On Monday evening, the nursing home called me and said that I needed to get to the nursing home right away to see my Mom.  I have a son who is non verbal and is also classified as autistic and so I hurriedly got him ready and we went to the nursing home.  As soon as I saw Mom, I knew that she was getting ready to go 'Home'.  Her eyes were glassy and she had the raspy breathing sound.  My son was sitting in his wheelchair and I pulled him up to Mom's bed and I put their hands together.  I kissed my Mother on her lips over and over again and told her that I loved her.  Mom tried to take my son's hand up to her lips to kiss his hand but she couldn't reach that far.  I lifted her head to help her and even though Mom's hair was white as white, I noticed a blonde streak in the back of her head.  Mom was a total blonde when she was a child and this really startled me but I was quickly drawn back to the moment of Mom and my son trying to connect.  We stayed as long as my son could tolerate and when he started to get a little agitated, I knew that I had to take him home.  I had no one else to call and come stay with my son at home so that I could be with my Mother at this crucial time so I called my sister who lives 45 minutes away and she came to stay with our Mother.  At about 1 a.m. I thought about calling my grandson who was getting off work and asking him to come and stay with my son so that I could go and be with Mom.  I stood at the front door looking to the darkness outside and all of a sudden in my mind, I heard my Mother's words:  'It is late.  You are tired.  Go to bed.'  That was like Mom, straight to the point and little words spoken.  I did as she said and no sooner did I get into bed and saying my prayers when my sister called and said that Mom has passed.  My Mother had such a strong Catholic faith and had lived a really hard life and I knew that now, she was truly being rewarded.  I was at peace.

Background Information:

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?          Yes

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:          this is in the write up

           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?    I heard Mom's voice inside my head

           If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?     words I heard sounded like Mom's voice

           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 seconds

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?          sudden

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

peace

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  no

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 know what I heard in my mind

           Was the experience dream like in any way?           No

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

peaceful

What was the best and worst part of your experience? It gave me peace