For those of us who haven’t had our own experiences to assure us life continues after death of the physical body, Dr. Joan Olinger has found another book that might help. In 7 Lessons from Heaven: How Dying Taught Me to Live a Joy-filled Life, Dr. Mary Neal writes about her own near-death experience and how it has allowed her to take more joy in the life she has right now—despite the fact it prophesied the death of her son. She even takes things a step further by providing exercises she hopes will help readers find that same joy.

Dr. Joan Olinger, who thoroughly enjoyed the book, summarizes parts of it below.

By Dr. Joan Olinger

Dr. Mary Neal, an orthopedic surgeon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, writes of a near-death experience in which she drowned and was brought back to life. This is her second book based on that experience. The first is called To Heaven and Back. In this latest book, she states that her purpose is to help others benefit from what she learned during that near-death experience.

“The most important point—and one I urge you to consider as well—is that these glimpses into heaven are meant to change how you and I live now.”

Dr. Neal is a Christian, so her book contains many references to Christian traditions and symbols; but, the insights she offers can be useful for anyone, regardless of faith.

“…[W]e forget that we are beloved children of God…We forget that God’s love is for all people…and we forget that we are meant to be agents of God’s peace, love and joy.”

In 7 Lessons, Dr. Neal writes about how her experience helped her deal with the death, years later, of her son. She titles this chapter “There is Hope in the Midst of Loss”. She says that, while in heaven during her drowning experience, she was told her son Willie was going to die at a young age. She kept that information secret for years, not even telling her husband, because she thought it would be too much for him to bear.

She says that, even as she hoped that God’s plan for Willie would change, she wondered each day if that would be the day her son would die. Finally, at the age of 19, Willie was struck by a car and killed. His body was badly shattered in the accident; but, after his death, Willie came to visit his mother in a dream. There, he was whole again, just like others she had seen during her near-death experience.

For anyone who has lost a child at a young age, or for anyone who has lost a loved one, this chapter may offer great comfort, even as you grieve.

7 Lessons from Heaven consists of 18 chapters in which Dr. Neal discusses many things. For example, she takes us on a tour of heaven, talks about the presence of angels in our lives, and discusses the reality of small and large miracles that happen all the time. She writes that God has a plan for each person’s life and how, in the fullness of God’s time, beauty blossoms from all things.

Regardless of our personal belief systems, taking realizations like these to heart can give hope—even during times of loss and suffering.

Dr. Neal writes about forgiveness and gives a new take on “Judgement Day,” calling it also a “life-review.” In her case, she expected that, when her day came, she would experience much remorse, guilt, regret and disappointment, even though she had tried to live a good life. Instead, during her near-death experience, she found love, compassion, and understanding.

She writes that her life-review has much in common with others who have reported similar experiences of dying and being brought back. She says a “being of light”, who might be identified as Christ, or God, the source of life, or pure love,  lets the dying person review their life from a variety of perspectives, along with an awareness of the “backstory” for all the individuals involved—including what motivates them, and what needs they were trying to fill at the time.

For the experiencer, this becomes the basis for a new level of compassion and love for themselves and others. Dr. Neal says the lesson she learned from her review was that everything was understandable from the perspective of heaven. She also discovered that she did not have to “earn” the right to be in God’s presence, and that, “God’s grace is His love in action—continual forgiveness, encouragement, mercy, compassion, and kindness…”

In part 2 of her book, Dr. Neal describes in detail what we can do to lay the foundation for a joy-filled life, based on the lessons she learned. In Part 3, there is a guide to questions for discussion that can enable further exploration of how her lessons are relevant to anyone.

Did reading this book and doing some of the exercises allow me to have a more joy-filled life? Actually, Yes! It helped me become more aware of the small and large miracles that are happening in my life all the time. And, it helped me take to heart that, in God’s time, beauty blossoms in all things.

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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.

 

Most contributors to The Meaning of Forever Project believe that love and life continue after death of the physical body—because experiences with their own dearly departed have proven it for them. Some have even died and come back to tell about what the academic world now refers to as their Near-Death Experiences (NDE’s).

But—much as many of us want to believe there is more to life than what we see before us—we aren’t all fortunate enough to be given convincing glimpses of “the other side”. In this short piece, David writes about how it feels to want to believe but how, for him, the evidence falls just-that-much too short of the mark.

“My father died of a heart attack a number of years ago.

“It wasn’t his first heart attack. He described his first to me after coming home from the hospital. That started with feeling like a horse was standing on his chest. It hurt like hell, and he nearly died.

“But he had a revelation before returning to life. He saw a great white light before him, and it gave him peace. He was not a religious man, but he did not fear dying after that.

His story gave me some peace as well.

“I had entered college planning to be a Methodist minister, but as I studied religious philosophy, I felt my faith slipping away like grains from a torn bag. I stopped going to church, except at family reunions where my mother’s two brothers were both Methodist ministers. One of the brothers told me he made that choice after seeing the ghost of his kid brother and chasing him into a South Dakota barn.

“All I know, after all these years, is how little I understand life and death. I know that within my own body, the space between proton and electron is comparable to a soccer ball in a stadium. My daughter tells me that astronomers believe the universe is expanding faster than the speed of light. I can’t imagine a beginning or end of time.

“A fortune cookie wisdom taped to our refrigerator asserts the only certainty is that nothing is certain.

“But I still take comfort in my father’s story. I have talked to others who related similar near-death experiences, and I noticed a strange white light and ghostly figures in late Van Gogh paintings.

“When my time as David Olinger ends, I hope to see that same light myself.”

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The Meaning of Forever Project continues to accept stories from people who have had comforting experiences with departed loved ones–either human or animal–that have shown them how love and life continue regardless of whether there is a physical container for it.

In our next blog post, Dr. Joan Olinger will review a book by Dr. Mary C. Neal, an orthopedic surgeon from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, whose Near-Death Experience changed the way she lives her life. Joan will be reviewing Dr. Neal’s second book about her experience, called 7 Lessons From Heaven: How Dying Taught Me To Live A Joy-Filled Life.

“Many questions people may have about what happens after death may be answered by this book,” says Joan in her review.  

 

In this story, Lori tells how her Mom’s sense of humour plays an important part in letting Lori know that the love between mother and daughter continues long after the mother’s physical passing.

My mother and I were extremely close. I love and miss her dearly. I know she is never too far from me. She sends me signs all the time.

I recall talking with her before she got really sick. She let me know that she was not afraid of dying. She told me that, when she was a little girl, she became quite ill and was pronounced dead briefly. She said death was not scary, it was peaceful and calming. I knew she was reassuring me that, when the time came, she would be fine.

I asked that she send me a sign after death to let me know she was okay. She took on a mischievous grin and I quickly said, “Don’t you dare come as a ghost!”

She laughed and assured me she wouldn’t. “I know you pay attention to your dreams,” she said, “so I’ll visit you there.”  

My mother visits me often, but dreams aren’t her only method. She had a wonderful sense of humour and continues to give us laughs long after her death. One of her favourite words was “toilet”. Don’t ask me why. It just was. She would say the word and laugh, then make you say it. She said it would just roll right off the tongue.

One day, long after my mother’s passing, I had trouble with the toilet in my townhouse unit. Instead of calling maintenance, I decided to fix it myself. (My father was not a handy man at all, so Mom and I would often tackle repairs before calling in the experts.)

This day, I was focused on the problem at hand, trying to figure out the issue and how I could repair it. Out of nowhere, I heard my mother’s voice: “TOILET!” it said. I started to chuckle. The voice came again. “Say it with me: TOILET!”

I laughed. “Hi Mom! Look at me, I’m fixing my toilet! There I said it with you!”

So, I was able to fix the toilet—and to enjoy an auditory visit with Mom at the same time.

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      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.

 

Mel tells a story of how he asked for signs that his departed wife was well and happy in her new existence, then allowed his inner skeptic to take over. However, a set of happenings too strange to ignore finally got through to him and brought comfort.

“Six years ago, my wife Babz passed away after several weeks of intense pain due to cancer.  It was a horrible time for all of us.  On her last night, she seemed to find some peace as I played a recording of a HU chant*, and she slowly drifted into a coma-like state before her heart and breathing stopped.

 “I have believed for a long time that death in the physical is a moment of rebirth into somewhere else. I wanted—maybe even needed—to know if she was okay in this somewhere-else place. So, I sang HU* and asked her to confirm that she was all right.

“Over the next couple of weeks several unusual things happened; things which had never happened before, although I didn’t put them together as being an answer from Babz. Despite my request that she give me a sign, my natural skepticism had kicked in, and I convinced myself these incidents were simply coincidences.

“Right!

“At last I took the situation in hand—which really means I took myself in hand and formulated a definitive process to get the answer I so desperately wanted. My spiritual belief includes several masters as guides and helpers. After Babz died, I had placed images of nine of these masters, printed on a sheet of heavy-duty paper, by my bedside.

“Now, as I embarked on my plan, I thought that—if anyone could answer my plea—these spiritual guides surely could. That night I asked, ‘If Babz is well and enjoying a new life on the higher planes, please give me an unmistakable sign.’ Then I went to sleep.

“Next morning all was as usual. It was cool for mid-May in my part of British Columbia, Canada, so I had kept the bedroom window closed. I showered and then made breakfast. Once done I headed for the bedroom to dress and found the picture with the nine masters on the floor. ‘Strange,’ I thought. That paper had been on my bedside table for two weeks and there had been no breeze to blow it off. I picked it up and returned it to its place. 

“A couple of hours later, I had reason to go back to the bedroom and, once again, the page was on the floor. Could this be the sign I had asked for? Nah! Just a coincidence. I replaced the page once again.

“When this happened a third time, I paid attention. I had asked these nine spiritual masters to give me a sign; the page had pictures of all nine of them. Together, they were giving me a sign. I replaced the picture and smiled.

“‘I get it,’ I said aloud and turned to leave the bedroom. 

“As I did, Babz’ purse, which had been hanging on a large hook on the back of the door, fell down.  By the laws of physics, it is not possible for a purse to rise by itself over a hook and fall. But, there it was: on the floor. 

“And I could swear that—at that very moment—I heard a tiny laugh, just like Babz might have made when she played a fun trick on me. 

“At last I was convinced, and my mind and heart were at peace.”

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* In our blog of November 13, 2017, we mention an exercise that Harold Klemp recommends as “a spiritual exercise for soul travel”. The exercise involves chanting a word he says is an ancient name for God: HU (pronounced “hue”). The benefits of using this word are said to include a calming and comforting effect.

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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.

 

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.”

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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.

Bianca has suffered three great losses in the course of her young life, and these deaths have hurt her deeply. Still, she is buoyed by the certainty that her loved ones are still with her when she needs them.

In the second of two stories, Bianca tells how she and her mother escaped catastrophe on a snowy winter highway, and how she believes her departed Nonna and Nana had a hand in it. (See the first story in our post from December 10, 2017)

My Nonna (grandmother) passed away on December 8, 2006. She was an amazing, beautiful woman, and very special to me. From the time I was four or five years old, she taught me how to cook and sew, and we would spend a lot of time with each other. I was at my Nonno (grandfather) and Nonna’s house almost every single weekend, right up until she passed away.

Her death has been really hard on me, but I know that she is still here.

The evening after she passed away, the sunset was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It was all kinds of reds, oranges, and yellows with the clouds that just made it so much more beautiful. I knew that was my Nonna telling us she’s at peace, and that she’s okay, and she’s still here.

Now, when I’m having a hard time, I sometimes smell her scent. I just know that it’s her, because I recognize the faint powdery, flowery smell. Sometimes I feel like she’s just giving me this huge hug. It’s like she’s saying, “I’m here, I love you”.

My Nana passed away on July 14th, 2010. She was a very good friend of the family, and she was truly like another Grandmother to me. Like my Nonna, she was a very special and beautiful woman. When my siblings and I were younger, she would often babysit us, and I remember always looking forward to it, because we would always have such a fun time with her. She was a kind, gentle soul who loved nature and animals.

In our backyard, we have an area of cement that leads out to the driveway. Beyond it, there’s a small area with patio stones, and the rest of the yard is grass. Shortly after Nana passed away, a single little pansy-type flower popped up between the cracks in the patio stones. It was a beautiful, bright yellow with a chocolate brown stripe up the middle. We searched all around to find other flowers like it, where it might have come from. We even looked in the neighbours’ gardens, but found nothing similar.

Also around this time, a small brown bird perched itself in the corner of my window outside, and it stayed there for about three days. To us, these unusual gifts from nature were a huge sign from Nana, saying she’s still here and that she’s okay.

The winter following my Nana’s passing, my Mom was driving both of us home from Toronto after dropping my aunt off at the train station. The highway was covered in snow, ice and slush, but traffic was still moving at between 90 and 110 kilometres per hour. It is a divided highway, and we were on a section that has four lanes going in each direction.

A big transport truck was in the farthest right lane, and we were in the lane next to it. The truck was kicking up a lot of snow and slush, so my Mom slowed down in order not to be so close. As she did, our car began to swerve all over the road. We almost went in the ditch, then spun around so we were now facing the oncoming traffic. Still moving very fast, our vehicle started sliding sideways. We were heading for a cement barrier, so Mom told me to brace myself, because my side of the car would strike first.

Then we said, “I love you,” because we both thought we were going to die.

But—suddenly for no apparent reason—our car just came to a complete stop. It was as if something stopped us. We were only inches away from the wall. Miraculously, at that moment in the middle of the day on a section of Ontario’s most-crowded highway, there was no oncoming traffic for miles. We sat there a few moments, just trying to process what had happened before Mom carefully turned the car around and continued driving us home.

Mom and I truly believe that my Nonna and Nana were with us that day, because there is just no other explanation for our car stopping like it did, when it was sliding at such high speed—then to have no oncoming traffic besides!

When things like this happen and others hear about it, they might say it’s just a coincidence that doesn’t really mean anything. But I truly believe everything happens for a reason.

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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.

 

 

 

“When somebody passes away, people often think that person is gone, and that they have to say goodbye,” says Bianca, “but I truly believe that’s not the case.”

Bianca tells stories of how she has known through the years that her departed grandmothers have been with her. She’s known it through their scent, a bird, a flower, through colours in the sky—and, even, through unexplained help that prevented a serious car crash.

But, this story is about how the shape of a mermaid and an abundance of butterflies have comforted Bianca and assured her that her best friend Aliesha is still with her.

“March 11, 2015, my best friend Aliesha passed away,” says Bianca. “She and I were like sisters…super close, and were always there for each other. We both had medical issues, so on rough days we would always vent to each other, knowing that we were venting to someone who truly cared, wouldn’t judge, and would really understand.

“In my room, I have the sewing machine that my Nonna taught me how to sew on, and that we would use all the time together. It folds up like a desk, so I often will do my homework on it.

“The day after Aliesha passed away, I was working on one of my school assignments, which was a painting, so I had all my watercolour paints and paintbrushes out, along with a small bottle filled with water.

“In the painting, I included a quote that Aliesha always would say to me: ‘We will fight our battles, and we will win!’

“At one point, I accidentally knocked the bottle over. When I stood to mop it up from the carpet, I realized that the coloured water was in the perfect shape of a mermaid sitting on a rock. This was very powerful to me because Aliesha used to call herself a mermaid. By that, I knew that my best friend/sister was still with me.

“I was given the huge honour of presenting her eulogy. As I was spoke, the lights in the funeral home flickered; and, after I finished presenting, the priest made a comment that Aliesha was definitely there with us.

“Aliesha and I always had some sort of contact. We lived a couple of blocks apart, so we would often hang out, but we also kept in touch almost every single day through text messaging, FaceTime, and Skype.

“Since she has passed away, once in a while my phone will go off as if I have a notification, but when I check, there’s nothing there. To me, this is definitely a sign from Aliesha, as if she’s saying, ‘He-y-y-y, what’s up? How’s it goin’?’

“Like my Nonna and Nonna, who I know are also still with me, Aliesha would call me her ‘Little Butterfly.’ Shortly before she passed away, she told me she would haunt me with butterflies. She has definitely kept that promise. During the warmer weather, whenever I look or go outside, I always see at least one butterfly. Even when I am at the mall, or browsing online, I will always see something that has a butterfly on it.

“I am constantly surrounded by beautiful butterflies; and, I hold this sign that Aliesha is with me very close to my heart.”

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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.

 

 

If you’ve been following The Meaning of Forever Project, you know our goal is to collect stories from people who’ve been comforted by experiences with loved ones who’ve passed on. We’ve shown you stories of people who’ve been visited by loved ones in dreams, who’ve heard their voices as they go about everyday tasks; or, who’ve seen, heard, felt—even smelled—signals that only they and their dearly departed would understand or think to use.

We’ve posted stories from people whose grief—and fear of death—has been lessened by the knowledge that Soul lives on, regardless of whether there is a physical body to contain it. And they’ve gained that knowledge first-hand.

But, if these accounts are true, why doesn’t everyone who’s lost someone dear have a story? Are the people who write about their experiences special somehow? Do they have an extra sense that others of us don’t have?

—Or, are they kidding themselves?

In How to Survive Spiritually in Our Times, Harold Klemp has some advice for those wondering if their other-worldly experiences are real. “A test of an experience is: if it helps you open your heart to divine love, to God’s love, then it’s a real experience.”

In his book Soul Proof, Dr. Mark Pitstick refers to experiences with people who have died as “ADC’s”, or after-death communications. “The receptivity [emphasis his] of those on earth is…a very important factor since being calm and open-minded improves chances of an ADC,” writes Pitstick.

He suggests “centering practices” that “quiet the mind”. He quotes spiritual leaders, psychologists, poets and others who recommend a wide variety of activities—including yoga, meditation, music, prayer and art—that can “temporarily turn down the brain’s chatter… [and] allow access to wonderful timeless moments in which we recall our oneness with Universe.”

In Spiritual Wisdom on Life After Death, Klemp suggests what he calls “a spiritual exercise for soul travel” that begins with a single word:

“HU (pronounced like the word hue) is an ancient love song to God. Before sleep, close your eyes and place your attention very gently on the Spiritual Eye (a point between and behind the eyebrows). Sing HU, and fill yourself with love.”

Klemp explains the feeling of love will give you confidence to go forward into the unknown. He suggests calling to mind a past occasion on which you felt filled with pure love. In another book, The Sound of Soul, Klemp says “Love opens you to its guidance, peace, healing of body, mind, and spirit, and to the highest form of creativity.”

In Proof of Heaven, Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon whose near-death experience has inspired his life’s work, also writes about God and his overwhelming feelings of being loved and cared for. All three writers seem to agree on one basic principle: that we are all connected, that each of us springs from the same creator, who is sometimes referred to as God. Other names include Divine Intelligence, Sugmad, the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, the Great Comforter, the ECK, the Life Force, the All in All, or The One.

“We are connected as one through our divine link with God,” Alexander says. “Communicating with God is the most extraordinary experience imaginable, yet at the same time it’s the most natural one of all, because God is present in us at all times.”

Regardless of what we call this unifying force, at its very core it is love, says Harold Klemp; and, “Love is love,” whether we express it to God, to our loved ones, our neighbours, or “the flowers you watered today.” And, when we give love out through the exercise of singing HU, it is returned, he says. “This is the law of the universe… Love returns love.”

So… Perhaps it is possible for us to know that our experiences with our departed loved ones are real, simply by the love they awaken within us.

The Meaning of Forever Project invites your stories of how near-death experiences, or experiences with loved ones who have passed on, have comforted you and helped you to understand the continuing nature of life; that love and life go on, even after our physical bodies expire. You can learn more about The Meaning of Forever Project from our web site, or from our Facebook page. If you have questions, please email us at themeaningofforever@gmail.com Feel free to join us on Facebook, or by following this blog—and please share with your friends.

From time to time, The Meaning of Forever Project refers to writings of various authors as samples of how others view the continuation of life. These references do not necessarily constitute endorsements.

 

 

 

 

Vic tells a story of how his near-death experience resulted in far more than his own peace of mind about what it’s like to die; it led to a new, life-saving medical procedure, and it helped an anonymous nurse find the courage she didn’t think she had.

It all began with a routine colonoscopy. Vic was accustomed to the procedure, since he’d had cancer previously, and he was now required to have regular examinations to prevent it from coming back. On this day, the doctors found a polyp and removed it. This was not unusual either, says Vic. He’d had polyps removed before.

This time, however, something was different. A few hours after Vic returned home following the day surgery, he realized he was bleeding, and quite badly. It took some time for the hospital staff to realize how serious his condition was; but, eventually they began giving him blood—at the extremely fast rate of one unit every fifteen minutes.

What doctors and nurses didn’t realize was that Vic has a condition that causes his white blood cells to clump together when he receives a blood transfusion.

“I was dying,” says Vic.

“…I faded to black. Then I was sitting in a chair facing… (my) inner master. There was a white cloud around us and what appeared to be a highly polished black floor below.”

The following is the conversation Vic remembers having with the spiritual master he calls Wah Z:

Wah Z: Do you want to live or die?

Vic: I have never died in full consciousness before; it might be an exciting experience.

Wah Z: This is it.

Vic: (astonished) This is it?

Wah Z: This is it.

Vic: Well, if this is it, it’s not very exciting. This is just a shift of consciousness, and I do this just about every day when I contemplate.

Wah Z: Do you want to live or die?

Vic: I do want to live.

Immediately, Vic says, “I came back to the physical and opened my eyes, seeing the heart paddle just above my chest, and asked what was going on…”

But Vic’s adventure with life and near-death was not over. He was still in hospital with no obvious way to stop his bleeding. That evening his doctor stopped by to say with great regret that he would have to leave, because he promised his daughter he would attend her first piano recital that evening.

“I replied, ‘It’s okay, Ron. Family is very important. Go enjoy it. We said good-bye.”

But, later that night, Dr. Ron returned. “An idea came to me when I was listening to my daughter’s recital. Can I try it?” he said.

Having learned that death was no big deal, Vic was unafraid, even though he still had things he wanted to do in this physical life. So, he agreed. But, then came the next snag: Dr. Ron was going to have to insert a camera into Ron’s colon, so he’d be able to see where to put a clip on the part that was bleeding, and he needed a nurse to assist him. However, the nurse on duty declined to help because she was unsure about the procedure.

“I can’t do it by myself,” Dr. Ron told Vic.

Vic surprised even himself with what he said next: “Tell her…if she can live with the fact she watched a man die and did not even try to save him, and she is OK with that; then, I’m OK with that, too.”

Soon after, Dr. Ron returned ready to do the procedure. Vic watched on a monitor as Dr. Ron placed, not one but two, clips on the bleeding section of his colon.

“We all signed a breath of relief,” says Vic. “Since I had not seen or heard the nurse, I asked Dr. Ron to say thank-you to her for having the courage to do this and save my life. I thanked him as well for the creative solution that came to him during his daughter’s piano recital.”

A couple of years after his near-death experience, Vic was once again in hospital for a routine colonoscopy. Making conversation, he told a nurse that he almost died from loss of blood as a result of his last one.

“Why didn’t they put a clip on it?” asked, incredulous.

“Because I was patient zero,” answered Vic. “I was the first patient that procedure was ever tried on. Now it’s standard practice.”

Looking back on all that happened, Vic is grateful for the whole experience. “I think of how, when you throw a stone in the water, you don’t know how the ripples are going to affect others. This one incident of my bleeding colon has had a beneficial effect on so many others. I had the courage to risk a then-untried procedure that could have ended my life, because I knew that death was just a shift in consciousness.”

At the same time, because Vic said he was willing to die, a nurse found the courage that helped save his life.

Still, says Vic, while his experiences have enabled him to see more clearly than ever that consciousness—or Soul—lives on, no matter what the body, it’s important to keep everything in perspective: “As magnificent as that whole experience was, I can still whimper and cry with the best of them. But it’s okay to be human,” he says. “We all need rest points on the journey of eternity.”

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The Meaning of Forever Project invites your stories of how near-death experiences, or experiences with loved ones who have passed on, have comforted you and helped you to understand the continuing nature of life; that love and life go on, even after our physical bodies expire. You can learn more about The Meaning of Forever Project from our web site, or from our Facebook page. Feel free to join us on Facebook, or by following this blog—and please share with your friends.