I had only been married two years when my (then) husband's much-loved father died of cancer. Eight weeks after his death I dreamt I was sitting at the picnic bench on the deck in the back garden of my husband's childhood home in Alberta, Canada. In my dream it was a bright, warm summer's day and I felt content, cheerful. I remember the sky was a very satisfying blue. I was aware of movement at the bottom of the garden, about 40 feet away, and through a gap in the hedge I was surprised to see my husband's father emerge, flanked by two 'beings' of light.

These beings had shape - a kind of rough outline of head, arms, legs - but were not solid. They were luminous, a gold color, and, with Bill, they ascended the slight incline of the lawn, coming towards me. These beings emanated a feeling of what I can only describe as hilarious good will. They were full of love, affection and they were hilarious. I FELT they were extremely funny - as great comedians are -  without either of them saying anything, and I sensed, as they came closer, they were accompanying, or even, guiding Bill. As they got to the foot of the steps of the deck the two beings, with reverence and respect, stood aside. Bill climbed the steps and sat opposite me on the picnic bench.

I said 'Bill! Wow. You look great!'

And he did. He'd been a rather old-looking 65 when he died, but sitting opposite me he looked 30. I remember the words 'ruddy glow' occurring to me as I stared at him: he was surrounded by a red aura of good health and vitality. He had always had an appealing, shy sort of laugh and he laughed that way now, ducking his head slightly. Then - and I don't know why it hadn't occurred to before - I realised there was something extremely odd about this encounter.

'But, Bill,' I said, tentatively, 'I thought you were dead.'

He laughed again and looked around, half-shrugging, as though admitting it was rather confusing.

'And you're not dead?'

'No, no. No, I'm not.' He beamed at me, still smiling.

'Wow. Wow. So. You're in heaven?'

He smiled, again. He smiled through this whole exchange.

'You could say that.'

I could tell that the word wasn't accurate but he couldn't come up with a better one. And then we talked. He told me how happy he was, how beautiful everything was, how much he loved his whole family, how loved he felt. The longer we spoke the better and better I felt, as though I were being fed with some of that love, some of the frequency of that beautiful 'place'.

'And - and what do you DO all day?' I asked.

He laughed.

'A lot of fishing.'

He'd loved to fish when he'd been alive and I remember that answer, very specifically. And the reason I remember is because I thought, even at the time 'Gee. Doesn't sound like heaven for the fish...' but somehow I knew there was a truth and a love that made 'fishing' a blissful experience. Even for the trout.

Then I sensed it was time for him to go. He hadn't stood up or said he was leaving but I felt it was time. I was desperate for him to stay, I was feeling so uplifted, so inspired, so nourished by his presence and conversation and I knew this was a miraculous encounter - that I might not see him again.

There was a distinct moment when this desperation, this kind of thirst for his company, was soothed by the conviction that it was right for him to go. We'd been allowed this conversation, it was enough. All was well.

He rose, he descended the steps and then, from nowhere it seemed, the two beings of light rejoined him. I watched their backs as they moved down the slight incline of the lawn together, the beings just as warm, affectionate and intimate as they had been before and, as he reached the gap in the hedge, Bill turned around and waved. I waved back, he moved through the gap and I woke up.

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:          We had a conversation (described above). It was an entirely normal conversation. I heard it as clearly as I would have if we'd been chatting when he was alive.

          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 his voice, external to me.

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?    It sounded just like him - but 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?       Yes

He looked fabulous. Very young, vital, youthful. He'd been a rather prematurely old 65 year old when I'd last seen him, in the flesh.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Completely 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?   He appeared to be about 35 years younger than he was at the age of his death.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?           He was in 'rude health'! No infirmities, whatsoever.

            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? No

How long did the experience last?      It felt as though we were together for about 20 minutes.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?      There was a lovely beginning and end - he gradually walked up the lawn towards me, then, when it was time to go, slowly walked down. A perfect narrative structure.

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

He felt joy and I felt his joy. He felt love, delight, pleasure, glee - and the longer I was with him the more I felt this way myself.

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:   Although it was a dream, it was different in quality from any dream I had ever had. It seemed to come from a different source, as water can come from different streams. I felt aware, alert and knew that something extraordinary was happening - even as it felt extremely normal.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  Yes

It WAS a dream.

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  Pleasure, joy, delight, hilarity. Love - I felt love from my father-in-law and from the beings who accompanied him. I felt an even deeper understanding of life after death - that, as I'd suspected, there WAS no death, but it was even friendlier than I'd imagined - and this conviction both excited and soothed me.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     The best part was seeing how beautifully youthful, healthy and handsome my father-in-law looked, although the vibe of the 'beings of light' is a close second. The worst part was when Bill had to go.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?    Yes    I felt there was far greater scope for ordinary pleasures in 'life after death' than I'd known or imagined. The fact that Bill was still fishing seemed both hilarious and remarkable to me.

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

Do you mean that question to read 'Have you ever made such a compact?' If so, you are missing the word 'you'.  Well, neither of us has kicked the bucket yet, so no data to report. Will keep you posted.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          When I woke up I was unsure of whether to speak about the experience or not. My husband was in deep mourning for his father and, as he does not believe in life after death, it felt almost insensitive or presumptuous to describe what I'd dreamt. Eventually I told him and he listened, with courtesy, but I don't think it held any comfort or meaning for him. I was sorry for him that this was the case, but the dream continued to amuse and uplift me, week after week and month after month. It still does.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          No

Have you shared this experience with others?      

Yes    People tend to be interested, but because it was 'only a dream' it can be easily dismissed. I know, over the years, it has moved some listeners, but I don't know in what other way it has been influential.

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

 Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experience? 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?    Yes 

I have had at least another eight 'visitation' dreams, most from friends who have died, but one from someone who was still alive at the time of the dream but who died suddenly two weeks later.

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?     Yes 

I had a strong 'conversion' experience when I was 15 years old, feeling the unconditional love of 'God' for the first time; I've gone on to be able to hear internal guidance very easily and consistently.

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

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.       Answers 14 and 15 seemed to be mutually exclusive. When I chose 'Absolutely' for 14 it deleted 'Absolutely' for 15. In point '2' of the instructions, 'similarly-worded' should be hyphenated. (Apologies, I'm an editor.) Some of the tabs at the bottom of the page are in French and some are in English. Otherwise, no, the questionnaire is wonderful.