My Grandma was a phenomenal woman, not only was she incredibly and deeply religious (Catholic), but she incorporated Jesus' teachings into her everyday life by being charitable, forgiving, giving and humble. She was a light for everyone around her, with her kindness showing by her sheer popularity with the community around her.
Unfortunately my Grandma was a diabetes sufferer from the age of 16, with numerous other illness erecting as a cause of it (heart, kidney and liver problems). My Grandma lived with us at home, she looked after me and my brothers 24/7 and in my eyes, she was more of a mother figure than anything else, and I don't think it was possible for anyone or anything to love us more than she did.
Fast track to the year 2000, I was 10 years old, and it was 4 days after my birthday, and my grandma was in a 24 hour care nursing hospital where they could monitor her as she was getting more ill. It was early in the morning and I was getting ready for school, when our house got a phone call from a big public hospital stating that she suffered another heart attack and was in the ICU.
Our whole family rushed to the hospital, where 50+ people made up of family and friends had gathered to see what would be her final hours of life.
As I walked into the room, the doctors had turned off the heart monitor as to decrease stress, and the whole room was silent with my grandma lying lifeless on the bed.
I don't know where she gathered her strength from but she rose up from her bed and managed to give me and my two brothers very long lasting and strong hugs, what would be our last one.
I stood on the left side of the bed, with my hand under hers massaging her neck because she was in a lot of pain.
There were many times when we nearly lost her in that room, times where he eyes would open up so wide and her breath would get very short.
As I was by HER right side, I remember holding her hand and gazing into her face, the whole room was full of tears and sadness, and as she took another breath, I gazed into her eyes to see, what feels like a dream now, a silhouette of Jesus standing in the most magnificent white light, it felt like an apparition. I remember believing that my eyes were deceiving me, I mean, how could there be that light in her eyes? And how come no one else is reacting except me?! I remember looking up into the corner of the room to see if perhaps the tv was on, maybe reflecting in her eyes or if perhaps there was someone physically causing a reflection in the crowded room.
But. Nothing. There was nothing causing it.
I glanced again, and the figure had his arms outstretched (like a jesus figure) and the light looked warm and welcoming.
It was then that my 10 year old self (I'm now 18) ran out of the room screaming in terror, to be met by my very concerned dad, of whom I told what had happened.
My grandma died shortly after, and it's something that has always stuck with me. I doubt the event all the time because the whole day was so traumatic and felt like a dream.
However, its also something that I hold onto every time I doubt religion or the place of god in our world where corruption and evils against humanity occur everyday.
I was just hoping that maybe someone else has experienced something like this?
I don't come from a very overly religious family, and I'm someone who looks at all religions (judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism etc) with a very open mind.
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