Ghosts Among Us - James Van Praagh [7]
“Okay, I understand,” said Debbie.
“He says he is with Alfred. Alfred helped him.”
Debbie continued her crying. “Alfred is my father. I knew he would be there for Sam.”
“He is telling me that he blacked out before the impact, and then he saw his grandfather. He thought he was dreaming, but his grandfather told him that he was in an accident. He had Sam look at his body.”
Then something odd came to me. “Sam is showing me his body. I am seeing his left leg in an odd position. Do you know if his left leg was broken or torn from his body?”
“Yes,” Debbie replied. “It was broken in seven places along with various ribs.”
“Your son wants me to tell you that when he looked down at his body, he felt that it wasn’t his anymore. He didn’t feel connected to it. He felt as though he were out of it and didn’t need it anymore. He also knows about the rocks you set up at the accident scene to commemorate his life. He loved the gesture very much and wants you to know that.”
Debbie looked shocked. “I just did that this week. Can I ask you something? Can Sam hear me?”
“Yes. He is able to hear all of your thoughts all of the time. He knows when you are thinking of him.”
The reading continued with more details about Sam’s passing. Then Debbie’s father, Alfred, spoke a little.
“Alfred is saying, don’t worry. Daddy is taking care of everything.”
Debbie seemed extremely grateful and pleased.
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE
Those who have touched death and come back to tell about it seem to share a multitude of similarities. Although these people come from all walks of life, have different religious beliefs, and vary in age from children to seniors, they tell a variation of the same story.
A sensation of floating above one’s body and seeing the surrounding area
Pleasant feelings of calmness and overwhelming peace
Moving through a tunnel or narrow passageway of light
Being greeted by deceased relatives
Encounters with an angel, a being of light, or a religious figure
Experiencing a life review
Reaching a border or boundary that one cannot cross
Finally, a feeling of rapidly moving back into one’s body, often with great reluctance
Although every person’s situation is different, all of them agree that their lives have been profoundly changed by their near-death experience. Most come to understand their life’s purpose, and many share insights about the lessons they have had to learn. In fact, they are downright adamant that if it had not been for the near-death experience, they would be living a very different life.
A woman at one of my workshops told me that she was always afraid to try something new. When she had a heart attack at the age of sixty and went through the tunnel toward the light, she was met by her nephew, who had committed suicide because of his schizophrenia.
“He looked so calm and happy. It had been a long time since I had seen him at peace.”
Her nephew told her that she should try to live her life more spontaneously, and then he disappeared.
“That experience changed me. If my nephew, who had suffered so much in his life, came to tell me to live life more fully, I decided that I would do just that. It was my way of showing him that he was my inspiration. Since that time, I have traveled more and have had friends stay over at my home whenever they are in town, both things I was afraid of doing. My life is more enjoyable because I have seen death and I’ve decided to live.”
MY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE
Since people had often shared their near-death experiences with me, I was particularly curious. I wondered if their reference points about the afterlife were the same as the ones I had received from the spirit world. On December 10, 2006, I got my answer.
The holiday season was in full swing. While people circled around parking lots and spilled into shopping malls in search of the perfect whatever for whomever, I stood on my deck,