I thought I had finally drifted off to sleep but was awakened by the presence of something or someone else in the bedroom.  I first looked at the clock and saw it was about 2:05 a.m., then turned around and suddenly saw a bluish-white form in the opposite corner of the room.  It was about 4 or 5 feet high and seemed to be hovering a slight distance above the floor.  A feeling of peace came over me and inside my head I distinctly heard the words "I'm all right, everything's OK.  Please take care of her."  The light faded out and for the first time since the accident, I slept soundly.

The next morning I remembered what happened quite clearly, but initially thought it might have actually been a dream or possibly a hallucination-like experience brought on by grief and lack of sleep.  Both my wife and I have advanced degrees in the sciences and normally aren't likely to see events in non-rational terms, so I didn't say anything to her about what had happened.  Then part of the way through breakfast, she asked me if I had seen anything strange during the night.  I hesitated but said yes without going any deeper.  She then told me, "Well, about 2 o'clock I saw a light in the room and heard the words, 'I'm all right ...' "

Despite every bit of scientific training that tells me the events I've described could not have happened, THEY DID and TWO OF US saw them.  To this day I remain convinced that my brother-in-law spoke to us from the other side.  Since then, my views of death have changed somewhat.  I still want to hang onto life on this plane as long as humanly possible, but when the time comes to leave, I no longer fear what awaits.

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:   See description above

            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?  Inside of me

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

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           None whatsoever.

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

Did you see the deceased?         Again see above.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            More of a bluish-white mist than an actual form.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       The form was somewhat amorphous, but cylindrical and upright as in enveloping a human.  However, it was somewhat shorter than my brother-in-law and did not really resemble a human being except in general orientation.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       n/a

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            n/a

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        About 3 to 5 minutes

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         Beginning was apparently sudden, because I turned around to see the mist.  At the end it faded away in about 10 or 15 seconds.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

Peaceful and comforting.

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:          Two people saw the same thing

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   Uncertain

I was tired and under severe stress at the time, and as stated above initially attributed my experience to dreaming.

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           A sudden sense of peace and "completion".

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

I felt that the sadness and loss we felt were somehow mitigated by the fact that my brother-in-law was at peace with what had happened to him.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best part was the feeling of peace and understanding.  The worst part was realizing that it truly was the end and we would never see him again.

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

            Describe:      Only very slightly.  I'm still trying to live 100% in this life with the people and family around me, but I also have the knowledge that when I do go over, it will not be into darkness and loneliness.

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

I felt that my belief in life after death was now no longer an article of faith as taught by Christianity or Judaism, but was now based on experientially-defined knowledge.

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

Again as mentioned, I have far less fear of death than I had prior to the experience.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Again, peace, relief, "letting go".

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           Yes

Did you see a light?           Yes

Again as described, a bluish-white mist about 4 or 5 feet tall and very roughly delineating a human form.

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes

Only once, many years ago, with a friend who I knew to have moderately strong psychic abilities.  She was very understanding and sympathetic and told me that I was not alone; others had presented similar stories to her over the years.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Yes 

Only once - while in college, woke up partially from a dream and felt that I was not in the dorm but instead was walking around the 2nd floor of my parents' house.  The feeling disappeared when I woke fully.  However, that night my parents called and said that in the morning they had been downstairs but heard footsteps on the second floor and that their dogs had gone running to investigate!