The third experience started (as usual) when I had retired to bed for the night and was trying to go to sleep.  I was tired from everything that had been going on since my father's death but had not quite fallen asleep yet.  Suddenly, I had a popping sensation in my ears, similar to when your ears pop while riding in a car or airplane.  After the popping sensation, it felt like my hearing was sealed from outside sounds and I began to hear a soft male voice like I had heard the other two times.  The voice was not like a regular voice heard externally.  It was more like it was communicating to me in an internal way.  This is the part that is somewhat hard to explain.  It said or communicated to me: "It's okay.  I'm sorry.  I love you." This time it also said, "Keep writing.  You will have a family." 

After that, the sealed up feeling in my ears disappeared.

Was this experience difficult to express in words? 

Yes, it was somewhat hard to communicate.  Mainly, I was very careful who I shared it with.  My mother who is open to such things was good about it, my stepdad at the time did not say much (I think he was skeptical about the significance of it), and I have shared it with two friends over the years that I trusted and/or knew would be open-minded about it.

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

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    A soft male voice that told me, "It's okay.  I'm sorry.  I love you." This time it also said, "Keep writing.  You will have a family."

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  It was more of an internal voice or something that was communicated to me but not in a normal external way, especially since I had just had the sensation of having my ears sealed up from outside sounds right before this happened.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           The voice was somewhat dissimilar to my father's voice.  My father had been a lifelong smoker (as well as drinker) and was in poor health for several years before he died.  It's possible his voice may have sounded more similar when he was much younger.

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           No.

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

Did you see the deceased?         No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        A few minutes.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         The beginning was pretty sudden and the end was fairly sudden as well.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Uncertain

It seemed calm and peaceful.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  The voice told me that everything was okay and that he loved me.  This was significant because about a year or so before my father died, I had a telephone conversation with him and I knew at the time that he was obviously in pretty bad health even though he never said exactly what his health problem was, but I wasn't stupid.  I knew that he had had a stint recently in the hospital.  In any event, he was never the kind of person to say how he felt easily.  I wanted to tell him that I loved him and I did just before we hung up.  He said  nothing back.  At first, I thought perhaps he had already hung up, but when I said good night, he said good night back.  On an intellectual level, I knew that my father was just like that and that he did love me, but on an emotional level, this had hurt.   

Also, he told me to keep writing, which I have.  In fact, I have moved on to fiction writing which I have always wanted to do, but had never really felt ready for.  I am even working on a novel.   

I have not had a family yet outside of my original family.  The voice did not define family during the experience so I'm not yet sure about that "prediction," if you can call it that.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was definitely real

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No           

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           I think during the actual experience that I was surprised more than anything else.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

My grieving was still a process that went on for quite some time, but the experience did help me put things in perspective and to not worry so much about what happened to my father after death.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      It was overall positive.  No real negative aspects.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes                 Describe:      I got up the courage to continue my writing and to keep challenging myself with what I really dreamed about doing with it.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     Reinforcement of higher purpose and life after death.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     It reinforced belief in a purpose to life and some kind of life after death.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?        No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Uncertain I suppose if my writing becomes (or continues to be) important in my life and to bring me great satisfaction then that is verification that this "voice" was giving me good advice or perhaps was prescient.