A friend loaned me a book,

quite a while ago, that I read and forgot to return.  I came across it again and started re-reading it.   I was telling Gary about it, and so we read it together.  It is called “The Message,” by Lance Richardson. 

The book retells his near death experience and the fact that he was allowed to return so he could share his message.  I love reading and hearing experiences like his.  I really have no doubt there is life after death, because nothing would make sense at all if there was not a continuation of our spirits when we die.   But it is still hard to imagine what it will be like.

There is one thing that really struck me in his account.    He met his grandfather who had passed away when he was just a small boy.  In the conversation, his grandfather said, “I’ve enjoyed helping you and your family so much over the past years.”   When he asked his grandfather what he meant, his grandfather told him that he would be surprised how many of them are involved in their lives.  “In most cases, when you pray to God for help, it is your dead relatives and loved ones who are sent by God to help you in answer to your prayers.  Thus we weld links and bonds of love within the family forever.”

I love that thought, and I believe it.  Who would love to serve us more than our families?  In the author’s accounts, he actually watched as his deceased grandfather whispered in his father’s ear that he needed to be somewhere.   To his father, it was just a thought and reminder that came into his mind.    It makes me think about times that I have felt a nudging or a remembrance that seemed to come from nowhere. 

The most potent personal experience for me was when Dad died.   I wrote of the whole chain of events in my September 24, 2010 blog post.   But, just to summarize,  when dad died I was at Mom and Dad’s trying to fix their vacuum that hadn’t been working.  As I was doing that, the pieces kind of fell apart. To quote from my account:   As I was trying to figure it out, the bottom part finally came apart. But I didn't know how to put it together. I thought I had really made a mess of it then. I was saying in my mind, "Ok, Dad, you've got to help me with this." As soon as I said that, my fingers just kind of put everything back into place. I was actually kind of stunned, not really sure how it had happened. I started vacuuming with it to make sure it worked, when the phone rang. I answered it, and it was Charlene telling that Dad had died a minute ago. The first thought in my mind was, "He helped me with the vacuum." I just knew that as his spirit left this earth, he made a little stop to help me as I had asked him to. It softened the sadness at not being there for him when he died. As I drove back to the hospital and my aunts were watching for me, the first words out of my mind were, "Dad helped me fix the vacuum." It was truly a tender mercy to me.

I think we truly will be surprised at how close our loved ones are to us.  And how much ancestors we never met here on earth, are desirous of our well- being.    It is also a little daunting to think that they can see some of the less than wise things I do!  But I know that when I am gone, I will be vitally interested in the well-being of my children, grandchildren, and all their children yet to be.  

Here is a picture of the vacuum bottom. 

 I just can't let myself part with it.

And here is a picture of the cookies I’m going to give me friend when I return the book. Maybe it will make up for my tardiness in returning it.