Brandon came on July 10, 2008 while I was sleeping. He was so beautiful. At complete peace and full of love. Brandon was so beautiful in life that it is impossible to imagine that he was better looking now, but he was.  I was standing a kitchen very similar to the one in the home we grew up in.  The door opened and Brandon walked in bathed completely in sunlight.  At that moment I knew, this was more than a dream.  I was very aware that I was being visited by Brandon in my sleep.  I was very aware of the length of time and all of our surrounds and most importantly, him. He opened his arms to me and I ran and threw my arms around him. He hugged me and told me he loved me. I could smell his skin and fell the little hairs on the back of his neck. I began asking him if he was alright and if me and my family members were alright and he just kept smiling and nodding at me.

I asked him if he was in Heaven and he turned his head to the left and laughed and looked back at me and said yes. I asked him what Heaven was like he caught his breath and said, "Beautiful." I asked him if it was "like a dream" and he said, "No...it's very real." I asked him if he slept in Heaven (don't know why I asked him this silly question) and he laughed and got kind of a funny look on his face, like he hadn't thought about it until now and he said, "No." I asked him if he saw us from Heaven and he said, "Yes." I said, "Then you must know about..." and he said, "Brandt?" (his son that we hadn't been able to see in years) and I said, "Yes." Brandon said, "That y'all see him and that Trenton plays with him?" and I said, "Yes." Brandon nodded and said, "Summer, that is so great." I asked him if he saw all the things we were doing for him (memorials, pictures, etc.) and knew what we felt and he said, "Yes and I feel it too." We laughed and talked for a long time about things I don't exactly remember....I just think it was about stories and things from when we were kids.  During this time, in the blink of an eye, we were no longer standing in the kitchen of our childhood home, we were walking in a busy area - like a mall - completely unacknowledged by anyone around us.

He then played a joke on me. He said he wanted something to eat and I bought it for him. When I went to hand it to him, he laughed and said what was he going to do with that now. I sat there for a moment and then he slapped his knee and laughed and laughed. I smirked at him and said, "You played a joke on me!" and he laughed and nodded.   The whole time I was extremely aware that he was with me for what seemed like hours and I kept thinking that I needed to keep him talking so that he'd stay.  Soon we were standing on the porch of what looked like an old farmhouse.  I could feel our time ending and I asked him if I would ever see him again. He said, "Yes." I said, "Will we be together in Heaven?" and Brandon said, "Summer, we'll all be together in Heaven." I asked, "Will you wait for me?" and he said, "Oh, yes." and I said, "Will you come find me?" and he nodded and said, "Yes." In the distance I saw a tornado coming and I pointed to it said, "I may be able to come with you sooner than you think." and he said, "No...not yet." And he grabbed me by the hand and led me into the house.  It was completely pitch black in there.  I could hear what sounded like the voices of 2-4 other people speaking softly...seemingly unaware of our presence.  I could only see Brandon in here because of the darkness and because he seemed to "shimmer".  We crouched on the floor and I turned my head for a moment and when I turned back around, he had turned into my three year old son, Trenton. 

I immediately woke up very aware of what had just happened and remembering every detail.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  No

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:    Brandon spoke to me in his usual voice about Heaven, his acknowledgement that he was there and that "we'd all be there together".

            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 Brandon's voice and I totally acknowledged it as coming from him, but it seemed to come externally and not from his lips.

            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 exact same voice

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

            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?            Yes

We held hands and I hugged him.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar?   Very familiar...very much as in life.  I could feel the hairs on his neck and feel warmth from his body.

            Was anything communicated by the touch?  Nothing outside the fact that I was touching him again.

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

Did you see the deceased?         Yes

It was completely as in life...the only difference was that his face was more "relaxed and joyous" as if all Earthly concerns and pains were removed.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Very solid.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       All of him

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       Appeared at the age at which he passed

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            Very healthy

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

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      Yes

            What smell, scent, fragrance or odor did you smell?           I smelled his skin - a mixture of soap and cologne...as usual

            Was the smell, scent, fragrance or odor familiar?     very familiar

            Was anything communicated by the smell?   no

            Is there any possibility that the smell, scent, fragrance or odor was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?        no

How long did the experience last?        Seemed like hours...I was keenly aware that he was with me for a long time.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         Just as everyday events.  He entered as anyone would enter a room, but his exit was sudden...I didn't see it happen.

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

He was at complete peace and full of love.  He did not mention the tragic way he passed.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  No "real life" info.

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

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           I can't explain it.  I just know it.  It was too real not to be real.  I've had very realistic dreams before, but nothing like this.  I've also been visited by both my grandparents and when you've been visited you just know it.  You can't make it happen.  I can't even MAKE myself dream about Brandon.  When I dream about him, it just does.  And this experience was even different from my dreams about him...it was real.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           Just complete happiness.  Before the experience I was grieving so hard that friends and family were being to worry.  The day after my experience I was telling my friend about it and she said that she had just sat down on her bed that night (the night of the experience) and told herself that she was going to have to do an "intervention".  She said that Brandon must have felt it too and beat her to it.

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

A great ease from the grief though I still have my days.  No where near the grief I felt previous to that experience.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      Seeing Brandon again was the best....him leaving me again was the worst, though I know I will see him again

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         No      

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?  Yes            Brandon confirmed my faith and belief about God and Heaven.

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?        Yes

I didn't with Brandon, but I have since with my mother.  Just that...if we can, we will visit the other.

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            A great ease from the grief though I still have my days.  No where near the grief I felt previous to that experience.

Did you see a light?           Uncertain

There was light flooding the door that Brandon entered and Brandon seemed to "shimmer" in the pitch black farmhouse room.

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            Yes

First we were in our childhood home, then a crowed mall and then an old farmhouse

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     They've always believed me and were very receptive.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

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

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           No 

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