They say fools rush in where angles fear to tread, and I have done just that most of my life with mixed results. Here I go again. 

One of the reasons I give my email on this site and in other media as well is to give me fresh insight and to find out what the real questions are on the minds of folks in grief. Most of what I know about grief I know from listening to the stories of folks in the throws of the journey. One of the bottom line questions I hear over and over concerns what happens when we die? Last week a wonderful woman told of her loving care for a child with physical and mental limitations who had died quite suddenly. When she finished her story she said the one thing that was dominating her mind is, “Where is she now?” Another email bluntly asked me what I believed about life after death. Both of these folks said they had always believed in heaven until their loved one died and now they were having a struggle maintaining that belief. 

I am not sure I am the best person to ask that kind of question. I don’t know nearly as much about this subject as I once did or acted like I did. There is an email floating around about Billy Graham being honored by his home city. He told them about Albert Einstein traveling on a train and not being able to find his ticket. The conductor assured him that he knew who he was and knew he had bought a ticket so he was fine. When he continued to look for the ticket the conductor said again that he knew who he was and that he had bought a ticket. Einstein said, ‘I know who I am and that I bought a ticket, what I don’t know is where I am going.” Billy Graham said he had bought a new suit for this event and one other. The second was to wear to his funeral. He said, “When you see me there realize I know who I am and I know where I am going.” I wish he was writing this post, because I don’t have that kind of no questioning belief.

I believe there is life beyond life. Strange as it may seem, one of the reasons I believe that is I have been with several people at the moment of their deaths and it is so evident that something leaves the body at that moment. Call it spirit or soul or whatever other term you wish, it is just evident that the life left and the body became a  shell. 

I believe it because of experiences people I trust have told me about. Not just near death experiences which some scientist say they can replicate, what a surprise that they would "poo poo" something they can’t explain, but some very real experiences I can only explain as visitations. I do not talk or write about them because to do so leaves others wondering why it did not happen with their loved one as well. Maybe some who read this can add to these stories. I hope so.

And, like everyone else, I chose to believe it because anything else is unthinkable. 

With that said, I have always had a hard time with the traditional view of heaven. I was never afraid of Hell when I was a kid, but Heaven scared me to death. It seems far too long and far too boring. There was never an end to it and I had no desire to play a harp or go to church all day every day. As an adult I may be the only person who does not want it to be perfect there. No problems to solve, no lessons to learn, no crisis to face does not sound like paradise to me. I hope there are worlds to explore. There are billions of galaxies out there, and I hope to see them all. 

Now pardon me while I break a rule for these post and say something very religious. The lady asked me where I thought her daughter was. My answer, and it is just mine so take it for what it is worth, is that Jesus told the dying thief that he would be with Him that very day. That seems good enough for me.