Not the Final Stage
By Katen Manahan

Death is not the final stage for us. Some people believe when we die, that's it. I know from many experiences that isn't true. Maybe this will enlighten and educate the skeptics and non-believers. At first, I was just like you and it took a tragedy in my life to make me realize that there is life after we die. As odd as this may seem, I am grateful for the humbleness that I felt when my son was killed in 1992. It also taught me that the spirit world is always with us and that they are in safe hands and full of life, humor and light.

One month after the death of my oldest child, Brad, who died 7-13-92 at the age of 16, he came to me. I was having an extremely hard time getting to sleep and having a lot of stomach and leg pain. I remember looking at the clock and seeing that it had been two hours since we'd gone to bed. A calming sensation came over me and I remember seeing white all around me. My eyes were open and I was not asleep! I could hear large wings.

Brad appeared and it was so wonderful to see him!!! He spoke to me and told me that he was fine and he was happy. He told me that he loved me - always did and always would.

Before he died, we had an argument on the phone and unkind words were spoken. I had told him that when he could talk nice to me, without the bad words, he could call me back and we would talk. Then, I hung up the phone. Brad was in Ohio with his Dad and his twin brothers. I lived in Montana with his sister and my husband. Three weeks later, Brad was killed in a very bad car accident.

That part was all recaptured during his visit with me and he told me he wasn't mad at me anymore and that he forgave me and that he loved me very much. He was starting to vanish and, of course, I didn't want him to leave me again. I told him I needed a hug from him and he told me that when he saw me, he gave me a hug that would last me for the rest of my life until we were together again. Then, he was gone. I looked at the clock and 20-30 minutes had passed. I was no longer in pain and I fell into the deepest sleep I have ever known!

My best friend, June, was dying of cancer and she was given six months to live. That is exactly what she had. The night before she died, I dreamt that I was driving past her house and she was standing in the window waving to me. I found this dream odd as she was in the hospital where she had been for some time.

Before she died, she told me that she would let me know if my son Brad could hear me when I talked to him. June and I both raised birds and my favorite cockatiel, Casper, for some reason flew off his cage and flew into one of my plants. He ingested some of the dirt and it poisoned his precious little system. I took him to our vet and was given no promises. I was sound asleep and, at 1:30 in the morning, I was awakened by "Katen, Casper just died!" I said, "What?" and the message was repeated. I called my vet the first thing in the morning and asked how Casper was. He told me that he was at the clinic tending to other animals. He had Casper in his hands trying to flush his system and he died at 1:30 a.m. The voice that I heard was June's and she let me know in her own voice that my son, Brad, could hear me just as she'd promised.

I have had contacts from Laci Peterson, Natalee Holloway and Jessica Lunsford. Although they were brief, except for Natalee, they still happened. Natalee's connection or contact to me was intense and extreme. Maybe someday I will write about it. I've had a lot of contacts from my son, Brad, my father-in-law, my aunt, my uncle, my cousin, my grandparents, my momma, my best friend, and from one of my husband's sisters and his niece that crossed over in 1979.

If you allow yourself to hear and focus and you have an open mind, you too can communicate. It is hard to focus and the first time will scare the mess out of you. I was recently told that the age the person dies and the conditions that they die under is what they do in Heaven. They assist those same age categories and death matters with the new person. For example: My son Brad died at age 16 from a massive car accident. He helps kids his age that die of the same thing cope with their new surroundings. He shows them the scene from start to finish and what they would have been like if they were allowed to live. He then teaches them how to transform to the new life ahead of them by teaching them  how to accelerate in their new Spirit form, how to travel, how to listen and hear their families cry for them and how they can try and comfort their family. Whatever age you are when you die and from what condition you die from is what you are assigned to do when you cross over.

The Spirit World is wonderful and so exciting! Yes, they really do exist. Isn't it nice that we have such a wonderful life to look forward to and that it only gets better! I am looking forward to the time when my timer is up and I can be with my loved ones that crossed over before me. Until then, I will live my life on earth as if it is my last and do the very best I can do!