My great grandmother became terminally ill by August of 1999. She had recently celebrated her 95th birthday and we were all grateful that she had lived long enough for us to have one last celebration with her. Sadly, the last two months of her life were spent in intolerable pain. She became highly delirious and had completely lost awareness of her surroundings. Because I was only eleven at the time, my parents did not want me to see her in such a miserable state.
My grandmother would often reflect on her memories of my grandfather for consolation during times of distress. My grandfather's name was Norman White and he sadly passed away in July of 1987. He died while in the hospital from heart failure at the age of fifty two. The night before my grandmother went to visit my great grandmother for the last time, she was alone in her bedroom and had reached out to her late husband, requesting his presence during such a difficult time. Nobody else was available to go with her, so she asked my grandfather. Just so she would not have to go alone.
By the time my grandmother made it to the nursing home, she stood beside my great grandmother as she lay in bed in an extremely confused state. It was fairly late at night; the dark ambiance and the dimly lit room provided a far more somber environment. My great grandmother painstakingly tried to speak, yet in her delirious state, every word she uttered was completely unintelligible.
As my grandmother continued to stand beside the bed, my great grandmother, without warning, turned her head towards my grandmother and clearly said "Oh, hi Norm"! That was always how she addressed my grandfather throughout the thirty years she had known him. My great grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep the following night. Upon hearing this story for the first time, I surmised that my grandfather had appeared in order to escort her to the afterlife.
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When my mom passed away in 2013, we were all there with her except my husband, who was home with the flu. The exact minute Mom died a whole bunch of weird things happened.
First, I had just laid down on a small sofa at the far end of her bedroom and had closed my eyes... I was in that pre-sleep state you can get at 12:40 am after an exhausting day. We had finally hired a nurse, so the nurse was at Mom's bedside, which allowed me to take a break. All of a sudden I felt or sensed SOMEONE at my side, almost felt like a hug and I JUMPED up, wide awake. I took a look at Mom (the nurse was not at her bedside) and could tell she was going to die. I have no idea how I could tell, but on my way out of the room to call my siblings, I noticed the nurse coming out of the bathroom. Siblings ran downstairs just in time. After her last breath, I hugged my brother for a few seconds, and then turned to the nurse and said, "Thank you for waking me" which prompted a very confused look on her face. But before we could continue, my phone rang. All I could think was, "How did ANYBODY KNOW this fast that Mom had just died?"
The call was from my husband. Here's where it gets weirder. My first husband had died years previously and the minute my mom died, his best friend had called my house in the middle of the night, asking if all was ok. Again, let me explain. My first husband's best friend, whom we hadn't spoken to in a decade, gets some urge to call me (and he was apparently talking about my first husband with my current husband who took the call... Strangely... Though current husband was so sick he can't remember how the call went, only that the caller kept repeating first husand's name. He said it was like all he heard was, "Scott, Scott, Scott..."). Longer story short, the friend later told us he was up changing his baby's diaper and had an overwhelming urge to call. He said he was "compelled" to find out if we were all ok. My husband and I are convinced (and it was our first thought) that this call was a message from Scott, my first husband, letting us know he was there for Mom. And regarding the nurse waking me: no. She was in the bathroom. I am now convinced Mom stopped by the sofa to give me one last hug on her way to wherever.*
I continue to get messages from both Scott and Mom on special occasions, the last of which happened Jan. 4, my 61st birthday. Heard our special Janet Jackson song at the grocery store ("Together Again," which was an obscure song that you hardly EVER hear). Oh, and strangely (and I am going to repeat this even though it's sort of TMI and embarrassing, but I would LOVE to know if anyone has ever experienced similar... Just after I felt what I now believe to be my mom's soul hug me one last time, I got my period, which I had NOT HAD in three years. I cannot explain that one, nor can my OB/Gyn, who, when I told him, was shocked and just shook his head and said, "God works in mysterious ways. I've never heard of this before." Wild.
I believe if people paid close attention, they would recognize signs from their loved ones. Thanks for YOUR story, and sorry for your loss, again, grandmas are very special.