Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?

  Yes

      Describe:

  Yes, but in different ways.  Before dad was diagnosed, my twin sister, Jeanne, "saw" our dead brother near dad which prompted her to encourage him to see the doctor. 

My co-workers  encouraged me to go to my folks' house after my morning meeting ended.  I got there and my mom and Jeanne were in the dining room which was unusual.  Normally they would be by dad's bedside.  They said it was too painful to watch.  We went into his room.  All his energy was going into breathing and his eyes were rolled back into his head.  I stayed with him and read him a short story, "Man about town" by O'Henry.  I chose it because it was only 6 pages long.  While I read to him, I took a break and sponged water into his mouth.  He opened his eyes and looked past me at something wonderful.  I wept.  The pizza came so I left the room.  The cat, dad's friend, came into the kitchen within a few minutes afterwards and hissed.  We knew he was dead.  We went into the room and confirmed that he had died. 

When diagnosed, he was given 3 months to live.  He lived about that long.  He was bedridden only for a few days.  During his illness, he complained frequently about the little girls chatting so much.  At dinner one night, I asked if  they had wings because my husband thought they might be angels.  His eyes widened and he said he never looked at them, but he knew they were girls because it was "yakety-yak all the time."    I asked him what the little girls wanted him to do.  And he choked emotionally, and said he already felt overburdened and they wanted him to go to another planet.  About a month before his death, I asked if he was afraid of dying.  He said he was not.



When dad was dying, Jeanne "saw" or sensed his spirit leaving his body.  When he was dying, a neighbor had guests at their house across the street.  The guests did not know our family.  The guests asked if someone was sick at our house and the neighbor said "yes, why?"  The visitors said "because there are angels sitting in the tree in front of their house."  The neighbors thought their guest was batty, until they saw the hearse pull up and take out the body bag.  My brother Jerry was at home in a nearby town when dad died.  He was sleeping and woke up when he felt dad's spirit go through him.  I  was  at work the morning he died. 

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience:

  Yes

      Explanation:

  Dad was taking pain medications which we thought might have contributed to his hearing voices.  But after all is said and done, I do not think that was true.

Was the experience difficult to express in words?

  No
   
Did you sense an awareness or presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them ?

  Describe:

  See above.  I myself did not sense awareness, but others did - including the cat.

Did you see the deceased?

  Yes

      Describe the appearance of the deceased:

  You know, I really don't remember.  What I recall is the joy at finally being able to hug him goodbye.  During the last few days it hurt him to be touched so hugging was not possible.

      How clearly did the deceased appear?

  solid to me.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?

  When he was looking past me there was joy, wonder and awe is his countenance.
      Describe:

  When he was looking past me there was joy, wonder and awe is his countenance.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?

  No.  My niece, Laura, however, says dad visits her at her apartment on a regular basis to this day.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:

  Experience was definitely real

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:

  About the religious choices above.  I believe god exists in us and that our spirits survive death.  I do not believe in a God outside of us as an untouchable other being.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?

  Yes
      Describe:

  As explained above, confirmed that the spirit continues.

Have you ever made a death compact?  No

Have you shared this experience with others?

  Yes

      Describe:

  When I tell the story of my dad hearing little girls, and the neighbor's visitor seeing angels in the tree, the usual reaction is the listener gets goose bumps, just as I do when I tell it.  One man contacted me after his dad died and let me know that the story of my dad was a great comfort to him.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?  No

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?  Yes