If you pay attention, you never know who might say hello.

[Bluesmama]

To Mercury Cougar and Sanspeur ~

I hadn't checked this thread in many days ~ didn't expect my post to be so popular.

That could have been the first time I ever so-called "insulted" someone on a posting, but I do not apologize for it, am not a bit sorry.

This thread is a very sensitive topic started by someone who feels he experienced something special, and it was intended to share with others who may have gone through something similar. He didn't post it to start a pi$$ing match about whether or not people BELIEVE in this phenomenon.

The poster I "insulted" got in this thread prepared to start chiding, with a total lack of respect for those on here who have lost loved ones, including myself, and you think I am the bad guy???? Did HE not insult everyone on here first???? How would you like it if you lost a son in Iraq and you're trying to share your experience or grief in a thread, and some inconsiderate jackass barges right in and makes snide anti-war comments? Would you be so willing to stick up for him then?

Most of the threads on City Data are for debates, others are more for support and not suitable for the insensitive. Perhaps there's too many people out there who don't have that kind of sense.

[Paradox73]

Great story in the OP. I've suffered through the loss of several family members and friends who were close to me. I've had some extremely vivid experiences especially when my brother and dad passed away a couple of years ago.

Yes indeed I very much believe you have a spirit that lives on in another universe or dimension when your short stay on earth is up. I was very skeptical too at one time of this type of stuff but personal experiences do change your views. I don't prefer to talk too much about personal experiences with the paranormal especially when it's related to issues about deceased loved ones who were close to me over the internet on a public form. I've had some pretty bad experiences with close minded skeptics attacking me pretty visciously on other philosophical collective websites whenever I did but yes I'm definitely a believer.

[catman]

I'm not a believer and don't think it can happen, but if someone finds comfort in a terrible time of crisis by thinking that they have received a communication from the Great Beyond, I say leave them to it.

[new jersey mike]

Originally Posted by Charles

I had to read that three times - and I'm still not sure I followed it.

It was a little fragmented. I wanted to let my mother know that I believe, in what I'm not quite sure so I will not say life after death. I do believe we are visited by others, are they dead? or in another life? or on a parallel plane? I do not know.

I don't know if a deceased person or pet comes to us as a vision. I do believe the deceased do come back to visit, so before my mother was to far gone I told her that when she comes back to visit to use a trigger in this case a smell of a flower. It was couple of weeks after her death and in my conversation with her I stated I don't remember the smell of the flower. Then one day I smelt Limburger cheese, her favorite cheese. At that moment I knew she was with me. I was also standing next to my wife and I asked her if she also smelt the "stinky cheese" and she said no.

We were not having a conversation about my mother or any family person. I know at times a person will smell something and it's not there could it just be a neuron misfiring.

In this situation I adding to my "possibilities" that when someone comes back to you, it may actually be through you.

So for me is the area where spirituality and reality both have possibilities. Now this will sound a little strange i'm sure, I have always felt a little self conscious, like a lot of people. Even felt like someone was watching me, and this past summer I realized that this sense of observation was not at me but actually what I was actually seeing.

It does not happen all the time but that is also why I am considering that spirit (lack of better term) may actually come to us by means of coming through us.

[new jersey mike]

Originally Posted by Jess5

I think he said that before his mother died, he told her that when she comes back to "visit" after death, to bring the smell of her favorite flower, Gardenia, so he would k now she was there.

His wife tried to order Gardenia's for the funeral because they were MILs favorite flower, but Hubby said no because he wouldn't know if she was "visiting" or if the smell was from the flowers she ordered.

Then, he realized that he didn't know the smell of Gardenia's, and wouldn't know if she was there after all, and his mother apparently knew this, so when she came back to "visit", she brought the smell of her favorite cheese instead, which he did know, so he would know that it was her.

So, now he's a believer that people can come back from the dead and "visit."

Am I right Mike?

Yes exactly. Thank you.

[new jersey mike]

Originally Posted by catman

Jess5: Thanks! A concise restatement.

new jersey mike: I think your mind's memories brought forth the smell of the Limburger cheese into your consciousness.

I don't doubt that at times our mind does smell a "memory" but at that moment I had just started to give my wife a neck massage, so I do not believe that a memory of my mother would have fired at that moment (no Freudian comments please).

In this case I do believe it was my mother.

[new jersey mike]

Originally Posted by Bluesmama

My daughter crossed-over at 18 from a fatal car wreck.

Not long afterwards one of her friends showed up at our house in a very anxious mode, and she asked me to let her smell my daughter's perfumes. She went through the bottles and stopped at one, "That's it! That's it!" she almost screamed. (It was also my daughter's favorite, CK1.)

What happened is that she was driving along the freeway and "something" made her take a turn to the graveyard. She started to smell a perfume when she got in the car to the leave and it got stronger as she drove. Then she made that stop at our house.

We were both convinced that she received an ADC (after-death communication). While I and my husband have tapped into other little visits from her, none were olfactory.

ACD is what is called ah?

Here is one very similar, I was divorced about 15 years ago and my mother in-law was the last to pass of the two in-laws. Because of the prior mess I had decided not to go to the funeral. I loved them both and one day I decided to go to the cemetery where they were buried. I had never been to the cemetery before, I drove in about half way there was a circle I parked and walked down a row and found the correct stone.

Go figure..

[new jersey mike]

I forgot to say I was sorry for your loss.

[new jersey mike]

Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar

I'm sympathetic to the fact that you suffered a terrible loss, but that doesn't mean someone is a "turd" for disagreeing that she's communicating with you from the dead.

Why is it the dead only communicate in vague manners? Nobody has ever gotten an unmistakable sign from a dead person because the dead don't commmunicate. Any "signs" someone sees are just wishful thinking, that while understandable, still aren't anything but coincidence.

First I am sorry to all that it has taken me so long to get back to the thread.

Here is an other incident which helps in the pro conversation and belief of the one's who have passed.

I have remarried and my wife's first husband had passed away here in our home. Now this incident might help clarify memory or spirit instances.

At that time we had two dogs, one which slept behind the bed and the other slept way back in the basement.

One night we woke to our lab growling, not a threatening protective growl but the scarred type that dogs do from time to time. I realized the dog was scared so I got out of bed to walk her around. Now as you have read I am open to this topic and was considering it was a visitation. As I wanted the dog to move forward, she was refusing and I had to push her. She passed the bath and stuck her head into the garbage pail to look, to me this was a sign she was confused. I decided to bring her in to the basement to let her continue to look around and when I opened the basement door there was the other dog just sitting just as scarred. He was an older dog who always slept the night away and hard to wake.

So at this time I decided to return to the bedroom with the dog and sent her behind the bed. About 10 minutes go by and she starts to growl again a told her to calm down. I had not mentioned to my wife about my belief in after life visits nor that I thought this was her past husband. Then I got this heavy scent of cedar and I asked her if she smelt it she said yes, she also said hit was his favorite tree, he was a forester before he died.

So in this case we have 2 dogs and 2 people sharing the same situation. I don't know if the dogs smelt cedar but something had both very spooked.

[PatsCats]

Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar

Four? Hmmm. Most of us go through life never needing even one.

Yeah four! I moved 150 miles away from the first one, the second one retired, the third one moved to the other side of the country, and I hadn't seen one again in 25 years until my mother passed away in 2009.

I don't expect you to believe me. After all, I see spirits.