Email your story for possible
inclusion in my forthcoming
book

"Transmuting Grief -
Healing and Growth after
Loss
"

justabreathaway@yahoo.com
Have you had an after
death visitation from a
friend or loved one?

                      After Death Communication

    The reminder of the continuity of life is the theme of this site. When
    we are able to catch a glimpse of another reality where our loved
    ones are now residing in, and where we also will ultimately go when
    its our time to leave our physical bodies, we can use this awareness
    in helping us to see the sacredness of life , and allow for a healing of
    our grief to start taking place.

    The stories that follow are from everyday people, who have had
    moments of grace or encounters with those who have passed on.
    Our loved ones are literally, just a breath away.

    The first story, "Ghetto Chicks and Butterflies" is about my nephew,
    Omar...

    Do share your stories, as we are always looking for inspiration!
    My sister Norma and her son, Omar, had a life long private joke
    where she called him my 'little chick' even if he was a robust 6 ft. 1
    inch tall, 18 year old, teenager; he would on occasion sign birthday
    cards with 'Love your little chick, Omar'.

    Little did they know that one day their private joke would reach her
    from beyond this world. One that brought tears and smiles and
    confirmation that he is alive and in a better place.

    On a warm New York night in July 26, 2005, Omar came home
    with a severe headache which was thought to be a migraine; but
    this headache was different; he had seizures for the first time, and
    this led to a trip to the emergency room. While his mom and best
    friend, Gerson waited for the emergency room doctors to take care
    of him, and Omar was conscious, he suddenly took his mother's
    hands and kissed them over and over again and told her he loved
    her. He then turned to his best friend, kissed his hands and told
    him he loved him; it is as if a part of him knew he was going to die
    as these were his last words; he closed his eyes after receiving a
    sedative and died peacefully. Not the doctors or his mother
    expected him to die. The cause of death was undiagnosed
    hydrocephalous; water in the brain. His brain filled with water and
    literally exploded. His passing as horrific as it sounds, was very
    quick so he did not suffer.

    For those of us who are left behind after a loved one leaves, signs
    that confirm that they are still alive, but in another place where
    humans cannot enter yet, brings much needed comfort; a balm
    that soothes an aching heart.

    A few days passed, and I went to the room I was staying in my
    sister's apt. as I live in Oregon, to check the computer for my
    emails, and opened an email from my boyfriend; much to my
    shock, he had passed on a joke picture from an online friend of
    two pirate chicks with red bandanas around their heads poking at
    a cat with a sword. I had not mentioned the sign that my sister had
    asked for, to my boyfriend or to anyone.
         An After-Death Visitation
This story is by a psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, who pioneered research on death and  
dying and the experiences of her terminally ill patients.

I was at a crossroad. I felt I needed to give up my work with dying patients. That day, I was              
determined to give notice and leave the hospital and the University of Chicago. It wasn't an easy  
decision because I really loved my patients.  
                                               
 Continue to full story....
         A Tear in the Eye
Barbara was driving her six-year-old son, Benjamin, to his piano lesson.

They were late, and Barbara was beginning to think she should have cancelled it. There was        
always so much to do, and Barbara, a night-duty nurse at the local hospital, had recently                
worked extra shifts.  She was tired. The sleet storm and icy roads added to her tension. Maybe     
she should turn the car around.     
                                                            
                                             
  Continue to full story....
         A Touch From Beyond
I was living in Los Angeles in 1982 with my girlfriend, Mary, when she took me to meet her             
seventy-two-year-old father for the first time. Her dad, Bill, a life long heavy smoker, was in the      
hospital due to complications from emphysema. Bill and I instantly got along with each other.       
Mary's dad later told her that he liked me, and she said that I was the only boyfriend he had met   
who he had immediately taken to. I was pleased.
                                               Continue to full story....
        Kick In The Side
When I believe My wife Sue died, her eyes opened wide, rolled back and then peered right             
through me. Her soul had left her body. As her body wore down she was moved to a comfort         
room.

The doctor told us she may not make it through the night. Later the kids and I left the room and     
went outside
                                             Continue to full story....
       After Death Heart Visit
My Mother passed away in the year 2000, of old age, so her life was a conclusion to a life that       
was not an easy one, but was fully lived; she was satisfied until the end, of her role of being a       
good mother, which she was and still is, as she is with us in spirit.

I was at peace we were with her on her final hours, but the death of a loved one is not easy; it       
often awakens feelings of impermanence or vulnerability that is part of our humanity and it            
changes parts of our lives forever
                                            Continue to full story....
      Leonard and Son Jeff
Leonard was a wealthy retired construction baron and a member of the United Methodist               
church I pastored near Bloomfield, NY. In the summer of 1998 I decided Leonard needed a          
pastoral visit. He was distraught at his cousin's decision to face his last days alone as cancer     
ravaged his body. I wanted to console Leonard and offer his cousin support. But I thought there   
was a more urgent reason to console Leonard. A few years earlier, his son Jeff was flying a          
small plane, when engine failure
                                            Continue to full story....
What made this sign even more touching was that my sister
had a picture of Omar as the wallpaper of her computer,
where he has a big smile and is wearing a bandana; it was
a joke picture as he was not into bandanas.

The tears in our eyes wouldn't stop flowing; they were tears
of grief and also tears of gratitude that her boy would be so
creative even after death, he chose to not settle in sending
her only a picture of a small, yellow chick, but of two chicks
and with bandanas on. He made sure his mom would
recognize his humor. He was in essence saying, 'I love you
mom; I heard you, and I am here!'

About two weeks passed after the funeral, and as we put
one foot after the other while in a daze, which I believe is
God's way of helping one cope with a traumatic loss, to be
in a temporary state of denial, the doorbell in my sister's
home rang.
It was her new neighbors who had moved in from China
and wanted to introduce themselves and their two beautiful
little girls. They brought her a small gift wrapped box as a
gift. When she opened the box, there was  a handcrafted
butterfly with blue eyes and blue circles... Omar gave me my
sign.

My nephew's passing and his continuing spiritual presence,
has started to shift our reality to a sense of knowing that the
spirit is eternal and survives death. His physical presence
will always be missed, but he will be waiting with rejoicing
when its our turn to go Home, especially his Mom's.  
Ghetto Chicks and
Butterflies