Post date: Apr 24, 2010 10:36:42 PM
The following post is an excerpt from my book in progress. The quote is from Raymond Lodge, communicating to his father through a medium in 1915.
“Father, tell mother she has her son with her all day on Christmas Day. There will be thousands of us back in the homes on that day, but the horrid part is that so many of the fellows don’t get welcomed. Please keep a place for me. I must go now. Bless you again, father—Raymond. “ Raymond Lodge “Raymond Or Life And Death”
They Want to be “Connected Up” As Much As We Do
I began to believe this to be true after numerous people began coming through to me during my sessions with Glenn Dove. As mentioned earlier, starting in 1999 I began scheduling private sessions with Glenn at least twice a year in order to reconnect time and again with my father and Harry Edwards. I felt that I needed the reassurance that they were there for me, especially if I was going to offer healing prayers to others. Even though 30 years had passed since my miraculous healing experience, I still wondered at times if it was real. Because Glenn and I began work on a book together, I had the opportunity to sit with him numerous times throughout the next couple of years.
I have never had a session with Glenn in which my father has not been present. Harry Edwards comes to most of my sessions and there are different relatives and friends who have made their presence known. However, what struck me as amazing every time that it happened, was the appearance of people coming through to me who I had never met, yet knew of, or I knew someone significant in each of their families that I could easily have delivered a message to. It began to dawn on me that maybe that was exactly what these spirits wanted me to do. Following are a few true stories from my excursions to Glenn’s. What do you make of them?
The first person, who I had never met, to show up at one of my sessions, was Jeff Hutchinson. Jeff’s wife Joyce and I had been close friends in high school. Because I had moved away from my home town shortly after high school, Joyce and I had not seen each other in years, however, since my mother still lived in the area, I had learned that Joyce was happily married with two little girls. It was only a few years later that I heard again about Joyce, however, this time the news was very sad. What I heard was that Jeff had died in Joyce’s arms from a sudden fatal heart attack. When I saw Joyce I hesitated from speaking to her about my spiritual beliefs. It seemed to me that doing so would have upset her.
I don’t remember whether this was a month or 6 months later, but sometime after that, in the middle of a session, Glenn mentioned that there was a man present whose name is Jeff. Glenn explained that I never knew this man but that I am an old friend of his wife’s. From what he said, I could only assume that this person was Jeff Hutchenson. Jeff didn’t have a particular message except to say hello and that he was fine. As if that, in and of itself, isn’t significant enough!
While driving home from the session, I wondered if I should say something to Joyce. I felt that Jeff wanted me to or he would not have bothered to come through to me in the first place. I was impressed with the fact that he somewho knew that I was having these sessions and that he came forward and made contact with me. “Surely he must want me to say something”, I thought, but I was reluctant. Would I be treading on Joyce’s privacy? Would I upset her more than help her? The last thing I wanted to do was upset her!
I was uncertain what I would do and then I mentioned this to one of my close friends who shares my interest in spiritualism. What she said sounded a little far-fetched to me but it let me off the hook for the time being. “If Jeff really wants you to talk to Joyce”, she said, “He will do something to make it come about”.
Two weeks later I took my boys to see a Broadway musical because they were on a school break and who should I run into during intermission? You guessed it!—Joyce and her girls who were about the same ages as my boys! Now, what are the chances of that? I was astounded , and I felt compelled to spill the beans about Jeff and the Glenn Session. I felt, at this point, that no matter how Joyce reacted to the information, I could not let Jeff down. And so I told her. We agreed to talk over the phone the next day and we did, and she heard, but because her mind had not been open to this way of thinking, she didn’t know what to make of it. Sadly, I didn’t feel that it brought her any peace or comfort. Still, I had to make my peace with trying. “At least”, I thought, “I had delivered regards from Jeff”.
A few years later I learned of the passing of another man who I had never met, but again knew of. Mitchell Mason’s parents had been good friends of my parents having met through NFIC, The National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis. I had often heard about Mitchell because we were both stricken with Crohn’s Disease as young people and our parents became friends through their mutual concerns. Over the years I would hear about Mitchell as I imagine he heard about me. Somehow we both managed to get our Crohn’s Diseases under control and grew into adulthood. Over the years I learned that Mitchell had married, had a couple of children, and was very happy. Again, we never met, but I felt a certain kinship with Mitchell because we shared the same disease!
Approximately another decade flew by before I heard the sad news that Mitchell was battling Cancer. I was now already very involved in practicing distant healing for others and so when I learned of Mitchell’s plight, I immediately added him to my prayer list and hoped that once again Mitchell would rally. And he did. After some traditional medical treatment Mitchell’s Cancer went into remission and everyone prayed that it would last for a lifetime. Unfortunately, as is too often the case, a few years later the Cancer returned and this time with a vengeance!
I was told that Mitchell opted for very rigorous treatment in the hope of eradicating the Cancer once and for all. He checked into the hospital where he underwent stem cell replacement therapy, a treatment known to be successful in some cases, devastatingly difficult to get through in all cases. Still, in keeping with what I had always heard about Mitchell, he was kind and caring, worrying more about others than himself. I kept close tabs on Mitchell through my mother, and all throughout, I kept him in my healing circle. I was sorry to learn that despite a very courageous fight, Mitchell lost the battle.
A month or so after his passing, Mitchell showed up at a Glenn Session. He identified himself by his initials, MM. As I knew two people on the other side with those initials, one the son of my close friends, the other the son of my parent’s close friends, I mentioned that I wasn’t sure which MM it was. Mitchell responded by saying that he was the son of my parent’s close friends. I knew then it was Mitchell. He went on to thank me for praying for him and said that he would have thanked me when he was on earth but that no one had told him that I was praying on his behalf. That made sense, because I knew his family didn’t believe in these things. He went on to tell me that I should not feel badly that he passed. (I felt very badly that the healing prayers had not helped him to return to a state of heath). He said that he was fine, that it was his time to go and that my people helped him very much when he crossed over. He went on to say that when I do the healing work something good does take place, whether I see evidence of it here on earth or not.
I was so touched and felt so much better after hearing from Mitchell that I got a number for his mother and called her to tell her about the Glenn Session. Months later she ran into my mother and told her this: “Your daughter called me. I think she was trying to give me a message from Mitchell. I don’t really know what she said. I was too distraught to hear. I don’t really believe in those things anyway.” “Well Mitchell”, I thought, “We tried”.
The next story is a wild one. As mentioned earlier, Glenn and I were working together on a book, an idea suggested by my father during a private session. We were knee deep into a chapter on suicide when Glenn said there was a young man present who had taken his life in an upsetting manner. At first he saw a bus but then he clearly saw a train and he knew that the boy had placed himself in harm’s way with this train. The boy said that I did not know him, but that I had heard about his death. Immediately Allen Garr came to mind; a boy from a small town I had lived in for 10 years. At the time, his death was so horrific that the entire town was buzzing. Allen had put his head down on the railroad tracks and waited for the train to end his life….and it did. No one was unaffected by this death. It spoke too clearly of the unchartered pain that plagues our youth. And now, here he was, showing up to give his greetings and to let us know he is okay. As usual I felt the same dilemma of wanting to help out Allen by contacting his parents, and yet, at the same time, not wanting to intrude. And I had never even met either of his parents. I decided to do nothing for the time being.
Approximately two weeks later while in the local bakery, a woman and I struck up a conversation. She was telling me about a bomb scare in the local high school and how the kids did a good job of responding to the situation. We talked for about five minutes and then she put out her arm to shake my hand and said, “By the way, my name is Shelly Garr”. I knew that was Allen’s mother’s name. I was floored! How could this be? Did Allen have something to do with this? How does this work? I immediately felt the old dilemma and found my courage waning as she took her package and left the store. “I’m sorry Allen”, I thought. “I’m sorry”. I was kicking myself for being such a chicken and letting this opportunity pass. I felt truly sorry. I left the store with my tail between my legs when I spotted Shelly, sitting in her car in the parking lot with the window down, and she was waving to me. “Oh, thank God”, I thought. “I didn’t blow it”. She had waited to show me an article in the local paper that described the event we had been discussing. And then the moment of reckoning…I opened my mouth and I said, “Shelly, I’m going for broke here. I feel that I have to tell you this. I have a friend who is a medium and we are working on a book and I believe that your son came through to me and sent you a greeting”. I explained that this young man had come through and described the circumstances surrounding his death as well as the fact that although I did not know him that I knew of him and of his death. I told her that I was uncomfortable to call her on the phone and intrude on her life in that way, but because we had met, I simply could not ignore the opportunity tell her about this young man. She thanked me and took my number as well as Glenn’s. A week later Shelly called to let me know that she had made an appointment with Glenn. I requested that she call again after the session to let me know how it went, however, I did not hear from Shelly again. I hope that she benefitted from her session. I can’t imagine how she wouldn’t. However, I felt contented that I had done my part to deliver the message for Allen.
It began to dawn on me that it was only natural for those on the other side to want to stay in touch. They haven’t stopped loving us anymore than we have stopped loving them. They have the same desires to connect up as we do. It is my belief that they are less frantic their passing than we are because they now know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that they have gone on. They realize that death did not diminish them anymore than it will diminish us, and that ultimately we will be reunited. On this side, however, we are not quite as convinced and so, seeing death as a final act of parting from our loved ones, we are indeed frantic! It is only natural that they would want to reassure us and lift us up by showing us that death is not an end but a continuation and that there is nothing to fear in dying and actually much to look forward to.
I also think that it is not just for us but for themselves that they desire to see us feeling better. From all that I have learned, it seems apparent that our loved ones on the other side have a fairly clear picture of what is going on over here. My father never lived to hold a grandchild yet none-the-less, in sessions with Glenn Dove, he always makes mention of who got a new car, or who is going to a new school and so on and so forth till I can only conclude that he is aware of these details. If that is the case then they are also aware of our sorrow and to the degree that they love us, it can pull them down. Especially in cases where a child died of suicide or of an accidental overdose, the sense of responsibility can eat away at them filling them with remorse. A few days after Dan died I was agonizing about finding him in his apartment when my head was flooded with thoughts. They seemed to be coming at me very quickly so I grabbed my computer and started typing out what I was hearing. I eventually titled this Words Of Wisdom From Dan:
July 13, 2008
Words of Wisdom From Dan
“You’ve got to develop a little bit more of that “fuck it” attitude. You can’t sweat everything all the time. There is a medium ground between caring and not caring, the middle road, where one cares, but not to the point of devastation. You will self destruct. I, in life, leaned too far to the not caring side and therefore could not adequately protect myself. You, on the other hand, can sway so far to the caring side, that you do the harm to yourself without needing to put anything in your body. It comes right from the emotions into your physical body.
I beg of you to lighten up, for your own sake as well as mine. Remember how you used to say that you are as happy as your most miserable child? Well, your misery can only bring me down because it fills me with remorse. I understand your dilemma but, understand mine. If you want to help me, to lift me up, then lift yourself up and you lift us both up. You are a strong woman mom, stronger than you think. Pool all your resources now that have gotten you through in the past. Know that I love you and always will and that you are the one that always said, “Love is the only thing that spans the grave”.
There will be time for us to venture forward and for me to join you in your work, as you have always known I would. Give me some time to get my bearings and I will come through for you time and time again. We will grow stronger and in time you will walk with both feet solidly on the ground, knowing that I am by your side at all times.
If you must cry mommy, then cry for all those who are suffering now, they are all over the place, the lost and lonely ones, the poor and hungry ones, the sick and disabled ones, the oppressed and forsaken ones. Don’t cry for me, for I am ok and so are you. This separation as you see it is temporary, and nothing so tragic has happened here. This is the life we lead, one that incorporates death as surely as it encapsulates birth and one cannot exist without the other.
Go forward in peace and trust that I am with you and that you have not been forsaken, you are only experiencing another facet of life that many have experienced before you and that many shall experience after you, the loss of a child. But those children are only lost to you in the flesh. In spirit each is alive and vital. If only you could see just a small glimpse more than you do. But remember, faith is belief in that which is not visible. If it were self evident, why would there be any need for faith?
I leave you for now with the fervent prayer that you rise up and live up to the knowledge that you have worked so hard to cultivate. I know that these are big words for me, but it is your vocabulary that makes this possible. I just send you the impression. You flesh it out in words.
Mommy, I love you more than ever. Can you feel it? Open up your heart and feel it. It is stronger than the pain. Like you always said, Love is the strongest, most powerful force in the universe, the only thing that really makes life worth living, so feel it now.”
I don’t know about anyone else, but I know that for me, connecting up is the best solace I get. Whether you do it through a reputable medium or you open up and listen to the thoughts and ideas and feelings that come to you, when you experience the connection and it so good. For some people the connection is apparent and they will tell you that they can feel their loved one. But for many people that is not the case. If you are one of those, begin by educating yourself about life after death and begin to accept the possibility that your loved one has not been erased from the universe and that their spirit, their essence, still exists in another realm. That is the first step in being able to connect up. So, start reading and researching the Other Side. In this case, ignorance is not bliss but quite the opposite, for it prevents you from connecting up with your child.
If anyone has anything to share about any of this, please come forward. It is my belief that we can learn a lot from each other’s experiences.
Love,
Sheri