Stories about life after death

This subject is very interesting to a lot of people. Maybe I have to say: it is very interesting again – because studying this subject shows a lot of information, stories and teachings throughout the centuries. So finally there is nothing new about it. We just have, more than ever, the opportunity to think about it, to read stories, etc. But telling about one’s own  experiences is still very vulnerable, because they can’t be proved like we prove the way our computer works etc. But to the person they really are true, because they are his or her very own experience.
Besides: a lot of books have been written during the last decades.

Someone once said: ‘The continuity between life and death is greater than the split,’ which means that life goes on, in what way we don’t know – but dead is not just dead. We can’t prove it rationally, and at the same time it is not a matter of ‘being right or wrong.’ It is the personal experience that counts, that changes the way people think and feel, and that goes beyond rationality.

Till now I have been told stories about a life beyond death a lot. The situation might be different – sometimes someone being terminal ill tells what he or she experienced, another time it is a relative who got impressed by something that convinced him or her about an existence after death.
The people I meet are not or no longer connected with any church. The reasons might be different, but the conformity is the non-believe in church teachings which they think are too concrete, too literally, too much like a system. They miss the spiritual dimension of these teachings.
I tried to contact church leaders about these stories, but did not succeed. May be it isn’t important; the stories are that tell about eternity are.

An old man lost his wife. ‘She’s gone through the gate,’ he said. ‘It won’t be too long for me to go the same way.’ He was convinced about life after death. But he did not like any questions about God. ‘Who is God? Or what is God? Or what is s/he like? God is the Great Unknown, and that’s it.’
It is the very same as an old lady – she was about a hundred years old, said: ‘God is God – not just like a man or a woman, not even like a superman or superwoman, so be very careful in talking about him/her.’
At the same time it is beyond any institutional religion.

A man whose wife died told me:   I know it was my wife

I stayed as calm as I could, without moving one muscle, and watched.
But the blankets did something funny again – again like someone was getting up. I was absolutely sure about that. And then someone called my name softly: ‘Bert, Bert.’
I already had the feeling that she walked behind me. Of course no one was there. So that must have been my imagination. But it was so real.
One night I was watching tv, just sitting in my own chair, exactly where I am now. And my wife always sat there, right where you are now. So I was watching tv and I heard from the chair she always sat her calling – and I exactly remember the sound of her voice: ‘Bert, Bert,’ I looked, but of course I didn’t see anything. An hour later the same voice – her voice calling me: ‘Bert, Bert,’ I felt good about it, I was not frightened or something like that. After a couple of days the same happened: ‘Bert, Bert.’ It was absolutely real – I did not imagine that – I am absolutely sure. She has gone, but at the same time she is still here. She might be waiting for me. I am not afraid to die, but yet I can’t say I am in a hurry.’

The next story is very special, very moving. It is one of my favourites.
Someone held my hand  

A couple of weeks later I visited her. The expression on her face was very peacefully. Her voice was clear and her back straight.
About the lighting of the candle she told that someone hold her hand. There was in fact nobody to see, but yet – someone hold her hand.
And that she didn’t know anything at all was because grandpa was there, just behind his coffin, and he waved at her. And now he visited her now and then, it always was at night, and he touched her cheek.
Her grandchild, so Simon was a grand grandpa, saw him as well. The child, two years old, told that grandpa was looking very friendly and he wore a ring at his right ring finger. The child described the ring – which had never seen it before, because grandpa did not ware it for years.
Except for this child there were others who saw grandpa. She told me that grandpa was in contact with grandma, of whom he divorced so many years ago. Both of them understood why it was better to live apart from each other. And now it was no problem anymore – nobody gets married to nobody – it is all right now.  
She misses him – she will definitely miss him for a long time to come. But grandpa is fine and that counts.
And he absolutely will take care of her, that’s for sure.