Sandy sightings

I planned to have a quiet night at home. The "at home" part was doable, but New Year's Eve is loud in my neighborhood. After the city's fireworks ended, local fireworks continued intermittently until at least 4 a.m. When there weren't fireworks, there were people screaming with merriment or people arguing loudly. I love where I live most of the time, but there are definitely trade-offs for the convenience of urban living.

At 8:00 this morning, I'd had very little sleep and felt despair at the thought of embarking on a full year without Sandy. It had been days since I saw her in a dream, let alone anything meaningful. I was not a happy camper.

And then I had the visitation dream I craved, more vivid than any I've had in weeks. It was also unusual. I could feel and touch her, but we were very clear that she hadn't returned bodily, and others couldn't see her. It was like we were able to temporarily reach across the planes. Usually, I'm calm about seeing her, and in the context of the dream, it's expected that she's there. This time, I had an adrenaline rush and much excitement; I knew how amazing it was that she was with me.

She said she was going to return, she thought. It sounded like she was depending on others to come up with the way back, but she expected it to happen soon. I told her how reassuring that was, as I'd pretty much resigned myself to the idea that she was gone forever, and that I wasn't even sure she still wanted to come back.

There was more, including physical embraces that I desperately needed. At 9:30, I woke happy, in a completely different state of mind than the one I'd been in an hour and a half before. This was the way to start the new year.

Despite her fear that she was becoming a misanthrope the
last few  years, Sandy loved hanging out with friends.

Later today, I was talking with friends and learned that others have been feeling Sandy's presence in various ways that I hadn't known about. I hope to hear more about such occurrences. It makes sense to me that she'd be making the rounds, and I want her life, such as it is, to be full of love from many people. As a bonus, hearing about such experiences also makes me feel less crazy. If you have a Sandy sighting, please know that I'll be delighted to learn about it if you feel like sharing.

When she died, I talked with people about keeping Sandy's spirit alive, and I thought we meant it metaphorically. But it seems apparent to me that her spirit is very much alive, active, and even opinionated. In fact, her spirit remains very Sandy-like in so many ways.