A Spirit-Child's Gifts of Courage and Healing

A spirit-child comes to offer two special gifts. One to the writer, and the other to his parents.

For as long as I can remember, my dreams have been filled with experiences of ‘visitations’. One of which happened when I was about nine years old. Early one morning, I floated out of my body, through the bedroom window and down into the garden, where I saw my grandfather waiting for me. He was standing between two heavenly beings. They radiated incredible light and looked like angels.

As I approached, I began to cry and my grandfather told me, “Don’t be upset, I’m not going to take you with me, I’ve just come to say goodbye.” Speaking tenderly, he told me, “Take care of your brothers and be a good girl,” then gave me a hug and slowly began floating upward with the angels before disappearing into light.

Floating back to my body, I woke and looked at the clock. It was five a.m. All day at school, I felt the energy of my grandfather’s presence, and later that afternoon, entering the small kitchen of my family home, my mother was there to meet me. She told me, “Sshh, be quiet, your father is very upset. Your grandfather died at five am this morning.”

Tip-toe-ing toward my father, I lay my hand on his arm, quietly trying to offer comfort. However, I was afraid of sharing my experience with him. I was afraid of facing a wall of disbelief and getting into trouble for making up stories. So, I remained silent about the truth of continuum of life.

However in 1994, dear friends lost their four-year-old son in a drowning accident. Blond, bright eyed and bubbling with life, Taylor had been running around the perimeter of the pool, while his parents were inside, unpacking after a day out on the boat. Taylor could swim well, he had been taking lessons since he was able to crawl and he loved the water. But that day, he tripped over a hose, hit his head on the tile and fell unconscious, face down into the water...

The shock and trauma of this event was overwhelming and his family was inconsolable. In their state of grief, and desperate to hear any shred of hope that Taylor was still with them in spirit, I found the courage to share my experiences of life after death, as a way of offering some solace.

Unexpectedly, a few weeks later, in a lucid dream, I found myself in a light filled empty room. Suddenly Taylor bounced in. The light around him was pulsating, pure and vibrant; in fact it appeared to pour from within his being, affecting everything around him. Overjoyed, I said, “Taylor, how wonderful to see you! How are you?” He bounced up and down and replied, “Oh, fine. Tell Mommy and Daddy I love the tree.” With that, he turned and skipped away as suddenly as he had arrived.

On waking, I lay for a long time, feeling Taylor’s presence and his urging to convey his message. So, I phoned Taylor’s parents and slowly, shared the experience with his father, John, making certain to describe every aspect, gesture and detail as accurately as I could. When finished, there was a long silence on the phone. Drawing a long breath, John told me that soon after Taylor’s funeral, he and his wife had flown to their second home in North Carolina. They felt they needed time to be together in a quiet place.

Their newly built, ranch style farmhouse was set among acres of open land, with a few trees here and there. It was a place their son had loved. While there John told me, he and his wife decided to buy a small tree. Their intention was to plant the tree as a way of honoring Taylor’s life. They planted it where Taylor had loved to play and they found a carpenter who had made a beautiful plaque inscribed with the words, “TAYLOR’S TREE.”

Taylor’s gift to his parent’s and to me was priceless. For his parents, here was authentic proof that Taylor was still with them in spirit and what’s more, he was totally aware of their prayers, intentions and actions in an intimate way. For me, his gift dissolved all anxieties about sharing these experiences.

For the first time, I could see that messages offered in a loving way can be a lifeline to bereaved parents, and can serve as a supportive step on the road to peace and healing.

By Julie Hoyle