Growing up in heaven : the eternal connection between parent and child

161 Pages·2011·0.96 MB·English

by  Praagh

Growing Up in Heaven
THE ETERNAL CONNECTION
BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD
JAMES VAN PRAAGH
To my sister Maura Fortune
Thank you for the love you continue to
demonstrate every day.
You made my childhood better;
you make my life better.
Contents
Cover
Title Page

Introduction

Part One: Crossing Over
Chapter 1 - When a Child Transitions
Chapter 2 - A Child Arrives in Spirit
Chapter 3 - A Child’s Life in Spirit

Part Two: The Soul’s Make-Up
Chapter 4 - The Soul
Chapter 5 - Soul Lessons
Chapter 6 - The Soul Returns

Part Three: Healing Your Life
Chapter 7 - Spirit Signposts
Chapter 8 - Moving On
Chapter 9 - Letters from Heaven

Afterword: A Step in Time
Resources
Acknowledgments

About the Author
Copyright
About the Publisher
Introduction
I
COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD. It is what I do and I am blessed to have this
ability. Given the nature of the communication, I am in contact with those who
have passed over and gone to heaven on a regular basis. That is, I talk to the
dead quite frequently. For this reason, some may think my job is depressing or
bleak, but that is far from true. As strange as it may sound, death is a part of life.
That is, death is but a stage in the soul’s spiritual journey.
My ability, and the job I have chosen on this earthly plane, comes with a great
responsibility. It is very important that I help share my knowledge and
experience so that those who have lost loved ones can find solace and peace
during their souls’ journeys. All of us are on a path together. This book is written
to help ease the suffering and to shine a light on a world that too few of us know
or understand.
Most of us greet the warmth and excitement of the rising sun as the assurance
of a new day. But others wake in the morning after a restless sleep, to a day of
darkness—a void that we feel can never and will never again be filled. The
promise of expectation has been replaced with the painful realization of the loss
of future memories. This is the pain of losing a child.Loss of any kind is
traumatic, but the loss of a child is truly devastating. It may be the ultimate loss
we humans can ever experience on this earth. The symbiotic relationship
between a child and its parent is like no other. Perhaps no explanation and
understanding can ever be obtained on this physical level. We can try to learn to
live with the pain, but such an event alters our lives forever.
For some, it feels as if they will never be able to go on, and that their lives are
truly over. Others may attempt to live their lives, but merely trudge along
clinging to the hope of a time when they will be reunited with their children.
Perhaps that is the only thing they can hold on to in order to get through the
bleak days. These folks may spend hours imagining what their children would
look like, the kind of personality they would have, and the types of interests and
activities they would enjoy.
If you have endured the loss of a baby, child, family member, or friend, this
book is my gift to you. The readings and letters contained within may help you
to understand that you are never alone in your grief, that your child or loved one
is always around to ease your pain, and that it is possible to survive your loss
and move forward in a more aware state of mind than ever before—even if you
think all of this is impossible at the present moment.
If you have ever wondered what heaven looks and feels like, this book is for
you. Many of us may have preconceived ideas or notions about “heaven” as a
place with harp-playing angels floating on clouds, or beings walking around in
robes singing in choirs. Although I am sure there are places where these things
exist, the heaven I speak of is a very different place, and I will show it to you.
Prepare yourself to enter a wondrous new dimension. I will take you into a world
that is even more magnificent than you could ever possibly conceive—a
dimension encompassing vistas of enhanced creativity, and kingdoms of beauty
and art unrealized in our limited physical world. It is a world that your soul may
somehow remember and, inevitably, a world you will see again.
As you read this book, be aware of the wisdom of the spirits, and go along
with the journey. To get the most out of the words accumulated on these pages,
view them with the realization that we are first and foremost spirits or souls
encapsulated in physical bodies. Our souls are the entire essence of who we are.
The spirit is the ethereal or subtle body created by the soul to experience the
sensations and dimensions of various realities.
As a soul you are capable of having a human experience in a physical
dimension, but you must realize that this physical world is measured by the
limitations of time. The spiritual dimensions, however, are not restricted by
clocks, calendars, or anniversaries. To experience them, you will have to forgo
“earthly” ideas of time and open yourself to the ways of life in the world of
Spirit.
In these pages, I hope to provide answers to the questions you hold deep in
your hearts about where the spirits of children go when they leave the earth and
how they grow up there. I hope to give you a soul’s view of the purpose for life
on earth. In the process, we will go deep into the idea of reincarnation, meet the
helpful guides of the other world, and ultimately answer the questions about
heaven that so many of us have.
Come along with me now. Open the curtain of your mind and step into a
world beyond this world. The promise of a new day can be the birth of a new
beginning. Anything and everything you can imagine is possible. Each day can
be joyful, dramatic, and exhilarating—filled with myriad opportunities. Brand-
new experiences and new people, the exploration of far-off and not-so-far-off
destinations, and new perspectives await you. All that holds you back are the
limitations of your own mind. Together we will explore growing up in heaven.
Part One
Crossing Over
Chapter 1
When a Child Transitions
When a parent dies, you lose your past; when a child dies, you lose
your future.
—ANONYMOUS
D
EATH LEAVES A TRAIL of various states of emotional upheaval and spiritual
awakening. The most important thing to realize is that we are never truly alone,
even when we think we are. Our loved ones are around to help us through our
most painful moments and to guide us out of the darkness and into the light of
our own strength.
I was recently at a memorial service for a friend’s mother, sitting by myself in
the hallway of the funeral home before the ceremony began. I could hear the
muffled music and tearful eulogies coming from a nearby room. Suddenly, I saw
the spirit of a little girl about seven years old, wearing a light-blue dress, white
socks, and black patent-leather shoes. She was skipping up and down the hall.
When she went by, she looked at me and I acknowledged her. She turned
around, came back, and stared into my eyes.
Hi Mister. I answered her in my mind. Hi.Why is my family crying? Didn’t
you die? I asked her. I don’t know. I fell asleep and woke up here. The lady with
the pink dress and pretty smile is ready to bring me home. There is a pony
waiting for me there. I can’t wait. Then why are you here? I am trying to tell my
mommy and daddy I’m still alive, but they don’t see me. What’s your name?
Kylie. Isn’t it a pretty name? Suddenly the little girl turned around. Oops, got to
go now! The shiny lady is waiting for me.
And with that, the girl ran past me toward a glowing spirit on the other side.
The spirit greeted the little girl and took her by the hand. Together, they walked
into the light of their heavenly home.
Later that day, as I headed toward the parking lot, I noticed a picture on a
podium outside a small chapel. I went over to check it out. There was Kylie,
sitting on a stack of hay in front of a horse and pony. I smiled, looked upward,
and thought to myself: I hope you’re enjoying your new pony, Kylie.
I would soon find out what Kylie was doing on the other side.
Through the years, I have counseled thousands of parents who have lost their
children. The loss of a child is perhaps the most difficult of all things to
comprehend. Parents are in denial and disbelief: “It is not natural that my child
died before me. It doesn’t make sense!” It is only natural that parents expect
their children to grow up, enjoy the jewels life has to offer, and have children of
their own one day. This is what we all know as the normal cycle of life. But
when a child dies, parents are unhappily forced to rethink everything they once
believed about what is “normal,” because their lives have been irreparably
interrupted by tremendous loss—including the loss of innocence, dreams, and
hopes.
Yet loss is a part of life’s cycle, and no one can escape it. Loss is part of our
life experience and, inevitably, we all must face some kind of loss while we are
walking on this earth. It is part of what makes us human. Loss can cause many
intense emotions—from sadness, to rage, and even hate—but all these emotions
are a natural part of our growing and evolving as a result of the loss. The loss of
a child goes deeper because it touches everything in our lives, from our views of
the world to the way we feel about those closest to us. Parents often feel as if
their child was grabbed from their arms, as though a thief had come in the night
and taken away everything they ever had. Many parents’ grief can be too intense
to bear; and they feel thrown into a place of great emptiness, not sure how they
will survive. It is such an extreme paradox. Not only do they have to face the
loss of a child, but they must also continue to live their own lives as fully as
possible. Thus, bereaved parents deal with the contradictory burden of wanting
to be free of their overwhelming pain, while being reminded of the pain every
day. How are they supposed to deal with feelings of guilt, anger, and
powerlessness, yet move on at the same time? Is it ever possible to recover?
I do believe that everything, no matter how horrendous, happens for a reason
and according to a soul’s plan. A soul’s plan is a unique blueprint for its spiritual
evolution. Certain paths in life are chosen by a soul to learn charitable qualities
such as compassion, kindness, peacefulness, patience, healing, and harmony.
These paths may require endurance and persistence through difficult situations—