Goodbye encounter?

In December of 2005, my former stepmother, Donna, was found unconscious on the floor of her home. Finally succumbed to a lifelong addiction to alcohol. She lingered in the hospital for weeks and was moved to a short-term rehabilitation center where she was hovering between life and death. The news and prognosis was confusing. It was one of those situations where she could possibly pull through or possibly die. The doctors could not give us any certainty. She came close to death several times, but always seemed to stabilize. My father and her sons made the difficult decisions not to keep her alive on machines. She had always told us that she did not want to live that way if anything should happen to her. Each day was full of uncertainty. It was a very stressful time.

In the wee hours of December 30th, I had a dream. In the dream I saw Donna and she was surrounded by a bright light. She was smiling and happy. I was confused because I knew she was sick. I asked her why she was not in the hospital because she was ill and needed to be there. She told me she did not need to be there anymore, that she was better now and that everything was going to be okay. She told me not to worry about her anymore. She hugged me. I woke up that morning to the phone ringing and I knew immediately what had happened. I knew she had died during the night. My mom answered the phone and came into my bedroom a few moments later to tell me the news.

The dream still brings me comfort. It has been six years, but I miss her everyday. It is tragic to watch someone kill themselves with an addiction. But you can only help those who want help. Despite her turmoil with the disease, this dream gives me hope that she found peace in the end. I hope that's true.