Excerpt from "Love From the Other Side"

Our voices echoed in the nearly empty house now. After our yard sale, we had cleaned out all of our basic furniture. We were left with the bed, dresser, kitchen table, one sofa and our TV. I heard Alex back our truck out of the driveway. I slid the drawer out from my nightstand, and reached inside for my rosary.

After my meditation, I fell into a deep sleep. In my dream, I was walking. Then I stepped down, and immediately entered a bright white light. I suddenly came awake, startled.

What now? I had listened to people speak of a near death experience. They mentioned traveling through a tunnel and at the end finding a bright white light. For me there was no tunnel, just a bright white light. I made a note on my legal pad that lay on the nightstand beside my bed. I continued with my daily chores.

Putting my dream and thoughts aside, I washed breakfast dishes and removed hamburger from the freezer for dinner. One reason I kept notes of my dreams was so I could put my messages aside and continue with my daily life. If I worried about or dwelled on my premonitions, I would be reading ink blots in a doctor's office. I was startled by the ringing of the telephone.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Mom Its Jerry, Can I come over for dinner tonight? I just want to be with you and dad.”

“Sure Jerry, you know you are always welcome. We’re having hamburgers and french fries. You can watch a movie with dad.”

Jerry rode his bike over in the evening for dinner and to watch television with us. The date was Wednesday January 22, 1997. Alex was feeling the effects of his beer. I had just finished washing dinner dishes when he came in the kitchen and put his arms around me. He said, “I am going to walk to the store for a pack of cigarettes.”

Then he said to me. “Carol, you have no guilt. What I have done, I have done to myself.” I heard the front door close.

After a short time Jerry and I noticed Princess sitting by the front door whimpering. Jerry told me, “Dad has been gone too long. I’m going to look for him.”

He hopped on his bike and left. I became frightened, my heart was in my throat, and I ran out the door to follow him. Oh God! It was the light I fell into after my meditation this morning. It was dark outside. I ran toward the main road Alex had to cross to get to the Circle K. There were several police cars parked on the far side of the road. I saw Jerry standing there talking to an officer, and he called to me. Blue lights flashed in my direction. It seemed forever until I reached the other side of the road.

About Carol Shimp: I came into this world on June 30th 1941. While growing up in Canton Ohio, in my early years, I lived on 15 St. NE. Just off Harrisburg Rd. Across the ally from our home was James Laundry and Dry Cleaners. Quality Dairy was down the road behind James Laundry. At the end of the alley across the bridge stood the factory Union Metal. My family was a member of Saint Paul’s Catholic Church where I went to school until grade 6. We then moved to NE 33rd St. In 1962 I married Albert Shimp. I had many different jobs over the years, as did my husband. In August 1969 my husband and our two children relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I retired from Publix Super Market in 2006. With time on my hands, I put together my journal, notes and memories. With the grace of God I was able to publish my story. "Love From the Other Side."

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