Life after death???

[KimR]

I wish could feel the way metalis4ever feels, but I just can't. The thought of ceasing to exist makes me incredibly sad, as does the thought that my loved ones have or will cease to exist someday. My Mother passed away several years ago and I wish I had the certainty that some of you seem to have that she is close by. I have dreams of her that seem so very real, but I'm not sure that they are nothing more than that - just very realistic dreams.

I do think most of us are programmed to want to believe in an afterlife, so we convince ourselves that there is one to make the thought of mortality more bearable. That's not so say I don't believe there is an afterlife...I just don't know.

I wish I were fortunate enough to have some sort of personal experience on which to base a belief in the afterlife, but so far for me it's really nothing more than wishful thinking.

 

[KimR]

Great story, Jennasis. See, now why can't that happen to me???

 

[AKL_Megs]

Okey dokey. It's got a few parts.


Part I:
My mom was the medical assistant at an OB/GYN office for many years. A patient came in for her exam a few weeks after giving birth, toting the baby and her 4 year old with her. My mom and the nurses crowded around to ooh and ahh over the baby, and my mom asked how the 4 year old, "Sally", was handling the new addition. The mother said that something strange happened. Sally kept insisting, from the minute the baby was brought home, that she wanted to be ALONE with the baby. No mommy and daddy allowed...just Sally and the baby. Needless to say, the parents were worried about why Sally was so insistent on being alone with the baby, but the little girl was RELENTLESS. So the mom set up the baby monitor so she could listen in and then told Sally should could go into the baby's room for a few minutes with the baby (who was in the crib). Sally went in and shut the door (mom getting a little freaked now, so she peaks in a crack). Sally leans over the edge of the crib and says to the baby:

"Tell me about Jesus. I'm starting to forget him."



NO joke, folks. This family was as unreligious as it gets. No church, no baptism. They just didn't "do" that stuff. Jesus had never been mentioned by any of them (including grandparents).


Part II:
Years ago I went through a "phase" where I was terrified of dying. Not just HOW I would die, but about what happens AFTER you die. The thought of ceasing to exist was just terrifying. It got so bad that I couldn't eat, or sleep. I wouldn't go anywhere (might die, you know), wouldn't socialize (what's the point? Everyone is going to die). It became all-consuming and crippling. This went on for a solid three months. Then one night, my mom finally asked me what was wrong and I told her. My mom is the most spiritual person I know (not religious...just very spiritual). So she asked me if I believed in God. I actually got mad at her. Of course I do. So she said, if you believe in God then you have to believe in Heaven. They're one and the same. Doubting the afterlife means you have lost your faith.

Well that actually made me feel even WORSE. Now not only was I terrified of the "Void", the nothingness of death, but now I had lost my faith in everything. My mom left to run some errands and I was alone in the house. Petrified, angry, and lost. I sat on the couch in my living room and I cried...and cried...and cried. I wept in fear, in anger, in anguish. In desperation, I fell on my knees and screamed out "Jesus, please! I can't live like this anymore. I can't live in constant fear and terror. Not knowing....Please help me!"...and I cried hysterically.

Then it happened. The room suddenly became devoid of all sound. Like the air itself had been sucked out of the room (or the whole world). And in an instant...like snapping your fingers....I stopped crying. I was suddenly filled with unimaginable JOY. Unimaginable PEACE. I can't explain it properly, but Jesus was IN the room with me. I couldn't see him, but I could feel his presence, just as if there had been an actual person sitting on the couch beside me, his hand on my head. And I will never forget what he said....

"Don't be silly. Of COURSE there's a Heaven."

That was it. All doubt, was instantly gone from my mind. I have never been so completely sure of anything in my life. Just like I know the sky is blue. The panic, the anger, the abject fear, instantly washed away. I have never since, EVER, doubted the existence of God, Heaven, or my savior Jesus. There is no doubt. I have seen him, felt him, been touched by him. I KNOW. It was the greatest gift I've ever been given.

You should also know that before that moment, there was NOTHING religious or spiritual about me. I went to church, grudgingly, on Easter once a year to please my mom. I still don't go to church. but I know.


I KNOW.

I have also had those moments where I just say, "He just MUST exist."

Very touching story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[lukenick1]

Thanks all for the words of encouragement. I neglected to mention that my Dad died 5 weeks before my Mom. I feel extremely guilty that I only grieve for my MOm at this time but there is a reason. My Dad had dimentia and has been ill for a long time. By the time he passed he did not even know who we were anymore. It was like looking at a stranger. We had time to prepare and it was a blessing knowing how feeble he had become. He would never have wanted to live that way. With MOm comes a different story. First of all my parents were divorced for many many years so one had nothing to do with the other. My Mom had just retired in November, she is 63. She had so many plans as a retired lady and was just about to start enjoying her life. One day while sitting at her computer she suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, no warning. She stayed in ICU and after a week she woke up. She started to heal but then out of no where she suffered another massive brain hemorrhage. We took her off life support and she lived another 15 days in a vegetative state. Im so sad cuz wasn't fair, she was a good person who was healthy and had so much to look forward to. I know there are people who have suffered much greater loss but right now I can't help but feel sorry for me. At 38 years old,a wife and a mother of 2, I never really truly grew up. I need my Mom, she is my security blanket, now I have no idea how to deal with this pain. I also lost my only sister in 1993, she was only 25. I feel so alone. The thought of Mom being with my grandfather, grandmother, Dad and sister would comfort me but I'm very skeptical of the afterlife . Thanks for listening........

 

[Jennasis]

Great story, Jennasis. See, now why can't that happen to me???

DH asked me the same thing. You have to ask for the help. People I tell this story to often get mad (sometimes at me). Everybody is answered, but it's not always a burning bush or a booming voice from above. The answer usually comes in a way you need to hear it, and you have to be willing to hear it. DH was an agnostic forever. He started doing some spiritual exploration about 7 years ago and had his own epiphany. He disn't get the "Jesus in my living room" answer. He is so ridiculously logical, that it was natural for him to be agnostic/bordering atheism. He got his answer from study.

BTW. Jesus still talks to me all the time. He has a terrific sense of humor.

 

[lukenick1]

I wish could feel the way metalis4ever feels, but I just can't. The thought of ceasing to exist makes me incredibly sad, as does the thought that my loved ones have or will cease to exist someday. My Mother passed away several years ago and I wish I had the certainty that some of you seem to have that she is close by. I have dreams of her that seem so very real, but I'm not sure that they are nothing more than that - just very realistic dreams.

I do think most of us are programmed to want to believe in an afterlife, so we convince ourselves that there is one to make the thought of mortality more bearable. That's not so say I don't believe there is an afterlife...I just don't know.

I wish I were fortunate enough to have some sort of personal experience on which to base a belief in the afterlife, but so far for me it's really nothing more than wishful thinking.

Me too Kim....I wish I could experience something to help me believe.

 

[SundaeAfternoon]

Wish there was proof that there is life after death. Would make my Mom's death a whole lot easier for me

I agree!

Sorry for your loss.

 

[SundaeAfternoon]

Okey dokey. It's got a few parts.


Part I:
My mom was the medical assistant at an OB/GYN office for many years. A patient came in for her exam a few weeks after giving birth, toting the baby and her 4 year old with her. My mom and the nurses crowded around to ooh and ahh over the baby, and my mom asked how the 4 year old, "Sally", was handling the new addition. The mother said that something strange happened. Sally kept insisting, from the minute the baby was brought home, that she wanted to be ALONE with the baby. No mommy and daddy allowed...just Sally and the baby. Needless to say, the parents were worried about why Sally was so insistent on being alone with the baby, but the little girl was RELENTLESS. So the mom set up the baby monitor so she could listen in and then told Sally should could go into the baby's room for a few minutes with the baby (who was in the crib). Sally went in and shut the door (mom getting a little freaked now, so she peaks in a crack). Sally leans over the edge of the crib and says to the baby:

"Tell me about Jesus. I'm starting to forget him."



NO joke, folks. This family was as unreligious as it gets. No church, no baptism. They just didn't "do" that stuff. Jesus had never been mentioned by any of them (including grandparents).


Part II:
Years ago I went through a "phase" where I was terrified of dying. Not just HOW I would die, but about what happens AFTER you die. The thought of ceasing to exist was just terrifying. It got so bad that I couldn't eat, or sleep. I wouldn't go anywhere (might die, you know), wouldn't socialize (what's the point? Everyone is going to die). It became all-consuming and crippling. This went on for a solid three months. Then one night, my mom finally asked me what was wrong and I told her. My mom is the most spiritual person I know (not religious...just very spiritual). So she asked me if I believed in God. I actually got mad at her. Of course I do. So she said, if you believe in God then you have to believe in Heaven. They're one and the same. Doubting the afterlife means you have lost your faith.

Well that actually made me feel even WORSE. Now not only was I terrified of the "Void", the nothingness of death, but now I had lost my faith in everything. My mom left to run some errands and I was alone in the house. Petrified, angry, and lost. I sat on the couch in my living room and I cried...and cried...and cried. I wept in fear, in anger, in anguish. In desperation, I fell on my knees and screamed out "Jesus, please! I can't live like this anymore. I can't live in constant fear and terror. Not knowing....Please help me!"...and I cried hysterically.

Then it happened. The room suddenly became devoid of all sound. Like the air itself had been sucked out of the room (or the whole world). And in an instant...like snapping your fingers....I stopped crying. I was suddenly filled with unimaginable JOY. Unimaginable PEACE. I can't explain it properly, but Jesus was IN the room with me. I couldn't see him, but I could feel his presence, just as if there had been an actual person sitting on the couch beside me, his hand on my head. And I will never forget what he said....

"Don't be silly. Of COURSE there's a Heaven."

That was it. All doubt, was instantly gone from my mind. I have never been so completely sure of anything in my life. Just like I know the sky is blue. The panic, the anger, the abject fear, instantly washed away. I have never since, EVER, doubted the existence of God, Heaven, or my savior Jesus. There is no doubt. I have seen him, felt him, been touched by him. I KNOW. It was the greatest gift I've ever been given.

You should also know that before that moment, there was NOTHING religious or spiritual about me. I went to church, grudgingly, on Easter once a year to please my mom. I still don't go to church. but I know.


I KNOW.

What a wonderful story! Thanks so much for sharing it.

 

[FergieTCat]

I am not at all normally "like this", but I have two stories of my own.

17 years ago, my good friend, Janice, died of leukemia. Her funeral was devastating and I was heartbroken about leaving her in the ground in the cemetary (I don't know about other religions, but in Judiasm, you watch the burial.) One night I had a dream that Janice visited me wearing a white nightgown with red flowers. In my dream she said "Don't worry about me, I'm OK. It's not as bad as you think."

The thing about my dream is the next day I spoke to another friend, Lisa. Lisa said "I had a dream that Janice visited me." Before I said anything else, I asked Lisa what Janice was wearing. Lisa's answer: "A white nightgown with red flowers."

About 6 weeks ago, my nephew died unexpectedly. The morning he died, before I found out, I had a dream that there was a man standing over my bed. I do not normally have nightmares, and it felt so real, I woke up terrified, convinced my apartment had been broken into. I did not see the man's face, but part of me thinks it was Greg. The same morning my mom told me she had a message on her answering machine that was staticky and undecipherable. I can't help but think it was Greg.

And of course, my dear grandmother is always with me. If nothing else, our loved ones live on in our hearts.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Well that actually made me feel even WORSE. Now not only was I terrified of the "Void", the nothingness of death, but now I had lost my faith in everything. My mom left to run some errands and I was alone in the house. Petrified, angry, and lost. I sat on the couch in my living room and I cried...and cried...and cried. I wept in fear, in anger, in anguish. In desperation, I fell on my knees and screamed out "Jesus, please! I can't live like this anymore. I can't live in constant fear and terror. Not knowing....Please help me!"...and I cried hysterically.

Then it happened. The room suddenly became devoid of all sound. Like the air itself had been sucked out of the room (or the whole world). And in an instant...like snapping your fingers....I stopped crying. I was suddenly filled with unimaginable JOY. Unimaginable PEACE. I can't explain it properly, but Jesus was IN the room with me. I couldn't see him, but I could feel his presence, just as if there had been an actual person sitting on the couch beside me, his hand on my head. And I will never forget what he said....

"Don't be silly. Of COURSE there's a Heaven."

I cried reading this. You know why? Because it happened to me too. Not the exact same instance but a similiar instance...this is when I was Agnostic (didn't believe in God and was not religious). I cried out to God in a pit of desperation (b/c I had no one else to talk to) and the exact same thing happened to me!! Coincidentally, I saw a video on Youtube of a former drug addict with a similar story. Its eery, its crazy, its strange. But it was as real as keyboard I'm typing on.

When I had that God experience, you know I was baptized months later!!!! I had to check, double check and triple check that my experience wasn't made up. It was very real and I prayed long and hard before I became a Christian.

 

[Philagoofy]

Thanks all for the words of encouragement. I neglected to mention that my Dad died 5 weeks before my Mom. I feel extremely guilty that I only grieve for my MOm at this time but there is a reason. My Dad had dimentia and has been ill for a long time. By the time he passed he did not even know who we were anymore. It was like looking at a stranger. We had time to prepare and it was a blessing knowing how feeble he had become. He would never have wanted to live that way. With MOm comes a different story. First of all my parents were divorced for many many years so one had nothing to do with the other. My Mom had just retired in November, she is 63. She had so many plans as a retired lady and was just about to start enjoying her life. One day while sitting at her computer she suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, no warning. She stayed in ICU and after a week she woke up. She started to heal but then out of no where she suffered another massive brain hemorrhage. We took her off life support and she lived another 15 days in a vegetative state. Im so sad cuz wasn't fair, she was a good person who was healthy and had so much to look forward to. I know there are people who have suffered much greater loss but right now I can't help but feel sorry for me. At 38 years old,a wife and a mother of 2, I never really truly grew up. I need my Mom, she is my security blanket, now I have no idea how to deal with this pain. I also lost my only sister in 1993, she was only 25. I feel so alone. The thought of Mom being with my grandfather, grandmother, Dad and sister would comfort me but I'm very skeptical of the afterlife . Thanks for listening........

I'm so sorry. You are very young to have lost your mom & your mom was pretty young also. I haven't had to deal with this pain yet, my parents, thankfully, are still here (78) but I so dread the day. It consumes me too much, not quite the same as it did Jennasis though, thank goodness. I thought, and I know I'm wrong, that if I had had children, perhaps it wouldn't be as painful since I'd have them to focus on. But, it doesn't matter, it hurts no matter what. I hope in time, your pain and sadness will ease and that you can begin to believe that you will see her again.

 

[ead79]

I am so very sorry for the loss of your parents. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you, and my prayers are with you.

I do absolutely believe in life after death. I believe that through saving faith in Jesus that I will live with Him when I die. I know it can be difficult to believe when you don't have tangible proof, but I think it's important to just acknowledge that to God.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I think there's a *something*-- I don't know what, how or why. I think maybe we're just an energy that never dies. We're a pretty Agnostic family.

Anywho, I'd been having a long struggle with infertility, and almost got to a breaking point. I'd just had surgery to help "clean me out" and we were on our first cycle of trying again in December. Keep in mind, I'm Agnostic, but a while ago, I'd had talked to a psychi (silly, I know) but she'd said that my Grandfather is with me and looks out for me. She said that he said that "everything is going to be OK." SO, like I said, I was nearing a breaking point, so I'd waited until I was alone, and asked my grandfather to help me out, and maybe ... I don't remember how exactly I asked, but help send a baby to me.
Fast forward to Christmas Day at my mom's house. We had ben talking about my grandparents around that same time, and then opened a bottle of champagne (it's a thing we do, that's how we celebrate.) and toasted... my mom, DH, and I all made separate little toasts. Mine was a toast to fertility. Made sense at the time. About 5-10 minutes later, my mom and I were talking in the kitchen about me having another baby, and this is where it gets weird. There was a bottle of cranberry juice sitting on the counter, with the cap on. The cap just up and flew off the container, like at least 2" in the air and flew off with a purpose. This was no "it just fell" kind of thing. We both couldn't help but see it happen, and we looked at each other like "oh. my. god." I filled up with tears! 3 days later, I found out I was pregnant.

I know this was my Grandpa. I could just feel it. He sends me bunnies to let me know that things are going to be OK-- when DD was in the NICU, before I got married, when I"m going through a hard time. He sends my mom the number 227.

 

[Buckalew11]

I am so very sorry for the loss of your parents. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you, and my prayers are with you.

I do absolutely believe in life after death. I believe that through saving faith in Jesus that I will live with Him when I die. I know it can be difficult to believe when you don't have tangible proof, but I think it's important to just acknowledge that to God.

Same for me, I am so sorry for all of your losses.

Faith is what it is...believing in something you can't see. I don't know, I think one should always be open and ready to *see* God in their lives if they are searching because I believe when you are, He will show himself to you in many different ways. There is nothing more intimate that you can experience than a relationship with God and experience things like Jennasis experienced--not a relationship with a spouse, child or loved one. It is truly like nothing else you can experience in this life. BTW, intimate is not sexual here (because for some people it is always a sexual word, lol).

There isn't a doubt in my mind that there isn't life after death. I do not know exactly what it will be but I know souls live on...either in the presence of God or not.

 

[CandyMandy]

Can I ask you to take a look at this site? It fascinated me for months BEFORE she died, and I now feel I came across it in preparation for her passing:

http://www.near-death.com/

It's huge. HUGE! But will suck you in, and make you feel really okay. I promise.

And everyone - atheists, christians, jews, muslims - they all have the same 'after life' experience. All of them.

Cathy, one other perspective on these documented "near death" experiences.

There is a signifcant body of neurological research that suggests that the physiology of the brain under near-death stress may explain the common "bright light at end of a tunnel " and "visions of past life and lost family" experiences.

Or put another way, science does have a potential explanation for how the entire "entering the afterlife" experience may simply be one created when an oxygen starved brain abruptly takes one into a massive "deep dream" (REM) state, where a large amount of aggregate memory is accessed. The oxygen deprivation potentially explains the tunnel/bright light phenomenon and the REM "dump" could explain the vivid visions people have of prior life and previously deceased relatives/friends.

So while these near seemingly vivid near-death experiences are common and similar, that doesn't make them definitive proof of life after death.

If anyone is interested in learning more about this research, here are some useful links:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-life-after-death.htm

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/10/neardeath-experience.html

 

[CathrynRose]

Cathy, one other perspective on these documented "near death" experiences. [/URL]

It's Cathryn.

There are also studies that debunk the debunkers.

I think in a thread trying to help out a fellow Dis'er through the pain of questioning where her mother (and father) now are, this is a pretty tasteless time to 'debunk' anything.

 

[KimR]

Cathryn, in your previous post you mentioned a book. What is the name/author?

 

[CathrynRose]

Cathryn, in your previous post you mentioned a book. What is the name/author?

Embraced by the Light : http://www.embracedbythelight.com/

 

[lovin diz]

when dh and i were first married, he became heavily involved in drugs. We were very young, and had a baby...some nights he would not even come home. One night i prayed so hard..I just didnt think i could take much more...

I fell asleep and had a dream...The rapture was taking place, it was me and dh, and i saw my parents, and his parents..It was so beautiful. Millions of people on a sea shore, bowing down to Jesus..

Then dd woke up and i had to give her a bottle...I was in total awe thinking of the dream while feeding her, but i was also upset...My dd and step son was not there. I was terrified...I cried, prayed some more, and went back to sleep...

I picked right back up with the same dream...This time dd, and d step son were in the dream...

When i finally woke up two thoughts came to my mind...1. DH was going to be ok, and i was going to stay with him (he has been drug free for about 10 yrs now) 2. i was worried again about the dream b/c i thought my own worries caused my children to be in the dream...

Until church the following sunday....The preacher stopped his sermon and said i feel like a young mother is worried about her children making it to heaven...he said, "the devil is a liar, and the lord is telling me now that you children are going to make it...."

I did not tell anyone about the dream, he could not have known...

Yes, i 100% believe in heaven...and if it is 1/2 as beautiful as my dream....It will be wonderful

 

[Jennasis]

Embraced by the Light : http://www.embracedbythelight.com/

Read it. Loved it. My mom handed it to me when she came home after running that errand and found me literally bouncing off the walls withjoy after what had happened.

For MONTHS after my visit from Jesus, I would tell ANYBODY who gave me the time of day. Coworkers, friends, family, strangers on the street. I was a little bit of a lunatic. But it was like I HAD to share this information with everyone. I HAD to let them know.

Now I just bring it up when the subject arises.