One of the joys of writing a blog is to discover that someone reads it. These past weeks I’ve received several reports of spiritual experiences—and I want to tell them all. But I pick only two– both concerning life after death: one came from “C.” (name withheld), whose husband died, and the other is about a dog. (Don’t you love Pope Francis, by the way, affirming that dogs and other pets may well go to heaven: Well, YES! Who wants to be in a heaven without our beloved dog, cat, horse, turtle, snake?)
Story # 1: Bill lay dying in hospice, his family gathered around. Earlier his daughter had asked him for a sign. “ If there is a heaven, and if you’re there, show me a sign. You’re so clever. If anyone can do it, you can!” And then a grandson reinforced it. “You have to give Mom a sign that you’re ok. She’s going to have a hard time with this, so it can’t be vague.”
Then he died. As he took his last breath, a flock of great Blue Herons on the marshes below, flew up and swung close to Bill’s window, sailing slowly by. His wife, “C.”,left Bill’s bed and said out loud : “Oh, come back please, so I can see you!” The herons were already out of sight, but a minute later they flew by again, slowly, slowly, and so close to the windows that she could see their black eyes glance at her. Again they turned and made still third pass, if to confirm that it was their flight was no accident but a deliberate action for the occasion.
The family stayed awhile with the body, and then, some thirty minutes later left: daughters, sons, husbands, grandchildren and a sister of Bill’s.
Outside, as they ran toward their cars, a thunderstorm broke loose, with rain pouring down in sheets, thunder pealing, lightning flashing. A feeling of release and ecstasy filled them. Two of the grown children started whooping and dancing in the rain, shouting: “It’s a good day to die!” Across the parking lot, “C.” watched from inside her car, when to her surprise a rainbow appeared, moved toward them, then into the car, playing on her lap! “Oh my God, there’s a rainbow in the car.” It danced off the grass to the right, and then they saw an enormous double rainbow arc over the hospice, one end pouring right into the window where Bill had died. They stood in awe, never doubting that their beloved father, husband and grandfather had manifested his sign.
“Thunder, lightning, sunshine, hail, and a rainbow in the CC’s lap: pretty weak sign,” one laughed. Then they went to have pizza. Here’s a shot of it on Youtube:
Story # 2 was told me by David Tucker in England about Jess, a chocolate lab with tender eyes, who lived only two years before dying of cancer. David was heartbroken. He can still weep to this day, he misses the dog so terribly. Then he told this:
“One day whilst alone, I came home and sat in my lounge, when I noticed a paw print on the sofa where she used to sit. It had suddenly appeared months after her passing.
A couple of days later I was asleep in bed when I heard a noise in my kitchen. I got up to investigate but, finding nothing, went back to bed.
I laid down, then all of a sudden from my left, Jess leapt up onto my bed. She was licking my face and wagging her tail excitedly, and I could feel her legs and warm body. She was not alone, but I could not see who was with her.
I was very excited. I could not believe it! Then she slowly vanished.
This was no dream. It was real, and I don’t care if I’m not believed, because I know what I saw and felt,” he concluded defensively.
What do we make of stories such as these? Imagination? Grief-groping? I know people who dismiss these things as fantasy. But I have heard so many such reports–and witnessed myself the Spirits of those who have passed over, (see my books, including, A Book of Angels, and the Art of Intuition) that I have only one conclusion: that Life does not end; that the person or dog is not in “heaven” perhaps, but at least in love (is there a difference?), that our loved ones can and do come back, and often in other forms–as butterflies, birds, a majestic stag, a swirl of wind caressing you, an image, a kiss, a swell of your heart, a sudden “knowing or showing,” and always, they are telling us of love, the only way of Being.
sophywisdom 
Wonderful stories! Thank you so much for sharing them, Sophy. On this bleak midwinter day they brought a lot of joy!
My cat came back to me a month after he died suddenly. He jumped on the bed and stuck his nose in my eye to nibble my eyelashes which was something he did since he was a kitten. As soon as I said his name, he disappeared, but I knew he was happy and could let go of grief.
Oh I love cats! (and horses) (and dogs are pretty good too). I heard today from a friend, that when the mother of HER best friend died of cancer a little black and white cat appeared mewing at the door, entered, and stalked into the house fearlessly, into the bedroom of the (now deceased) mother and lay down on the pillow on that bed. She refused to leave. The grieving daughter felt it was her mother, come back home.
Lovely stories and the video of the rainbow with the delightful commentary of someone’s feelings of presence and grace has left a smile on my face.
I’ve had a few experiences of people returning in a dream. Each experience was very comforting.
Just wanted to say thank you for knowing the value of sharing stories about love, the importance of inner life, and the beauty of after life.
I just wanted to say thank you for knowing the value of sharing stories about love, the importance of inner life, and the beauty of after life. Your words always mean the world to me.