A couple of nights ago I had a wonderful dream. My grandpa visited me.

My Grandpa Yamane (Dad’s father) passed away when I was a senior in high school. It’s hard to explain but years since his death, I have felt a kind of connection with him.  I’ve had a number of dreams about him over the many years so in some ways, I feel like he is with me. The latest dream I had was a couple of nights ago.

What made this recent dream so special was in it I knew he had passed away.  I saw him and was so happy to see his smiling face. I asked him how he was. He was dressed in a suit (just like the one in the photo below). I felt so close to him, a kind of connection hard to describe. I asked him how he was. And he knew I was really asking, “What’s it like to be in the afterlife?”  I don’t remember any specific words he said, but remember this very warm, peaceful, assuring smile on his face. When I awoke from it, I lay there wanting to remember everything I could about the dream. Slowly a smile came over me, a very calm feeling within, and specifically, the concept of death held no fear for me.

Carol's Grandpa, Ellis Sadao Yamane

.

For those close to me, you know I have been on my own spiritual journey for a while. And all I can say is it has been extraordinarily fulfilling for me. There’s a kind of  understanding I feel within as I practice daily gratitude, more patience and compassion of others, acceptance and respect for others on their own unique life journey.

I strongly believe our purpose “here” is to find love, joy, and a kind of peace that begins from within. And if we are so fortunate, we carry that on to our next “adventure”, wherever that may be.  I believe all individuals we cross paths with are teachers and every situation presents varied and invaluable life lessons.  And if we choose to receive them in this way, it allows us to make ongoing discoveries to that end. And so even in my dreams, where my Grandpa visits me every once in a while, I am grateful for what he wants to share and teach me.

.

.

.