I may have captured a glimpse of what the “after life” looks like. No, I didn’t die and come back from the grave. This new perspective actually took place late one evening in my back yard. With it came a rush of peace and calm, recognized but not experienced for quite awhile.
As our small dog bounded from one shadowed bush to another in the full moonlight glow, sniffing for prey, I sat watching her, observing the scene before me, and listening. The gentle breeze rustled leaves and swayed branches of the nearby willow tree. Stars seemed oddly misplaced. The wooden furniture and lawn decorations reflected a glow below the giant white orb in the sky. I can only describe it as a gray light, revealing earthbound objects with dark lines and soft, eerie shapes, as well as identifying the whereabouts of a small dog and scurrying rabbits. Then I noticed the peace.
A calm contentment filled every cell of my being. “This is it,” I mused. “This is what the ‘after-life’ is like.” After the busyness of the day. After the chaos of a longed-for event. After being with many people and their life’s challenges…and mine…this is what final rest must be like. I wondered if after my tired body is no longer needed, perhaps my spirit, my soul, becomes part of this gray light, filling the night with peace simply by being the light.
I enjoyed my few moments alone in the shimmering shadows. I also happily shared this insight with my husband as he sat down beside me on our wooden bench. As we sat there and shared the final remnants of this late evening moment, I envisioned the two of us together, still holding hands of eternal love and our souls melting together into the silence of the gray light. And I smiled.