I was reading a novel written by an Australian author; it was about 9:00 in the morning. There was nothing in the novel that could have triggered thoughts of my nephew. All at once I heard the insistent cooing of a dove. My husband often spoke of hearing doves cooing but I was never aware of them. When I heard the dove's demanding (or so it seemed) cry, my first thought was, "Is that you Stephan?"

"Hey Aunt Ruth" came his reply.

"I miss you so much Steph" I replied.

"I miss you too Aunt Ruth. Will you do me a favor? Will you help my children grow in their spirituality?"

"How can I Steph, they live so far away?" (I in Louisiana, they in Kentucky)

"Keep in touch with Toni; she's such a good Mom. I put her through hell, but I did love her."

"It was your illness Stephan."

"Yes, that was part of it, but I had a lot of Bobby (his Dad) in me, I realize that now. Reeves (his 8 yr old son) will become a priest you know!"

"I would love to have a priest in the family."

"Pray for Lisa, (his sister) she is very sick emotionally, but doesn't know it. One day Reeves will convert the whole family, Momma and Lisa."

"What about Mike?" (Mike is his brother.)

"His children will help him." (I have no idea what that means.)

"And Jackson?" (Jackson is his 5 year old son.) I got no reply.

"I have to go now, Aunt Ruth; I love you."

"I love you too, Stephan, but why do you have to go?"

"I love you," and he was gone.

The dove stopped cooing. It was at this point that I realized I was crying. wiping away my tears, the dove cooed one last mournful cry.

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?          Uncertain

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    I cannot really describe it. It was just an awareness of Stephan speaking to me.

            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 had a sense of knowing what was being communicated.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           I did not hear an audible voice but in my awareness it was Stephan'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

No physical touch! I was touched deep within my soul, a different realm but still connected.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar?   I really don't know; it is difficult to describe.

            Was anything communicated by the touch?  It reinforced my belief in the profound spiritual connection I shared with Stephan.

            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?         No

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

            What smell, scent, fragrance or odor did you smell?           None

How long did the experience last?        I don't know, maybe 10 minutes.

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

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

To me he seemed at peace.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  Yes, he told me that his son Reeves would become a priest.

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

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           I believe it probably was real because shortly after Stephan's death, I was in the midst of prayer, eyes closed, when Stephan appeared in my mind's eye,  wearing a baseball cap. He had a great big smile on his face. It was only his head that I saw; i.e., a frontal picture.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No          

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           I felt like we were speaking to one another. I loved and missed him terribly.

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

Not to my knowledge,

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best part was that it confirmed the bond I shared with Stephan. It's still hard to believe it happened.

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

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   No   

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?          Yes I know that his sister is definitely ill emotionally.  And, only time will tell whether Reeves will become a priest. The child is very spiritual, but his mother and her family are not Catholic and most are not particularly involved in any organized religion.


What emotions did you feel during the experience?            I realized I was crying, but not tears of sadness. I was just overwhelmed by the experience and wondered whether I was losing my mind.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    No

Did you become aware of future events?       Uncertain

Only what Stephan told me about Reeves becoming a priest, but that remains to be seen.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            No

Did you see a light?           No

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            No

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     Immediately following, I told my husband. He told me he'd heard the dove, in fact it seemed that there were two doves cooing together. He did not comment one way or another, however he does believe this sort of thing can happen. I called Stephan's wife Toni, in Kentucky and relayed the experience over the phone and am not certain whether she believed me or not!  She did say, "Wow" a couple of times. She does realize that there is something special about Reeves.

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?           Uncertain 

I have been told that other people at times experience a scent of roses or flowers when in my presence.  I have also experienced an aura of light emanating around a few people.

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