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On a sunny day in July of 2003, I was standing in the kitchen of my friend Michelle’s house on Cape Cod.  But it wasn’t as festive as it sounds.  Her mother had died five years earlier and her father was planning to remarry and sell the house.  Michelle and I were talking in the kitchen and other friends were in the living room.   An embroidered poem mounted on the kitchen wall caught my eye, “An Irish Blessing.”  I started reading the poem and – and just like in a movie – a rush of wind came through the back door.  Without knowing why, I looked at Michelle and said, “Your mother wants to let you know that she is okay and she is so happy that you are here staying in the house.”

I was overcome by an intense sadness and burst into tears and hugged Michelle.  She asked, “Molly,  did you just channel my mother?”  I wasn’t sure.  I had never felt or done anything like that before and I didn’t know what to make of it.  Honestly, I didn’t know what channeling was.

Later, Michelle told me that her mom loved the Cape house.  It was one her favorite places to be.   Michelle thought that her mother wanted to encourage her children to enjoy the Cape house as a retreat much as she had when she was alive.

I don’t know how Michelle’s mother knew to deliver a message through me to her daughter.   But she did and it was powerful.  I also didn’t know that this experience would set my life on a different path.  Though it would take another three years and another experience for that new path to become clear to me.

When I met Mary (not her real name) three years ago she was healthy.  When she e-mailed me recently, she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  She wanted to know if I did house calls.  She was interested in both a medium reading and a Reiki healing session.  I e-mailed her right back, “Absolutely.”

When I arrived at Mary’s home, massage table in hand, there was a full house of visitors. One of her sons was heading out the door and joined me in my car to direct me to a good place to park.   As we were driving he asked what I did and I told him that I was a Reiki practitioner and I was going to do some Reiki healing on his mother.  He looked curious and then asked, “What else do you do?”  I told him I also worked as a medium.  After a moment of silence, he blurted out, “My mom is very sick and she wants to know how she can come back after she dies.”   I told him that I was sorry to hear that she was dying and that I would try my best to bring her some peace.   Walking back into Mary’s home I realized that she was preparing to die and wanted to make sure all of her family knew that she would be back in spirit.

Mary was in good spirits that afternoon, happy to have the healing sessions at her home, and so happy to have her family around.  We sat down together and she asked me the question:  “How do I come back?  I want to know how I can come back when I die.”  Because of what her son had said, I wasn’t surprised by her question.

I just didn’t know how to answer it.

During a medium reading those who have died speak to me, delivering messages that allow the living to know that their loved one is with them.  But I have no idea where these spirits go when the body dies or how it is that they come back to speak through me.

Mary knew that once she died she would be at peace and no longer suffering.  She wanted to assure some sort of peace for her children by keeping that connection with them unbroken.  The ones who suffer the most in death are those left behind, the living.   Mary was worried for her children, not herself.

Leaving later in the afternoon, I gave Mary a big hug.  With tears in my eyes, I said,  “I will see you again for more healing and I want to thank you for allowing me to be with you today.   You are so very strong and amazing.   Thank you so much for sharing your strength with me today.  You are a gift.”

She is a gift.   A gift of grace to know of life and the love of her family.  And to also know about death – her death.   That day I was touched by the power of Mary’s human spirit and the gift we are to each other and the peace we can bring to those we love by being this gift.