Experience description:

Three days after my dad passed away and my grandparents were getting ready to return to New Mexico, my grandma asked my mom if she would change the answering machine.  She said that it would be to painful to call and hear his voice on the machine.  My mom said okay.  Before she recorded over his message,  we tape recorded the message onto a tape so that we could always have his voice.  My mom proceeded to record a new message.  She hit the "playback" button and heard her message but it sounded very sad.  She re-recorded it again trying to sound a little more cheerful.  She left it go after the second recording.  Later that day, we had several messages on the machines from family and friends seeing how we were doing. 

The next morning, we left for New Mexico for the final funeral.  Every night that we were there, my mom would pray that Marty would somehow give us a sign, something to tell us that he was safe and where he was meant to be.  Every time he would leave and go out of town, he would call and let us know that he was safe and had arrived at his destination.  A week later when we arrived home,  I used my cell phone to call home and see if we had any messages.  When I heard his voice, I exclaimed to my mom "I thought you changed the message!" and she said that she had, and reminded me that I was sitting there when she did it!  Sure enough,  when we got home, his message was back on the answering machine like we had never touched it!

Was this experience difficult to express in words? 

No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?           

No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?         

Yes

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:  

The answering machine message was exactly how he had left it from many months before.  Nothing was changed from the message at all.

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated? 

External.  It was still on the answering machine.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?          

Exactly the same

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?          

No

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?  

No, I was not the only one that had heard it.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?           

No

Did you see the deceased?        

No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?     

No

How long did the experience last?       

Until we changed the answering machine, shortly afterwards...

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?        

Very sudden and surprising.  We had no idea that he would be back on the answering machine, because other people had called and left us messages on the new voice recording.  We also re-recorded it twice to make sure that the message was changed.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          

Yes

It felt like he was telling us that he made it to heaven. He was safe and we shouldn't worry.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          

Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:         

I believe that it was definitely real because I wasn't the only one who had witnessed it.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  

No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:          

I was so happy to hear his voice sounding cheerful.  It was a sign that he was safe and that we shouldn't worry about it.  It also made me feel like of confused like maybe he didn't want us to change the machine and wanted things to stay the way that they were when he was here.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?          

Yes

I feel that he made it home...

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     

The best was knowing that he is home.  There really is a heaven and people do go there.  It was also great knowing that this experience could lead to other experiences and "meetings" in the future.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?        

Yes

            Describe:     

I read the bible more to learn about life after death and to see what heaven really is.  I am very involved with people with disabilities and I would like to focus on adults with cancer doing vocational things, something that I hadn't thought of much before my dad had passed away.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes

I pray every night that he is safe and will come to me in my dreams and talk to me or give me a sign that he's thinking about me and loves me.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?           

Yes

I think that if they want to contact you, eventually they can and will in some way.  It may not sink in at first, because for us it took a day or two to realize, but when it hits you, its a great feeling to know that they are safe and where they should be.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?       

No

What emotions did you feel during the experience?           

At peace with the death.  I feel that he made it to heaven and that he isn't suffering anymore.  He isn't in any more pain.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          

Yes

My mom had left a new answering machine message because Marty's mom couldn't call and bear to listen to his voice on the machine since he had passed... We listened to the new message that she had recorded several times and had other messages on the machine after she had re-recorded it.  When I called the house a week later to see if we had any messages,  his voice was back on the answering machine.

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes

They were surprised but also felt a sense of relief and also possibly disbelief that he was in heaven now.  There wasn't any questioning anymore, he was home.  I think that overall it gave us a sense of peace.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?              

Yes

I explained everything as accurately as possible.