A friend of mine came to cheer me up soon after John died. She took me out in her sportscar convertible. As we were leaving the neighborhood, we looked up and saw the clouds in the picture. You probably have to use your imagination, but to us, it looked a little like two puppies kissing, like Lady and the Tramp. We laughed at the idea that John might be sending a comforting message to me. It did cheer me up.
I entitled this piece "Heaven is Real" because I have had the tremendous grace of being able to see a glimpse of heaven when my mother and father died, and before John died. Each one was an amazing experience, so I wanted to share.
I was 32 years old and had just given birth to my youngest child when my mom died. It was a devastating time for me. For an entire year, I never smiled. Basically, I just sat in my rocking chair and nursed my baby. I didn't have a personal relationship with God yet, so although He never left me, I wasn't aware of His presence. Toward the end of the year, some strange things started happening.
I was sleeping and woke up to see a vision of my mother in the mirror. She had an aura around her. Interestingly, I went right back to sleep. Another night, I woke to see the door handle on my bedroom door turn. I got up to see which of my three children was up. When I looked, everyone was sound asleep. I went back to bed bewildered. The next night, not knowing that I was doing this, I prepared dinner and set the table for six of us, even though our family was a family of five. The final night, I saw a vision of my mother, behind a gate, sweeping the sidewalk. As I approached, she looked at me and the joy that I saw in her face was indescribable! There are no words to describe the peace and joy I saw in her. When I awoke the next morning, I was totally delivered from my depression and rejoiced at the idea that now my mom could be with us always, watching over us.
I was 46 when my dad died. By now, I had a close relationship with the Lord. My brother called to say that he had put my dad in the hospital because he was having trouble breathing, but that it was not serious. In my spirit, I felt the need to call and speak with the doctor, so I called the hospital and was able to speak with the doctor (that is a miracle in itself). He told me that I should come to see my dad because the doctor was not sure how long he would last. I gathered my children and we made the 3 hour drive to visit.
We all saw him the first night and he was in good spirits. That night I called John, my then fiancé. I said, "I think my dad is fine with the Lord." John said, "You better ask him, so that you will have peace when he does die." So the second night, I went to visit by myself. Dad was talking about wanting to be with my mom. I told him that if he wanted to be sure, all he had to do was ask Jesus into his heart. I asked him, "You know that you are a sinner, right?" He said, "Oh, yeah!" Then I asked, "You know that Jesus died for your sins, right?" He said, "Yes". Then he asked for Jesus to be his savior. I asked, "Is it scary, Dad?" He said, "It's more than scary!" I told him that he didn't have to be afraid, because he just asked Jesus into his heart and that Jesus would help him and see him through. All of a sudden, I saw peace come over dad like a blanket, he got a big smile on his face and he said, "I'm not afraid of anything anymore!" Amazing grace! I had to return to work, so was not able to be with my dad when he died, but I had peace and an indescribable joy in my spirit.
Twenty years later, I was speaking to someone who was with my dad when he died. She told me what happened that day. To give you a reference point, at Easter, in the Greek Church, at the Saturday night service, all the lights in the church go out, and from the altar, the priest shares the light from his candle to the altar boys who then share it with the congregation. In a short time, the church moves from darkness and the light of Jesus Christ fills the church in candlelight. Everyone sings a song about Christ rising from the dead and overcoming death.
As my dad was dying, with his last breaths, he was singing that song with full gusto. So much so that his voice could be heard all the way down the hall. What a great way to go to heaven! Praise the Lord for giving me the gift of learning about my dad's last breath.
The final story is about my husband John. About six years before he died, he had a medical procedure done which required him to stay in the hospital overnight. I stayed with him. At one point in the evening, he said, "I don't feel so good." I looked at his vital signs and they were dropping quickly. I called the nurse and they came running in calling "Stat! Stat!". While they were working on John, it was as if he and I were in an alternate universe. We were both very calm. He had the biggest smile on his face and he kept saying, "I'm only half way here." And I kept saying in a calm voice, "Don't go yet" as if I was just asking him to stay for another cup of coffee. This went on as the medical staff was working on him. And John did stay.
On the night John died, I was praying for him and a darkness came over me. I began to ask God to give us more time. The Lord said, "I already gave you more time" and I immediately remembered the incident in the hospital, six years prior. I am so glad that God gave us that extra time together and since, because of COVID, I couldn't be with John in the hospital when he died, I remember how happy he was and the big smile he had on his face when he kept saying, "I'm only half way here", and picture him being filled with a joy beyond measure, like my mom, when he actually got to meet the Lord.
I am so grateful that God gave me these experiences so that I could share them in the hope that everyone will realize that heaven is real and want to spend eternity with our loved ones who have gone before us. If you don't already have a personal relationship with God, please begin to seek Him. He will meet you wherever you are at and lovingly welcome you into His arms. All you need to do is recognize that you are a sinner, as we all are, repent of your sins, ask God to forgive you and accept Jesus as your Savior, in that Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose from death so that you could have a relationship with God the Father and live for eternity with Him.
If you need help or have questions, please contact me, a Pastor or Priest, or a friend who has a good relationship with the Lord, and start reading your Bible, starting in the New Testament. Many people like to begin in the Gospel of John because it talks about the love of God. If you don't understand what you're reading, pray and ask that the Holy Spirit will reveal God's truth to you and He will.
God bless you in your journey.
