I believe that NOBODY knows what happens to you when you die. But when it happens it all becomes clear and you find yourself thinking "Oh, this is what it is all about".

I think the next life is our real life, it'll be like returning home.

No there is no "afterlife".

I'll look out for you there whitewave. I'll be the one wearing the 'I told you there was an afterlife' tee shirt!

When my lovely DH was near the end of his life,about 20 minutes prior he suddenly looked up to the right hand corner of the bedroom ceiling, he opened his eyes so wide almost in disbelief, he then more or less closed his eyes and about 5 minutes later put his hand up and waved towards the end of the bed, he did this three times in about 5 mins, he passed away about 20 mins later...he must have seen some one or something! we will never know who or what and will never know if he was waving "hello" or "goodbye"

One of the many times he had been taken in hospital with a heart attack..he had come back round from his attack but they said he may have another within a short time, his son came to visit him it was late at night... my DH opened his eyes and said to his son "there's a vulture sat on your shoulder"! my DH recovered and lived another 5 yrs but he always remembered seeing the vulture on his sons shoulder (and he was a very nice son son nothing to do with anything)
I think and hope that there is some kind of afterlife a we all have to believe we will see our loved ones again, otherwise the pain is just too much.

I agree bikergran. We may not know what form it will take but I believe in some way all that love that we feel for someone cannot be lost. I hope not anyway. That is what faith is all about. It's not knowledge or certainty it is faith.

TriciaF = "But as someone once said, if it is, heaven must be a very crowded place."

I know what you mean, but when I had my experience there was no flesh involved. The flesh does die, perish, but the spirit (or whatever I firmly believe exists) may be no more that a breath...a sigh. They won't be taking up space. I look at grains of sand on the beach; could we ever count all the grains of sand in the world?

My experience only led me to believe I am a carrier or a vessel for - well, for no idea, but whatever it is, it's strong and independent of the body. I so firmly believe we go on.

Just before my mother died, she was extremely ucid, and seemed happy. She wasn't drugged a week beforehand, but she asked the neighbour in the two bed ward if she'd mind putting the armchair next to the bed. She told her she was going to have a visitor, her husband. Dad had died over twenty years ago, in the '70s.

"He'll be here soon," she told her. We questioned Mum at visiting time, telling her Dad couldn't visit, he'd died. She was doing her crossword puzzle and smiled. "He's on his way, trust me," she said.

A week later she'd been sitting up in bed and I was combing her hair. She was weak, but able to chat about things. She put her hand up suddenly and said "What's that at the end of the bed?" I told her there was nothing there. She said "It's fluttering, like a butterfly. You must be able to see it?"

She got quite agitated when I said I couldn't. "It's really bright and pretty. Look, it's there!" This lasted for about ten minutes or more and she was convinced something fluttering was at the end of her bed. She really wanted us to confirm it, but there was nothing there.

She went to sleep that evening, quite contented and smiling, telling her family she'd be "right as rain after a good nights sleep."

She never woke from that sleep and I am SO grateful she died feeling positive.

I shan't say the same to you jane as neither you nor I will exert in any form well except dust.

Exist!

I'm sad to hear that you have so little hope whitewave. As I said previously dying will be our last great adventure. We'll be setting off into the unknown. It'll be great. No rush though!

Ah, but whitewave, as I say to my sceptical son who says exactly the same thing, "But you don't know that for sure."

I don't KNOW either, for sure, but experiences when fully compos mentis lead me to firmly believe there is more. (Until they'd happened I thought death was the end.)

The thing is though dying holds not a nano-second of fear for me nor do I give it any thought (day-to-day). It is simply nothing to worry about. You will also not be disappointed because you will not be. Think before you were conceived - that's is how death is.

I do worry about the lead up to death though.

Yes that bit is undoubtedly a worry!

Having watched my husband die in our own bed after refusing to eat and drink any more, that doesn't worry me, either.

That doesn't sound good dj

No, but it helps you accept death. He had a brain tumour which was terminal. He'd had enough.

Seeing things like lights at end of life is not proof of an after life. As the brain starts to shut down the nerve connections are erratic and misfire causing hallucinations.

Yes but many people who have had near death experiences have described things about the hospital that they couldn't possible have seen. I haven't a shadow of a doubt that there is an afterlife. Life itself is a miracle, the universe had a beginning, scientists still can't explain what started it.

I can be there with your thoughts dj my dh did exactly the same, although in tbe hospital bed we had brought in..he too had had enough of struggling.

Hi, biker. How are you?
It would have been our golden wedding anniversary ten days ago.
Had three of our grandchildren here instead. That's the afterlife, seeing signs of their grandad in them.

I agree durhamjen. For me too the afterlife is looking at life after.

Now I look at my DGC and can see in them, things I saw in my late grandad, grandma and my own mum.

I envy you your lack of fear in dying whitewave. I have always feared death. Not sure how/if I could ever overcome it. In fact sometimes I fear death so much I find it hard to enjoy living.

In her very last days my grandma talked to my late grandad as though he was there in the room with us. She held out her arms to him and pleaded with him to "take her".

I'm ok thanks dj I'm sure your Golden Wedding day was full of happy and sad memories...

Oh yes there is, jings!