I'll handle the bureaucracy

Most people don't come back from the dead. I get that. The world population is large enough, without all of us getting second chances. I also know that most people would write that first sentence as "People don't come back from the dead," without the qualifier. But I'm not most people; I'm a grieving widow. So you'll cut me some slack.

At first, I had to believe that Sandy was coming back, because my brain simply couldn't hold any other possibility. It's common for people who lose spouses to think they'll return. Over time, the pain is supposed to ease a bit, and reality is supposed to become starker. By about six months, I read, most widows have come to recognize their loss is permanent. It'll be six months next week.

So, where am I in this journey? Well, my path has not been typical because Sandy has continued to be such a strong force in the world and so present in my life. She and I have discussed her return several times, in visitation dreams, through what passes for conversation, and through other messages. At first, she clearly seemed to think she would return, as did I. Then, I wasn't sure she even wanted to, and it obviously wasn't an easy task. I'd just about resigned myself to her death being permanent, but then, on New Year's Day, in an incredible dream, she told me she'd be returning soon. I never overlook an opportunity for hope, so I latched right on, happily.

One thing I've said all along is that if she manages to return, we'll need to figure out how to get the death certificate voided. I haven't known how that would happen (can a death certificate be revoked?), but I told Sandy that if she could find herself a fresh body and return to us, I'd take care of the bureaucracy.

She looks a lot like this (without the waterfall) in her driver's
license photo, so this is what her new body needs to look like
when we show up to declare her alive!

Last night, I settled in to eat my dinner and read the current issue of Consumer Reports Money Advisor, a handy little financial newsletter I've received for years. Along with information about credit card fees, stock trends, and tips on saving money on household items, there was a column on what to do if Social Security records you as dead when you're still alive. While unusual, it apparently happens to several people a year, as their social security numbers are mistyped by one clerk or another. My heart did a little dance when I read that, if a death certificate was issued, you'll need to have it amended and then send it to people to prove you're alive and kicking.

Now I have my road map. And how can I not take this timely information as encouragement from the universe? All we need now is for Sandy to figure out how to slip into a body, or to convert some of that powerful energy of hers into a physical form.