When I was very young I use to play a came called “Red Rover”. I have a distinct memory of playing with a group of children on the front lawn of the church I often went to.  Two lines of children holding hands face each other about ten feet apart. The opposing team would call out a name “Red Rover, Red Rover send Phyllis over…”  Then my line would release me, and I would run headlong with all my might into their line hoping to break the chain, in which case I could return to my team. If not, if their line held tight and I was caught in their web, I would have to join them.  I think of this game often as it reminds me so much of life and death.  Yes, I think of these things daily. We live our lives with our hands entwined with our loved ones on earth but at some point in time we are called to the Otherside by the loved ones who have gone before us.  Most of us when we are called do not break the chain, we embrace the Afterlife and stay.  But once in a blue moon though we hear of people who have been called to the Otherside only to return with visions of wonder and comfort. In my old neighborhood a young man with brain damage from a car crash told me his story.  He and his friends had been drinking and driving and they crashed, everyone died (stayed) except him.  He distinctly remembers seeing his deceased Grandmother on the Otherside, she explained to him it was not his time and he needed to return to care for his own mother. He spent a long time in the hospital, trached and unconscious, but he did emerge from his coma and now lives with his Mother who is caring for him, as he cares for her in a way only the soul understands.

There is mystery to life and death we will never know, but those who have come back bring with them memories and experiences of their time on the Otherside, when shared can offer comfort to those of us who are still standing yet to be called.