Naaaah, Jen. We were starting to miss you around here! It's nice to have you back. :-)

I will not delve into the subject since my beliefs are more along the Buddhist way of thinking and I don't think I'l get much truck discussing that here. :-) But, I have to say I got a real twinge reading your words about that woman's grandmother calling her. I can't tell you how happy that would make me, to hear my Maga's voice again. It almost brings tears to my eyes.

I know what you mean, amy. I think of my Grannie, and the way she would call me ... she'd probably say, "Come on in, sugar". Just thinking about such a thing makes me look forward to the day when it happens.

Something else that struck me in the program I watched today was how everyone who had an NDE seemed to defiantly oppose the thought of having to go back to their body. When they viewed their body once detached from it, they expressed a feeling of nonchalance: "Oh hey, look - my body. Hmmm." But they didn't seem to experience the separation as a loss; rather, it was an act of liberation and it felt normal to be unencumbered with a physical presence.

I know a little bit about Buddhist beliefs, and I'm not opposed to your sharing here. I can understand why you might be hesitant to do so though. :-)

Just wanted to add that I really don't see a problem with sharing our beliefs about life after death, so long as we respect one another and allow for differences. We may have closely held beliefs, we may be completely uncertain, and we may be somewhere in the middle ... but the bottom line is that none of us can possibly really know until we "go there". ;-)

Jen, I am very sorry for the pain you have been experiencing.

I think that Dr. Raymond A. Moody's book,"Life After Life" is a good start. I was reading it at the time my brother was killed in a horrific accident in 1988. I purchased the book out of curiosity; little did I know someone very close to me would leave this plane for another while I was reading it.
The other book that comes to mind is by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, "On Life After Death", I personally have not read this but I understand it is very helpful to someone like your self. It may actually be the best one for you start with the more I think about it. I know several people who have read it and they all found it very helpful. I checked Amazon & both books are available there.

One afternoon several years after my brother was killed, my dear sweet mother lay dying; as I was sitting with her massaging her legs she looked up towards the ceiling joyously and started talking, I asked, "who are you speaking to?" Her reply,"GOD." Then she said, "I'm going to see my baby,(my brother that was killed), and DaDa",(her father). I remember thinking,(and still believe to this day), that we do go on, our bodies are mere vessels for our souls.

Like you I don't want to get into any arguments with anyone about my beliefs but I feIt it was important to share my personal experiences with you. I agree with you too that we really won't know until we get there! :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Moody

Hmm, not sure how you can discuss NDE without bringing in your beliefs! I think that the brain is a very complicated place and NDE might be how our bodies experience lack of oxygen and eventually, death. Memories are stored, just not always accessible to the conscious mind. I find NDE to be a very plausible way that our brains experience death, accessing long stored wonderful memories. Although I am hopefull that we do "go on", I find it unlikely. This does not depress me as it does others as I tend to look at this world as a wonderful place to "be". It is our time, short as it is, to be great and do great things.

Jen, go to Amazon and look up life after death books and see if there are any with 5 stars and read the reviews.

I got a sign when my brother died, almost to the exact minute. That same night my son got a sign.

I may have told this story before, but after my dad died we were sitting in the lawyer's office for the Will reading, when I suddenly felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see who it was, and there was no one sitting there! I knew it was my dad.

Now I did have kind of a near death experience but I didn't leave my body. I fell on ice and hit my head really hard on an antique iron wheel in our flower bed. I literally laid there watching my life go before my eyes as we've all heard about.

I was laying there waiting to die! When I realized I wasn't going to die, lol, I got up, came in the house, and just started bawling because I knew I came THIS close to dying. The goose egg on my head wasn't hurting, I was hurting because of the sadness it would have caused my family.

Great topic!

I do believe.

Several years ago, as my mother was in her final days I started sleeping in the same bedroom with her. I was privy to conversations she was having with relatives that had died years earlier.

Now, my mother was terribly weak and barely communicating with us and yet I heard her speaking very clearly to to my deceased Dad and to a special aunt that helped raise her.

My mom kept calling to "Petrina" to wait for her, telling her that she was on her way. She also informed someone(don't know who) that the train was coming into the station and she would be getting on. She wasn't sure of the exact time, but it would be soon. As she was speaking, she would pause as though someone was responding to her comments and sometimes she would be answering questions someone had asked of her. This went on for a couple of days before she died. It was as though I were eavesdropping on a phone conversation and hearing only one side. Everything she said made sense as one part of a continuing conversation.

Another time, I was at the bedside of a terminally ill friend of mine with her family when she asked to speak privately with me. Her family stepped out of the room and as I held her hand, asked what she wanted to talk about. She said she wanted to speak privately and asked me to "get those people" out of the room. I told her we were alone and yet she insisted that her bed was surrounded by deceased friends and relatives..and she called them by name and described how they were standing in a light so bright that it was blinding her.

I went along with it and asked them to leave for a few minutes. She relaxed, because "they had left" and we spoke. Then she asked me to invite them back; I did. And according to her, she was surrounded by friends and family ready to welcome her into her new life. She died later that evening.

Going to throw this out there- the show Ghost Whisperer. I started watching after my dad passed & it's made me do a lot of thinking.

At the brain cancer forum I go to; there has been a lot of people seeing loved ones right before they die. The patient hasn't spoken in weeks but they will say that they have to get ready & when asked; they say because so & so is waiting for me; or so & so just said so.

I do have certain beliefs about what happens at death and after too, however, when my mother was dying I was there and asked her a whole bunch of questions. Although she could only respond in a subtle way, she saw nothing, felt nothing, and did not to my knowledge experience anything out of the natural.

Doesn't change what I believe, of course, but I admit I was a little disappointed!

One book I like about this subject is My Glimpse of Eternity by Betty Maltz.

Very interesting post. My favorite book on the subject is "My Descent Into Death" by Howard Storm. I've lent/given it to several people over the years.

I may have told this story before, so apologies if I have. It's very profound to me, and has changed the way I think of death.

My father had terminal cancer, and I was sitting with him in his last hours, holding his hand, speaking to him and wiping his face with a cool cloth, the way he liked me to do. He had slipped into a coma and was unresponsive, but I felt he was able to hear me.

I sat next to him in the living room, the stereo was playing beautiful music, all the lights in the house were on, people were outside on the deck, talking, and in the kitchen talking. All of the sudden I was sitting in the dark, and it was silent. I looked ahead and there was my father, standing in front of an open door. There was blackness all around, but from the door spilled golden light. He was looking in the door, and he was youthful again...in his mid 30's, full head of hair and all. He looked through the door and I was overcome by the sense of just safety, a feeling of no fear, of pure love. My Dad wouldn't look at me, he just kept looking thru the door, and as he stepped over the threshold, the room came back into focus, the sounds came back and his spirit was gone from this world.

I felt, with every fiber in my body, that my Father was moving on to the afterlife. The feeling he (and I) experienced was overwhelming. He had nothing to fear, and would never know pain or fear or cold or anything but waves of love & warmth. I feel that that is what is waiting for us for the next life.

I read this book twenty years ago, and it has stuck with me all this time. It is fascinating..... Couldn't put it down. The reviews at Amazon are excellent.

From Publishers Weekly
In 1980, Weiss, head of the psychiatry department at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, began treating Catherine, a 27-year-old woman plagued by anxiety, depression and phobias. When Weiss turned to hypnosis to help Catherine remember repressed childhood traumas, what emerged were the patient's descriptions of a dozen or so of her hitherto unknown 86 past lives, as well as philosophical messages channeled from "Master Spirits." Catherine's anxieties and phobias soon disappeared, says Weiss, and she was able to end therapy. The previously nonspiritual, scientific Weiss, awed by Catherine's and the masters' revelations, has written this book to share his new-found knowledge about "immortality and the true meaning of life." Whether or not one believes in reincarnation and channeling, Weiss's book will disappoint. Catherine's descriptions of her past lives are not particularly compelling or insightful. Moreover, the teachings of the Master Spirits ("We are not to kill. . . . Only God can punish," "Charity, hope, faith, love . . . we must all know these things," and "Our body is just a vehicle for us while we're here. It is our soul and our spirit that last forever"), while admirable and comforting, are little more than restatements of traditional religious values.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Many Masters, Many Lives

Moon, you've got mail.

Jen, since my husband died I've read probably fifteen or so books about near death experiences.

These are a lot of bad books out there, not much to them.

These are my favorites, which seemed credible to this skeptic, made sense and gave me comfort, as well:

MY DESCENT INTO DEATH by Howard Storm

Howard Storm was an atheist and suffered a bowel perforation (from my recollection) while in Paris with a group of students. He is no longer an atheist. Fascinating story and uplifting and comforting, especially for those who have lost loved ones that weren't necessarily religious but lived a better life than most self professed Christians.

EVIDENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE, THE SCIENCE OF NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES by Dr. Jeffrey Long--this Doctor was interviewed on television last year, and he addresses the actual science and body and brain chemistry arguments about what happens when a person is temporarily "dead" without brainwaves or a heartbeat, and comes back, what is possible physiologically and what is not. Excellent, current, and credible work with substance.

I think it is normal to think about death at different times in one's life, especially after the death of a loved one. Death is permanent, after all, and we dearly miss those we love. After 23 years, I still miss my father, and I suppose I always will.

I have never believed in an after-life of any sort, nor do I believe in God. Yet, I saw my long-dead father one day while I was mowing the lawn at my house, a place he had never been. He called my name, I looked over to his where his voice came from and watched him walk toward my front door. I smiled and was so happy to see him again, looking just like he always did, wearing the same old shirt he loved to wear. It warmed my heart.

But the experience did not make me question whether or not there is an after-life, or wonder if there is a god or gods. I am and have always been comfortable believing in nature and nature's way. I am at peace with myself and my eventual death as being part of how things are. I was with my brother when he died, and I have experienced the depths of a three-day coma. I am grateful to my good doctors for saving my life.

Wow. I just opened this thread. My experience is very similar to some I have read here.
several years ago my grandmother lay in a hospital bed with terminal cancer. She was in hospice. Her breathing was very labored and she was drifting in and out of consciousness. As I sat next to her holding her hand, she opened her eyes and softly began to tell me that her mom and 2 sisters were there with us. All of them had predeceased her.She said they were there to help her on her new journey, but she kept asking her sister who's baby was she holding? She never got an answer, nor said anything to anyone else. The next morning she said all 4 of them came back again. She described the baby to me in great detail. Thick dark hair, heart shaped lips, chubby little cheeks. At the time, it took all I had not to cry, what grandma did not know, nor anyone else except my husband was that I had just suffered a miscarriage. I hadn't told anyone we were pregnant. Could that baby be the one I'd lost? I may never know, but I took great comfort at the time knowing that baby may be eternally in the arms of my beloved grandma. Eleven months after grandma passed, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl, with lots of dark hair, heart shaped lips and Chubby little cheeks. I truly felt grandma's presence with me in the recovery room that morning. She couldn't wait for great grandchildren, I know she was there.

I also watch I SURVIVED BEYOND AND BACK, that is one captivating show!

I've told this story before on this forum....
My grandmother was in the hospital for the umpteenth time (Leukemia). Usually her stays were short but this time, she flatlined unexpectedly in her room. My grandfather was there as well as at lease one other relative. As hospital staff rushed in family members were told to leave immediately. They were taken to an enclosed room down the hall where there was a nun waiting. The nun sat Grandpa in a chair and handed him a paper cup of orange juice to drink. My grandmother was soon revived and the family was allowed to go back in her room. When Grandma was able to talk she described her near-death experience where she was floating over her body and then out of the room. She saw Grandpa drinking out of a dixie cup and then she was back in her body. No one told Grandma that Grandpa had been drinking OJ in the other room, it was a totally insignificant piece of information that not worth mentioning. So she had no way of knowing because they were in two separate rooms. But she described it as if she was there, she saw her family AND the nun and Grandpa with a paper cup in his hand. You can imagine how a story like that sent shock waves through our family!

I have read all of the responses, but just haven't really felt able to make much of a response myself. This is an emotionally loaded subject for me right now, but one I do find fascinating. I thank you all for your input and sharing of some pretty amazing stories. I do believe everything expressed here ... I do think there's something so incredible beyond, and I think that occasionally we are allowed a very small glimpse into what it's like.

I haven't started reading anything on the subject yet, but I do intend to. Thanks so much for the recommendations.

Jen; has she come to you yet?

Back in June; hub & I were watching TV; he ended up falling asleep. It was the afternoon; we usually don't watch TV in the afternoon but did that day. I was sitting on the couch when it got cold next to me; I know what this means & it's usually my dad; but this time I smelled perfume. I did not think anything of it & figured I was imagining. The next day my neighbor called saying the love of his life passed the day before. I still did not connect it though. Hub & I went to the viewing; it was supposed to be closed but was opened; when we got home I was taking my clothes off & got a whiff of the same scent I smelled that day & I realized it was her perfume.

With my dad; normally I smell the flowers we had around his coffin; like the scent is still on him. The other day I was walking up the driveway from getting mail when I felt the reverse- a hot pocket; like I'd walked into a heat pocket- like when you walk into a store & get blasted with heat but there was no air. I have no idea what this was.

When my husband's mother passed away many years ago, he came across this book and read it. Then he bought 15 copies and gave them to everyone he knew.

It was the story of a woman who had a near death experience, but it is written in a way that is very real, and how it impacted her life was very touching. I think what struck him the most was she wasn't a religious person to begin with, so her experience showed how heaven was open to all.

The book is called "Embraced by the Light" by Betty J. Eadie. It's a very quick read - you probably can find it in the library if not inexpensively on Amazon.

CaroleOH: Two decades ago I did the same buying a few copies of that book to give to people, since that book gave me encouragement when I was single & lonely (22 years ago). Now I'm happily married with a daughter, I compiled a large Pinterest board on NDE, to prevent suicides & shed meaning to life:

https://www.pinterest.com/clonewar/hope-for-the-suicide-near-death-experiences-nde/

Here're some excerpts from my Pinterest collection: " www.nderf.org/... Peter Russell's amphetamines NDE "The Spirit said "it was your fault that you died, because you were not looking after yourself. That is considered a form of suicide, and there is a penalty that must be paid. The Spirit then communicated; "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO HURT YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSE, BECAUSE YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE ARE THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF GOD".

www.aleroy.com/... NDE No. 106 of a Catholic "My life appears before me in frames moving very fast. Not only do I experience my own life and emotions, but also what others around me are feeling. I experience their thoughts and feelings about me. I see the disappointment I have caused others and I cringe. I understand all the suffering I have caused and I feel it. My whole body begins to tremble. I see my selfishness and my heart breaks, the shame is overwhelming."

The learning from NDE is what makes us better people, see excerpts from link below:

http://the-formula.org/powerful-life-changing-near-death-experience-quotes/

By NDEr Mohammad Z "Another example of my life
review was when I was a 10 years old boy. I had bullied and mercilessly beaten
another boy who was also around my age.
He felt tortured and deeply hurt. In my life review, I saw that scene
again. When this boy went home to his
parents, I saw the impact that seeing him in that state had on his
parents. I felt the feeling and pain it
created in them and how it affected their behavior from that point forward. I
saw that as a result of this action, his parents would be always more worried
when their son was out of home or if he was a few minutes late.

I saw that whenever I had
done something good to anyone or anything, that I had done it to myself. And
whenever I had hurt someone, I had done it to myself while actually doing that
person a favor because they would receive some form of compensation or help
from the Universe as a result. This
universal gift would be bigger than the damage I had caused to them…” — NDEr Mohammad Z

By NDEr— Rene Jorgensen “I was able to look down and
see myself, my own body. And then I experienced this light… this love, this
joy, this peace… and then I also had what’s called a ‘life review.’ I went
through all the episodes of my life where I had basically hurt other people. So
I would go through episodes when I would be angry at my mother. I would
experience it; I would be on the receiving end of my anger. I would be inside
my mother and experience her pain. So I would experience the consequences of my
actions. I also went back all the way back to forth grade where I was teasing a
small girl. And this is something I had totally forgotten. She was a younger
classmate, maybe second or third grade, and I was teasing her. She was against
the wall and I was calling her names. But now I was inside her body; I was
receiving my own actions .. And not only that, I would also feel the pain of her
parents for realizing that their child would become inward, shy, and closed as
a person. So I was basically experiencing the full consequences of my actions.
So I experienced
the full cycle, the chain of my actions… You really understand the consequences
of your actions; you really understand what is harmful and what is hurtful to
other people.” —
Rene Jorgensen / Source

http://the-formula.org/powerful-life-changing-near-death-experience-quotes/

How odd to see my thread "resurrected" after more than 5.5 years!

And also odd is the fact that it showed up here and not on the Conversations side. I cannot imagine that I would've posted it here; in fact, I'm certain I posted it in Conversations years ago. Weird.

It is odd to see this here! If you remember the Houzz takeover IdaClaire (you and your names! they make me smile), it was all in one place at the beginning and we asked them to make a conversation side for us.

I think I do remember that. But when we were GardenWeb, we did have two distinct sides, right? Maybe this one just got kerfuffled in the shuffle. ;-)

We did have two sides when it was GardenWeb and it's why we asked to have it like it was.