The HyperTexts
The Night the Veil Thinned
by Beth Harris Burch
A few years ago I witnessed something that changed me forever. I saw my Grandmother see Heaven. This took away
my fear of death and the unknown, because I know now, once and for all, that I will truly
be going home to a beautiful, loving place when my time on Earth is done. I want
to share this experience with you because the few people who have heard my
account have also been changed, and I believe it may help many others as well,
so please feel free to share it with anyone who might be comforted or blessed.
Toward the end of my Granny's life she frequently made trips to the emergency
room, and this particular night was supposed to be just like any other. But this
night she came VERY close to passing away. As she lay on the hospital
gurney, struggling for every breath, she was obviously in pain. Her face held a
constant grimace as she fought for each sip of air that went into her struggling
lungs. Alone with her in the room at the time, I was overcome by a crushing
grief and enormous frustration that I couldn't help her, so I remained a silent
observer of her fight for survival. Then, all at once, this tiny lady who had
been a dancer and a true beauty in her younger years gazed upwards, and her
painful grimace became a beatific smile. I sat stunned as the years fell away
from her face.
I realized something had changed because, although she still fought for breath,
she was no longer in pain. I was about to experience one of the most profound
moments of my life. As she gazed upward at the ceiling, yet clearly NOT seeing
anything in the room, she began to speak quietly and wave her small right hand
over and over again. Although it didn't seem possible, her smile grew wider and
brighter with each new discovery that only she could see. I have NEVER seen
anyone more happy or more excited. It was as if she was greeting long-lost loved
ones and was now, literally, dying to put her arms around them.
As I sat there stunned, I was absolutely positive that I was seeing my
Grandmother see Heaven. There was simply no other explanation for an 84-year-old
woman becoming young again before my eyes, as the almost-constant grief that she
had carried with her since my father’s suicide many years before vanished. My
Grandmother was filled with a joy so great, it took MY breath away. I don't
expect to see anything as wonderful again, until perhaps my own time comes. So
now, although I don't want to leave anytime soon, I no longer fear what lies
beyond this plane of existence, because I look forward to experiencing such
profound joy and happiness myself.
The following day when Granny was out of danger of dying, I asked her what she
had seen when she was smiling so brightly and waving at the ceiling, and she
confirmed what I already knew. She told me that she saw her father, her mother,
her sisters and my father. Although she was glad to be alive, I could tell that
she was also ready to be with her family in Heaven as well. I am sure the only
reason she stayed on Earth was so my grandfather could have his "little bride"
for a while longer. In fact, when Pawpaw said he wasn't ready to let her go,
Granny said, "You know I can't live forever, and now I don't want to." That day
Pawpaw signed a DNR (do not resuscitate) order.
As my preacher said, the veil is very thin when we come that close to
death, and although my Granny survived that night, I believe she secretly wished
that she had not been brought back from the brink. Well, several months later my
tiny Granny finally left this Earth, and not long after, my Pawpaw followed his
"little bride." I am confident that they are now dancing in Heaven together.
I hope that anyone who reads this is brought a sense of peace and hope, for I
am peaceful and hopeful in the knowledge that I will see my departed loved ones
again. If you or a loved one are seriously ill, or perhaps are just feeling
despair, I hope this helps quell any fears you may have, because I am absolutely
positive that there is no reason to be afraid of death and what lies beyond. God
bless you all, and take care.
Beth Harris Burch
July 30, 2010
Beth Harris Burch is the wife of Michael R. Burch, the editor of The
HyperTexts. He comments: "I once did an in-depth study on near death
experiences (NDEs), but this is the one I have the most confidence in, because I
know Beth to be a woman of integrity who wanted to report what she saw
accurately, and I worked with her to make sure all the details were reported
correctly. For instance, we talked about whether Beth's grandmother waved with
both hands or with just her right hand. Reports I have read indicate that one in
five Americans has had an experience similar to the one Beth's grandmother had:
seeing one's departed family and friends. Usually such experiences are
comforting; quite often they are life-transforming. While it is possible that
people's brains could be playing tricks on them, NDEs do have certain
interesting characteristics, in general: (1) the people seen "on the other side"
seem to always be the dead, but if the brain was only hallucinating it seems the
living would be seen as well; (2) people who have NDEs often report the
transmission of information that could not have come from normal earthly
sources; (3) religious beliefs do not seem to influence the process because most
Christians who speak about entering what seems to be heaven don't report seeing
Jesus or God, or being "judged," etc., but are most often greeted by someone
they know
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