evolved beings that I know. She is a medium and psychic who helped my family contact my brother-in-law after he passed. You can read about that story here, but recently Linda Woods interviewed Cherise about her concept of God. I think our Western Christian view of God is what causes us to be fearful of death. For those who see God as a harsh entity ready to punish for sin, you might be relieved by listening to this podcast about All That Is.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

How can you tell if death is about to occur for a critically ill patient?

According to About.com there are common signs that may indicate that death is actively approaching. These include:

• Major changes in respiratory health, buildup of fluid in the lungs, congestion, longer periods of apnea, and abnormal breathing patterns such as cycles of slow then fast breathing.
• Subject states that he or she is going to die soon.
• Difficulties swallowing liquids or the resistance of all food and drink.
• Marked changes in personality, acting wildly, severe agitation or hallucinations.
• Increased difficulty waking subject from sleeping, the inability to arouse them at all, or a coma-like state.
• Subject is unresponsive or cannot speak.
• Subject does not move for long periods of time.
• The extremities -- hands, feet, arms and legs -- feel very cold to touch. Subject may say that they are numb or cannot feel at all.
• Mottling of the arms, legs, hands and feet -- giving a blue or purple splotchy appearance to the skin.
• Decrease in urination with urine darkening in color or changing colors.
• Urinary or bowel incontinence.
• A continued drop in blood pressure to 20 to 30 points below normal range or a systolic pressure below 70 with a diastolic below 50 points.
• Loss of hearing, feeling, smell, taste or sight at the final stage.

It is important to provide a warm and relaxing atmosphere and be supportive during the time of transition. It is believed that the dying can sense people in the room and hear them speaking. Find comforting words to help alleviate fear or anxiety. Avoid crying or grieving while in the room with the dying person. Take turns with friends and family staying with the dying person so they do not have to be alone. Be assured that whatever happens is a normal part of the process and see yourself as being a blessing as you offer your time and love.

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.

Discuss End of Life Procedures Now

My sister-in-law recently lost her father, Bob. He went in for heart surgery and came through the surgery quite well for a man in his early eighties. However, he had a difficult time coming out of the anesthesia and was unresponsive. A few months passed and the doctors discovered that Bob had lost circulation to his legs and arms and gangrene had set in.

The family was in turmoil not knowing whether to put him through another surgery to remove the dying limbs in hopes of saving him. The possibility of him coming through another surgery was very low; he would probably die due to blood loss. Their other options were: allow him to lay in bed unconscious and see if he would awaken before he passed from systemic infection or help him die by removing artificial support. He had a living will and they would have been totally within their right to remove the equipment since those were his wishes.

While the family was trying to decide what to do, Bob woke up. When told about his condition and asked if he wanted to have surgery to remove his limbs, he affirmed an absolute "No!" Let me add a note here that it is normal for a dying person to awaken or rally just before they pass. It's seems as if they come back one more time just to say goodbye.

Refusing the surgery, the doctors dismissed Bob and told the family that Bob had less than two weeks to live. Bob was moved from the hospital where he had been for about two months and taken to a hospice center closer to his home and family. My sister-in-law had been driving an hour each way to see her father at least three times per week. Moving Bob to hospice closer to home allowed her to visit him every day and stay longer each visit. By the fourth day, Bob passed in his sleep.

It is not easy to address issues of death and dying with your family members, but the time of crisis is not the best time to discuss end of life procedures. It is a blessing to know in advance what your loved one wants and the only way to find out is to ask while they are able to tell you. It may be one of the best and most meaningful conversations you ever have. Plan a family meeting and make it a fun and intimate event. It would be an excellent time to sign your Advanced Directive or Living Will (see Appendix A of my book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com or download the PDF on my blog).

If you are unsure about what you want or if you need more information about available procedures please talk with a doctor or healthcare provider before there is a crisis to contend with.