Animals and the Afterlife (13 page)

Beth Hammond’s Near-Death Experience

Clara Elizabeth (Beth) Hammond, Law Enforcement Florida

Kim’s note:
Although Beth did not actually encounter animals during her NDE, she did receive an important message about them. Following is her story….

I
WENT TO THE HOSPITAL
for outpatient surgery on my foot. I was afraid to be put to sleep because in the past there had been some complications and they had to shock my heart. I had the surgery, and they put two stainless steel screws in my foot. Off to home I went, feeling okay.

Somewhere between 7:00 and 7:30
P.M
., I became really sick. I was vomiting repeatedly till about 3:30 or so in the morning. I was exhausted. The TV was on, and I told my family to just let me sleep on the den sofa. I was so tired I only wanted to go to sleep. I begged, “Just let me go to sleep.”

I remember closing my eyes. I was in this long, dark tunnel. I was traveling at the speed of light. As I neared the end of the tunnel, I saw the most brilliant yellow light coming toward me. I was beginning to feel warm. The nearer the light got, the warmer I felt. I could hear myself saying, “Oh God, please let me stay; don’t make me go back.”

This was the first time in my life that I felt such Divine love. There is no love on Earth with any human being that has this Divine love I experienced. The forgiveness and acceptance was extraordinary. There was so much warmth and compassion that I did not want to return to life. There is no comparison here on Earth. I felt so safe and protected. I never wanted to leave.

I looked more into the light. I saw this amber and green electricity come from it. It became enlarged, and before my eyes I saw my life revealed—every thought, every wish, every desire, and every pain I had imposed on anything or anyone.

I heard a voice say, “Be not afraid, child. It is not your time. You are not through on Earth. Everything has a purpose, and you will have to complete yours before you return. Mankind is doing things the wrong way. Go back and teach humankind that love is what is important. Love one another justly. Help those who cannot help themselves. Teach one another compassion, undying love, and respect. My creatures on Earth, large and small, are here for a purpose. Mankind needs to learn from my creatures. They are here to teach us what is important in life. If you have no love and respect for my creatures whom you have seen, how can you respect me and love me whom you have not seen? Go back and tell the four corners of the earth what is truly important—not which religion. You are but the pure in heart. There will be many wars, poverty, storms upon storms to rage the earth, but will man ever listen? My child, go back and tell.”

I
AWOKE GASPING FOR AIR
—screaming for someone to come to me. I slowly began to relax and began to try to decipher what happened to me. I kept thinking, Maybe I am psychotic or maybe I just dreamed all of this. It was so real. I was shaking. I was afraid to tell even my family for fear of being ridiculed. I began to deny it. I wanted to pretend this didn’t happen to me. Why me? I was an ordinary person. Why didn’t God pick a priest or religious person? Why me, a nobody?

I went back to my surgeon on the following Monday. I said to him, “Before we get started, I have to talk to someone. I might be losing my mind. I have a story to tell you.”

I told the doctor my story. I then asked the doctor, “Has anyone else ever told you something to that effect?”

He said, “I have heard of this before and have been told of such happenings.”

I asked him if he thought I was insane.

He said, “No, Mrs. Hammond, I don’t. I believe your heart had enough electricity to start back on its own. That was what all the gasping was about. It was not your time.”

Kim’s note:
Beth had never even heard of an NDE when she had her experience, yet it had all of the classic traits described by countless people around the world who have also had near-death experiences. Furthermore, as is often the case, she returned from the experience with gifts she hadn’t had before (visions and premonitions that later came true). I was particularly struck by the message Beth received during her NDE. If everyone heeded this message, our world would be a far better place. It is high time that everyone on this planet—including the animals—receive the love, respect, and compassion they deserve. Our animal friends are here to teach us, but it is up to us to listen.

-
C
HAPTER
8
-

Heavenly Visitors: Feeling a Presence

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

—H
ELEN
K
ELLER

J
UST AS WE ARE NOW BEGINNING
to realize how common it is to receive contacts from the Other Side upon the passing of a beloved
human,
I’ve found that the same holds true upon the passing of a beloved
animal.
As I compiled the material that was to eventually become this book, I was amazed to discover that the majority of the stories I gathered were from everyday people who had never been to a medium or animal communicator—and had never had a near-death experience—who had been the subjects of profound, life-changing encounters with the spirits of animals. Many of these people had never before given the afterlife much thought, and they wouldn’t have believed in such encounters had they not experienced them firsthand.

Early on, I began putting the word out about my project by placing ads in various publications and posting flyers on bulletin boards everywhere I went, asking if anyone had had experiences that seemed to imply life after death for animals. People soon began contacting me, confiding that they had indeed had such experiences but hadn’t shared them with many people, if any, for fear of being ridiculed. In the early days, it seemed that most people who had stories to share were hesitant to use their real names. However, as time went on, I found that the majority of the people were delighted to be included in this project and to disclose their identity.

I also began exhibiting at various animal-related conferences and trade shows, continuing to put out the call for relevant stories. Everywhere I went, people came up to me and shared their own personal experiences. I found that even at unrelated events, such as health conferences, when I put out my flyers and business cards, there was always a handful of people who responded. As the years went on, I found that people from all walks of life had such experiences—cab drivers, teachers, dentists, scientists, you name it. When I put a little blurb about this project on my answering machine, I found that those who called to leave unrelated messages (such as to confirm an appointment) often mentioned that they had, indeed, had such an experience.

Somewhere along the journey, I was connected with a wonderful woman named Judith Guggenheim. She and her former husband, Bill Guggenheim, coined the term “After-Death Communication” (ADC), to describe the experience of being contacted by a loved one who has died. They define an ADC as “a spiritual experience that takes place when a person is contacted directly and spontaneously by a family member or friend who has died.” They explain that ADCs are always initiated by the deceased loved ones themselves, without the assistance of mediums or other such helpers or tools.

In their groundbreaking book,
Hello From Heaven!,
Bill and Judith compiled the results of seven years of research in which they interviewed and collected stories from thousands of people who had experienced ADCs. When I first learned of their research, and then went to see Judith when she came to town to give a lecture on the subject, I was delighted—though not surprised—to find that the ADCs they had compiled involving deceased
humans
were remarkably similar to those I was collecting involving
animals
.

Over the years, I gathered stories of people from all walks of life, from around the world, that provide amazing evidence of an afterlife for animals. In some cases, people are contacted by their beloved animal companions in dreams (this is covered in a later chapter); in other cases, their presence is made known in full waking reality, sometimes in the company of more than one witness. These witnesses include humans and sometimes other animals.

Such contacts can take many forms, including sounds, scents, mysteriously moving objects, visual apparitions, and occasionally, fully physical (though temporary) manifestations, which, in some instances, have actually been touched. The witnesses of these contacts are not always loved ones grieving the loss of their own beloved animal companions (and who, according to skeptics, might dream up these experiences as a way of dealing with their grief). Sometimes the witnesses are strangers who don’t have prior belief in such experiences and, in some cases, don’t even know about the deceased animals they witness until the details are corroborated after the fact.

Many of the stories that follow (in this and subsequent chapters) contain more than one type of contact (such as hearing a sound
and
feeling a touch), so I’ve categorized them based upon what I feel is the most pronounced aspect of the experience—or where the stories seem to fit best. In this chapter, the most predominant aspect of the stories is what I have categorized as “Feeling a Presence.” Now, I’ll let the stories speak for themselves….

Bo

Al Vickers, Retired Schoolteacher British Columbia, Canada

I
N THE EARLY SPRING
, after many wonderful years, my beloved St. Bernard, Bo, died of cancer. My story is about Bo, and is a story that perhaps offers strong evidence of an afterlife for animals.

Before I get into details, I should introduce myself and give you some background information.

I’m a retired teacher who taught high school for twenty-six years in Vancouver, B.C. My wife, Sharon, who is key to this story, is a retired secretary from the Burnaby School Board located in the greater Vancouver area. For ten years, Sharon and I travelled from the rural Fraser Valley to our jobs in Vancouver. Although the daily commute was long and arduous, it was a trade-off that gave us the opportunity to enjoy country living and extra animals (two dogs, three cats, three horses, and two cows).

When the opportunity for early retirement was offered, I left teaching and moved to the Rockies with our two dogs, Sage and Bo. Sage was a twelve-year-old Brittany spaniel and lifetime companion of Bo. Bo was an eleven-year-old St. Bernard and Sage’s lifetime companion. Sharon remained on her job for one more year before joining me in our new home.

Shortly after arriving in the Rockies, Bo’s health began to deteriorate. Within two months, I decided to return to Vancouver in order to provide Bo with the best possible health care. My heart broke when I learned that Bo had been diagnosed with cancer of the spine. The agony of the situation seemed to outweigh everything, but fortunately did not overshadow my intense desire to embellish her with the unconditional love she had blessed us with during her lifetime. The last few weeks we had with Bo were filled with intensive care-giving and love.

Sage and I were with Bo twenty-four hours a day. What better way to say good-bye to our beloved Bo? Bo died in my arms, with Sharon at my side and Sage close by.

The intensity of losing Bo was indescribable. The years of devotion, love, and happiness that she had blessed us with would now be memories. True, I was left with precious memories, but it was also true I was left with the painful reality that I would no longer be able to hug Bo and tell her that I loved her. Life would be different.

Several months passed before Sage and I returned to our new home in the Rockies. Sharon, who was still unable to retire, would remain in Vancouver for the next eight months.

The following spring, Sage and I were returning home from one of our weekly trips to town. We were driving the last leg of our trip, which was a 37-kilometre stretch of wilderness road. Knowing that a simple lapse of attention on this lonely road could easily have serious consequences, my thoughts were completely focused on driving safely. No other thoughts were in my mind.

As we got within ten kilometres of home, an astonishing event took place. Without warning and within an instant I found myself overwhelmed with intense feelings of Bo. It was as if an external switch had been thrown, a switch over which I had no control. There was no vision, no sound. My experience was a powerful, overwhelming awareness of Bo. It was loving and real and within seconds brought tears to my eyes.

I should point out that what I experienced was not the same as the feelings one can generate when thinking intensely of a loved one. Such feelings come from within. The source of these feelings was
external
, not internal. My experience was comparable to an arrival. My sudden awareness of Bo had come
to
me and had come
from
some place.

Again, it’s important to remember that I was not preoccupied with thoughts of Bo. I was focused on my driving. In addition, where this event occurred had absolutely no special meaning to me, our dogs, or any member of my family.

When I got home, I was still upset and emotionally involved. I knew my experience had not been generated by any thoughts I had had of Bo. The events were unsolicited, external, and overwhelming. I have no doubt that communication had been
directed
to me and involved a spiritual “touching” with Bo. What I had experienced was amazing, but events that were to follow were even more astonishing.

As mentioned earlier, Sharon was still in Vancouver. I did not discuss these events with her nor did I mention them to anyone else. I knew that informing others would most likely result in their outright rejection of my experience or they’d render the event as being the product of an overactive imagination preoccupied with Bo. Knowing these possible outcomes, my silence was assured.

Within three months, Sharon was able to retire from her job and joined Sage and myself in our new home. Again, I made no mention of the events to her. Surprisingly, the events were no longer a part of my inner thoughts, something I now recall with near disbelief.

Shortly after her arrival, Sharon made her first trip to town. When she returned, she was clearly overcome with distress. Her face was flushed, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. She was visually shaken and had difficulty talking.

“Did you hit a deer?” I asked, trying to find out what had happened.

“No, it’s Bo!” she sobbed. Scarcely able to talk, she continued. “I was just driving along and had this overwhelming feeling that Bo was with me! And it happened very suddenly!”

“Where did it happen?” I asked, recognizing that her story was incredibly similar to mine.

As Sharon began to describe where she had experienced Bo’s presence, a surge of emotion, ranging from disbelief to joy, rushed through me. Sharon’s experience had occurred
precisely
where mine had taken place. Without giving her any clues, I had to find out more.

“Were you thinking of Bo at the time?” I asked.

“No. I was paying attention to the road. All of a sudden, Bo was there! I
knew
it was her! I didn’t see her and didn’t smell
^*
her. It lasted for a minute and then she was gone. And I’ve cried all the way home!”

“What made you cry?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It was just the emotions of it. It was a good feeling. Bo was there and she was okay, but then she was gone! It was a good feeling but upsetting because I felt I had lost her again.”

I couldn’t believe my ears! I had read of unusual stories before but had never heard anything close to what we had undergone. When I then told Sharon what had happened to me three months earlier, she was dumbfounded. It is difficult to dismiss the incredible independent and parallel events that two sane, well-educated adults experienced. With our independent, identical experiences occurring at precisely the same place, we knew Bo had blessed us with the most precious gift of all—her eternal, unconditional love.

Her gift, however, went well beyond that. Our incredible experiences with Bo have made it clear that her life continues, that she is somewhere, and that she is well. If this is true for Bo, it is true for all animals. Additionally, she has shown Sharon and myself that she has an ongoing interest in both of us and has provided me with a strong awareness that she will be waiting for us when it is our time to move on. If this is true for us, then it is true for all who have suffered the loss of a beloved pet.

I
SHOULD POINT OUT
that while living in the Fraser Valley, the number 26 seemed to reoccur in our lives on a regular basis. I was 26 years of age when I started teaching. I taught for exactly 26 years before early retirement. Our street address was 260, the last four digits of our telephone number were 2626, and our property was located on District Lot 26. Again, when we moved to the Rockies, our new home was located on District Lot 26. But the most amazing 26 of all is located where both Sharon and I encountered Bo. There, posted to a tree, is a sign that reads: “Kilometre 26.”

Kim’s note:
The phenomenon of smelling a familiar scent is a relatively common form of contact from the Other Side. This will be covered in a later chapter.

*When Bo died, Sharon took Sage for a walk in our back pasture. At that time, and again two months later, Sharon detected a pleasant scent that was “distinctly Bo.”