I am sorry that it has been so long since I have written. Life has been crazy. However, this post was worth waiting for. I am going to share my experience. Whether or not you believe what is to come or not is of no consequence. I am just sharing this story as experienced by myself and my family. I hope it touches you as much as it did us.
My husband's grandfather, Bob, has been very ill. He has prostate cancer, bone cancer, COPD, melanoma, CHF, etc. Two weeks ago, he fell while trying to get up from his chair. He bumped his shin into a bookcase and cut it. As a result, he pulled back and hit the back of his head on a bookshelf. It was later discovered that he had broken two of his vertebrae in his cervical spine. It was fortunate that it broke in such a way as to not have damaged his spinal cord and he had no paralysis. He was taken to the hospital but returned home a few days later and was readmitted when his O2 sat was found to be in the 60s. After being diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, he was admitted to ICU and later moved to a step down room. He is currently still admitted to the hospital and remains in the same room. However, his journey far exceeded the bounds of that small hospital room. His journey lead him to a place of peace and allowed us to discover a whole new world.
Our family had been called in to say their goodbyes. Since we had not seen each other in awhile, we decided to all meet up for dinner before heading to the hospital. We were stuffed to the brim, as we journeyed to see Bob. When we got to his room, it was clear that his condition had changed. He was laying in the hospital trying to focus on breathing. His oxygen was now on 15 L/min and he looked weak. The pain was intense and he was asking for his pain medication. We talked and held his hands. We prayed. Then, as we were all talking, Bob's face changed. It was not longer dark and weak. It was light, and his gaze was fixed where the wall met the ceiling. He was no longer talking to us. My mother-in-law drew quickly to his side. She has done this more than anyone should have to at such a young age. She has become a professional at taking care of the aging and dying. She has watched people as they near the end - mother, father, aunt, and uncle. But, the same questions she had asked so many times before was going to open a fountain of blessing that was more powerful than she knew.
"Bob, do you see something?"
"Yes," come the words muffled by the non-rebreather mask.
"Is it heaven?," she asks. "Yes," he responds again. A wide grin fixes on his dry, cracked lips.
"What does it look like?," she questions.
He says, "I see Peter and John...Abraham, Issac...Elizabeth...and Mary." He rests for a minute to catch his breath. "I see the fallen soldiers," he says, "and my grandfather."
"Do you see your grandmother?" my mother in law asks.
"No. I never knew her." "I see my brothers and sisters."
"Are you in any pain?" - it has been over 6 hours since his last dose of his pain medication. He had been in pain just moments before.
"No. No pain. It is such misery (on earth)."
He was so tired. Each time he would answer a question. He would close his eyes again for a few moment before speaking out again. He had been so afraid to die. He was afraid of leaving. Now, a peace had fallen.
"I wish you all could come with me, but you will be here so soon. I keep asking God to take you all with me. I do not understand why you can not come with me."
"Do you want us to be there because it is so good?"
"No sorrow. No pain."
Nurses had heard what was going on and began coming the room to hold his hand, pray over him, or just watch. This was the end. It was so beautiful and wonderful to be a part of it. He began to sing. Now, this is a room of Southern Baptist. My mother in law was a choir director and has a leather bound hymnal that she sings from daily. However, not one person in the room could place the songs that we was singing. He would only share a bar or two. As he took longer breaks, we asked if we could sing to him. We sang hymns at the top of our lungs. Bob would join in too and he drifted back and forth. He was so filled with joy. He gathered us around and kept saying, "No more sorrow. Do not cry. You will be here so soon. God will take care of you. I understand that now." Slowly though. He began to come back. The times with his eyes closed were shorter. He asked for a preacher to come pray with him. He could not understand why he had to come back to us. And just as quickly as he went to heaven he returned to us.
We talked about the experience the next day. He remembers everything. He talked about how light it was, the steps to get to heaven, and the streets that looked like gold. He could not talk to anyone he saw. He said, "they were busy dancing and praising God." He never saw Jesus. God was in the distance. He described him as something he could see through a fog. He did not get to participate in anything. He was just watching. It made him so happy. He is grateful to see us all again, but he is ready to go back. He knows that we will be well taken care of. He sees and understands things that we can not fully perceive. He gave me a gift. As hard as it may be sometimes, I do not believe I could ever doubt the existence of God. Bob was there and then he was back. He was in pain and it was gone. He was afraid and then at peace. He went to heaven, and I caught a glimpse.
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