On a recent episode of Super Soul Sunday, Oprah interviewed Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of The Omega Institute and author of Marrow: A Love Story. A gripping memoir, Marrow chronicles Elizabeth’s journey with her ill sister, Maggie, who Elizabeth gifted with her bone marrow. Amazing story—a highly recommended read!
In addition to her book, Elizabeth discussed a “visitation dream” where Maggie, now deceased, came to her. The segment was poignant for me as I, too, have been involved in the care of gravely ill sisters. And because I, too, have had such dreams. My most memorable one featured a visit from my beloved sister, Donna.
Typically, visitation dreams are vivid, leaving the dreamer with an overwhelming feeling that the deceased person has truly visited them from the other side. That was certainly my experience. Although my dream of Donna occurred ten years ago, I can still—right now today—recall every detail.
I stood in what seemed like a cemetery; yet, it had a park-esque feel with beautiful green grass and trees. The graves nor their markers were prominent. But a tall, elegant statue of a female angel was.
Mesmerized by the beauty of the statue, I stared intently at the angel’s face. Though made of stone, she seemed to be communicating with me. It was then that I became aware of something—an unknown force—from behind me. It tugged energetically at my back, as if “it” wanted me to turn around and look. I turned. And, lo and behold, there was my beautiful, red-haired sister, Donna, who had died three years earlier. My heart leapt.
Donna smiled broadly, as she danced happily atop a mountain, a cliff of sorts with its red rock layers evident. Looking healthy and radiant, Donna wore a formal gown—a dress that I had helped her select for a black-tie evening when she was installed as president of the Lubbock Board of Realtors.
In her right hand, she held a megaphone. She would occasionally put it to her mouth and yell at me in a cheering kind of way. She would remove the megaphone and dance with delight. Then she would again put the megaphone to her mouth and shout at me. She would laugh and dance some more, all the while with a radiant smile.
The bounteous love, joy, and enthusiasm she radiated pierced the very core of my heart. Clearly, she was showing me that her spirit was alive and happy in the afterlife.
Donna was sending me another important message via the megaphone, and exactly what that was eluded me when dreaming. For the rest of the night, though, words—thousands of words—tumbled endlessly through my mind.
Early the next morning, I sat down at my computer with coffee cup in hand. I began writing on my current book project, my second non-fiction book, which was then two-thirds complete and under contract with a literary agent. In the weeks before the dream, I had been finding the work tedious and lackluster.
Unexpectedly, without any conscious thought, I suddenly placed my cursor on “New File” and a story began pouring out. Words and names flew effortlessly onto the pages as if I were not the one writing them. Thus, my debut novel, The Girl Who Could Read Hearts, was born. This past April the book was published, and it is now growing legs.
With her visit that hot August night, Donna gave me a gigantic gift: an inspirational novel that offers heavenly hope to millions.
What is heavenly hope? It’s ULTIMATE HOPE: a light-filled golden chord that connects our souls to God… to Heaven… to Eternity.
If you are blessed to experience a visitation dream , believe it. Receive its messages. Your life will be the better for it.
