Lidia’s story illustrates how the connection between a mother and daughter continued in dreams long after the mother’s passing; and, how those dream visits helped Lidia feel loved and protected.

“I was almost 30 years old when my mother passed away in the early 1970’s from a very aggressive form of stomach cancer. Since then, she’s appeared in my dreams a number of times—often in the most mundane places. She might be sitting next to me on the bus, or making tea in the kitchen, or casually sorting through my collection of fabrics.

“We would chat, and she would always say that she knew she was passed from this world, but that she was simply taking opportunities to come back and check up on me. In one of the dreams, we actually went to another world together, saw ancient ruins and even some flying beings in the distance. That was a very exciting dream!

“Finally, after many years of visits, she came to me one last time in the early 2000’s. It happened one afternoon as I lay down for a nap on the couch in my apartment. Suddenly I, was overwhelmed by a golden light emanating from the folding white doors of my closet.

“To this day, I’m not sure if it was a dream or whether it actually happened. Regardless, I knew I had to pay attention. I could feel my mother’s presence, and I remember thinking: This is a very unusual way for her to make an appearance.

“At that instant, she stepped from the light into the room. As always, she asked how I was getting along and we chatted, as we normally would. Then, my mother said something totally amazing.

“She told me this would be the last time she would visit me, because she had a chance to be reborn—reincarnated into a new physical body. Instead of feeling upset that I wouldn’t be seeing her in my dreams again, I was delighted.

“We high-fived each other, hugged, and after a little more chatter—in which she assured me that I am, and always will be taken care of—she went back into the light and the closet doors became closet doors again.

“Since then, I have had one other dream in which someone who looked like my mother appeared, but I knew it was not her. I called this being out, saying I knew the truth about my mom, because I’d had that earlier experience. Immediately, the dream being morphed into something nasty before fading away. I found this dream to be one of my first ‘lucid’ dreams in which I remembered a previous dream and wove it into this one.

“This dream taught me not to doubt myself, nor doubt my mother’s message.

“I also learned through these dreams that soul and spirit may be two different parts of people—the spirit is forever, while the soul goes on in a different body and life.”

The Meaning of Forever Project continues to accept stories of comforting experiences with loved ones who have passed on, and of near-death experiences that have helped to show the continuation of life beyond the physical body. You can email your story to us at themeaningofforever@gmail.com and you can find more about our project on our Facebook page, and our Meaning of Forever Website.