My husband had died at 2:45 a.m. after a long (20 month) illness.  I was resting on my bed in our bedroom.  I had called the funeral home and was waiting for them to arrive.  My stepson, daughter-in-law, and mother were in another room.  I was tired but not asleep.  My mind was close to blank when a "thought" came to me.  It was an image of my husband, but small -like a thought bubble in a cartoon- just to the right of my right shoulder and above/in back of my head.  One striking thing about the image was that it was red, almost like a red line drawing.  And in my head I heard him say "Weezie, this is fantastic! I can't wait for you to try it!"  In the image he was very happy and excited.  In the image there was a spot behind him which was blurry, but which may have been "the little old man" who came to visit him.  I never saw this visitor but Gene saw him many times between July and his death.  He told me the man said he had come to help him.  Gene told me and a friend about the little old man.  His friend got a few more details than I.   

This experience had the same quality as when I once "saw" a ghost.  Also, when the  prayer of progression was said for Gene at church, I "thought/heard" him say "thank you" from the same kind odd space/time.

Length of time between death of deceased and your experience:         

within one hour

Was the date of the experience significant in any way?     It was within one hour of his death.

Details of location of experience and your activity at the time of experience: 

I was resting on my bed.  My husband's body was on his bed.  Waiting for the funeral home to come.

 Have you had multiple experiences?  Yes     two

            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? 

There were words, indeed, but I felt like it was a thought not actual hearing of physical sound.

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

It was Gene's voice even if the sound was a thought.

Did you see the deceased?        

Uncertain

He looked like his healthy self.  I think I saw him from about the mid-thigh up but it looked like he was bouncing a little.  (He was very bouncy in life.)

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Very recognizable, the redness was the most unusual aspect

            How much of the deceased did you see?       Head to mid-thigh

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       About the same age but without the effects of the illness

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            Healthy

How long did the experience last?       

Seconds

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

Sudden.  My mind was blank.  Then the "thought" appeared.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          

Yes, Very happy and excited.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know? 

My husband had always avoided the subject of either of our deaths.  For him to say that the experience was fantastic and that he couldn't wait for me to try it was somewhat ironic, but very much in keeping with his sense of curiousity.  He would have known that I'd be most interested in his opinion at that moment.

 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:         

It was real.  I just don't know if it was just a thought or a communication.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  

No
 
Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:          

I felt very tired and particularly blank.  I'd already cried and was just resting in the aftermath of a long illness and intense emotion.  I did feel quite close to Gene and I'd been in bed with him talking comfortingly to him until he stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.

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

Yes

Sense of having had a communication which indicated that he was interested in where he was going.  He also knew that I was fearful of death, so this news that it was fantastic was very reassuring.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     

It was all good.

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

Uncertain                  Describe:           

Caused me to pursue the subject more.

What other attitudes and beliefs about your experience do you currently have?

Life-changing. Joy I am very interested in the subject of ADCs.  Particularly interested in what the redness might mean.  I believe that the angel of death in Hinduism is red.  I'm curious to know if the color red turns up in other ADCs.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Uncertain      A stronger, calmer sense that there may be another side.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Uncertain      It has given me a great deal of comfort with regard to Gene's suffering.  It has made me less of a scientific materialist, yet wanting to approach the subject in a way which will allow me to understand.  I'd say I see life and death as more of a continuum now.  It has excited my curiousity, but has not revealed any spiritual truths.

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?        Yes

Gene and I had a compact.  We also had code words which would be how we would verify communication by means of a medium.  Those words have not been used in any mediumistic setting (I've been in a couple).
 
What emotions did you feel during the experience?            I felt that the experience was real whatever it was and that it was very comforting, almost joyous.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes

This is hard to describe.  It was like my brain jumped the track.  Same as when I saw a ghost, which I promptly forgot and would not have remembered if my roommate had not seen her too at a different time, and somehow the subject came up in conversation, jogging my memory.

 Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?           Uncertain

Just the blur which I thought might be the "little old man".