Do The Dead Walk In Dreams
I woke up a very short time ago from a very fine dream. It was one of those dreams in which you fight to stay asleep if only to keep holding onto the feeling you had in the dream.
My grandfather and grandmother were in it. I am typing so quickly because even though it was so vivid and real to me the dream is already to starting to fade, why oh why do the details start to blur so quickly.
In the beginning we were at my parent’s house and my grandfather just kind of showed up. Everyone was in shock and surprise over this. I looked across the room at my father and our eyes met for a moment. I gave him a look that said you are going to have to explain what happened to all of his stuff.
And then all of a sudden I was in a different room and place with my grandfather and my grandmother. They were walking and moving freely, as they did in my memories. The walkers and canes were gone. It was like when I was a very little boy. They moved with the strength of their youth.
I was so excited to see this and them. It is almost three years since my grandmother died. But there she was. Her hair had been done recently and she was busy doing a bunch of things. She yelled at my grandfather and he just giggled and said something back to her. It was their normal banter.
But even in the dream I knew that something was off. I started babbling at him about everything that had happened. When it came to telling him about how he had died and I had to call my dad I got choked up. He walked over and put a hand on my head and hugged me.
It was so surreal because for years now I have been quite a bit taller and broader than him, yet in the dream it was like I was that little boy who used to go out with him all the time.
As he comforted me and I tried to spit out far too much information in too short a time the alarm went off. I woke up and stared at the ceiling. I had been defeated in my efforts to continue sleeping so that I could continue the dream.
And now I sit here at the keyboard trying to hold onto it in a different way. Do the dead walk in our dreams. Was I just visited by my grandparents because if they do and I was I am quite happy. And even if they don’t, I still feel good.
I’ll have to spend some time thinking about this one. If you saw me you’d probably see me with a bit of an odd bemused smile on my face. I miss them terribly but after what I was just a part of how I can not smile.
Jack's Shack July 17, 2006 at 1:45 am
Hi Sheyna,
Sounds like you had a very nice dream too.
Sheyna Galyan July 17, 2006 at 1:39 am
Your dream sounds like one in particular I had ten months ago, in which my father, alav hashalom, who had died a year and a half earlier, encouraged me to purchase a van for our family. There was much more to the dream, but that was the gist. I followed his advice, bought the van, and three months later we were rear-ended by a speeding truck. Had we not been in the van – had we been in our little car instead – we would not have survived.
I do think it’s possible – maybe even common – for those who’ve passed on to reconnect with us. As to why it happens with/for some people and not others, I don’t know and wouldn’t even try to guess.
I’m glad the dream made you smile; that may have been the gift they wanted to give you this time.
Jack's Shack July 15, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Val,
Whatever the reason, I am glad for the dream.
Sherril,
It was a good dream.
Baleboosteh,
It does feel comforting.
Z,
I can appreciate your frustration. It is hard. When I woke up I had a lot more to say to them and no way to do it.
M,
It is good to see you. I hope that all is well.
The Misanthrope July 15, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Just wanted to say hi. It has been a while.
Z July 15, 2006 at 6:53 pm
I don’t especially like those kinds of dreams because I feel so cheated when I wake up. My mom died very suddenly when I was 20. Now I dream either she’s been around the whole time but doesn’t want to contact me OR we have to warn her about her death so MAYBE she won’t die. Either way it’s heartbreaking.
Baleboosteh July 15, 2006 at 11:07 am
I love those kind of dreams. I sometimes dream like that of my Mum who passed away 8 years ago.
I don’t know if the dead walk in our dreams, but when I have those kind of dreams, I like to think they do.
Sherril July 15, 2006 at 1:33 am
Hi Jack,
I wasn’t sure which of your many blogs to click on, but I’m glad I chose this one. I have spent several years in therapy and it has been a difficult, but amazing and helpful journey. Socrates said that a life unexamined is not worth living and I understand that. So, how does this connect with your dream? I don’t know that your grandfather visited you, but I think your sub-conscience was helping you to work something out. Not knowing more about you, I don’t know what that was, but what seems certain is that your grandfather represents some kind of comfort for you and you have all these details and “stuff” that you feel needs to be said and your grandfather was telling you that it’s just you that’s important….or something like that. Like I said, I certainly am not in a position to explain a stranger’s dream, but I do know that dreams tell us a lot, if we take the time to listen to them. My therapist always tells me to write down a few notes about the dream just when I wake up and it will help to make it more meaningful later when I think about it. I hardly ever do it, but I think it’s a good idea.
sherril
Val July 15, 2006 at 1:03 am
It certainly sounds like they were visiting you and providing you with a hug that perhaps you didn’t even realize that you needed. It’s something to savor. Definitely worth a smile.