When Loved Ones Reach Across the Veil

I used to wonder what really happens when we die. Can we still be near our loved ones? Or do we immediately transition into the afterlife—a different dimension, or heaven—and remain separate from those we’ve left behind?

In my Charismatic Christian upbringing, the idea that our loved ones might linger near us after passing was not just discouraged—it was considered not biblical. It was taught that they were either in heaven or hell, far from us and mostly unreachable.

But as my spiritual journey expanded, and after reading countless books and listening to many Near-Death Experiences (NDE’s), my understanding of the afterlife began to shift.

I’ve come to believe that when someone passes, it’s only the physical body that stops. The soul—our true essence—carries on, seamlessly. So much so that many people who’ve had NDEs share that they didn’t even realize they’d died. They often speak of floating above their own bodies, confused at first about whose body they were seeing.

These changes in perspective became even more real for me when my mom passed away.

In October of 2019, Mom was diagnosed with advanced cancer as it was in her bowel, liver and into her lungs. She passed just one month later at the age of 82.

Our entire family was in shock when we had heard the news of her cancer. My dad, six years older and who had cancer twice, a brain bleed from a fall, a pancreatic condition, and a major stroke earlier that year, was the one we all thought would go first. He could barely communicate anymore after his stroke.

Mom’s diagnosis hit hard. It came without much clarity, as she could not tolerate the requirements for a biopsy due to her condition, so we could only have a general practitioner overseeing her care. Without a biopsy, no specialist would take her on.

I’ll never forget that day I was with Mom at the doctor’s appointment. It’s like a movie in my mind. Mom didn’t say a word and I was kind of in shock. I remember telling the doctor that our family had faith and would be believing for healing. I think I also briefly mentioned to her about dads healing from cancer those many years ago as well.

After the doctor’s appointment with Mom, I just remember hoping for a miracle and walking Mom out of the clinic. She was holding onto my arm walking very slowly. I tried, but I just couldn’t hold back the tears.

Mom chose not to undergo chemo or go to the hospital, and we respected her decision. We did try some alternative remedies but, in the end, Mom did not want to do any of them anymore.

At the time, she was living with myself, my husband, and three women we housed through a Alberta Health Care program. After Dads stroke, Mom and Dad had sold their home down in the southern part of Alberta right on the USA/Canadian border, where they had lived their entire married life.

Mom had come up to Calgary and was staying with us while waiting for a suite to open in dad’s facility he was admitted to after his stroke. Ironically, a suite had become available in that facility—shortly after her diagnosis.

Mom was declining rapidly, so we were able to have some palliative care nurses come in for a few days to assist. My younger sister had also come up from the States to help, hearing about the weight I was carrying.

I didn’t want Mom to pass in our home—it felt too heavy, too sad for the space we lived in. So, when we got the call that there was a bed available at the hospice facility just behind us, I felt it was God honoring my heart’s desire.

That night, something interesting happened. Mom, who wasn’t speaking too much anymore, woke and told my sister “I didn’t want to come back.” My sister and I believe Mom may have temporarily crossed over but returned—perhaps because of my desire that she wouldn’t pass in our home.

Mom was taken by ambulance to the hospice facility the next day. At hospice, the staff were deeply compassionate. That evening, we arranged for Dad to come over from his facility just around the corner, to see Mom. I knew time was probably limited for Mom. Neither one could communicate verbally but Dad sat in his wheelchair and held Mom’s hand. We have the photo of them holding hands.

That first night in hospice, my sister stayed with Mom. The next morning, my sister moved to a quiet room to attend an online meeting—as she wanted to keep up with some important work while away.

I had gotten up and went out to grab two Booster Juices for us and headed to the hospice facility. When I arrived, Mom’s door was closed. Once inside, I saw several staff standing around her bed. One gently approached me and said, “She’s gone now.”

I broke down in tears. None of us had expected her to go so soon—the staff had even estimated she had at least a week left.

I found my sister and shared the news. She was also stunned. We stayed with Mom, and I read the letters her grandkids had written to her, which I had intended to read to her when I arrived that morning. I believe even in bodily death, moms soul was still there and listened to the letters as I read them.

Family trickled in to say their goodbyes. Then, something extraordinary happened.

My niece—my brother’s daughter—arrived. She showed me a photo she had taken just after receiving the call that Grandma had passed that morning. At the time, she was with her two young nieces in her nieces’ home. Trying not to alarm them, she held back tears.

But her youngest niece, about 9 months old, sitting in a highchair, began to smile and reach upward, looking at something above her with joy and delight. My niece found it strange—there was nothing visible that the child could be reacting to. Feeling that something special was happening, she began to video with her phone. The photo was the beginning of the recording before she got distracted by her sister.

When she showed it to me, I just knew. This sweet little one had to have seen Mom.

Of course, Mom would have gone to comfort her grieving granddaughter—and naturally, she would love to visit her beloved little great-grandchildren. The joy on the little one’s face said it all.

That photo is a treasure. My nephew even had it framed. I’ve shown it to many people, and everyone agrees—this child saw someone. And there’s not much doubt who it was.

This occurrence, captured so perfectly, is a gift—evidence to me that our loved ones do come close. I’ve heard often that very young children can see what others cannot. Maybe it’s because they haven’t yet been taught otherwise. They haven’t inherited the skepticism, the religious rules, the doubt. Their souls are still so close to the veil.

I believe my niece was divinely nudged to take that clip. The timing was miraculous. Had she not taken it, it would have remained only a memory to her alone. But now, that sacred event is shared—a reminder that loved ones never really die, only the body is shed, and they can reach back through a very thin veil.

Further to that occurrence, a few years after mom passed and dad had also now passed, I saw evidence of my own baby granddaughter’s joyful interactions with something or someone when nothing appeared to be there.

I was visiting at my son’s and holding his youngest daughter who was just a few months old. As I was holding her, and she began to coo and smile and interact joyfully and intently with something above her.

She was not looking at me at all, and there was nothing above her that I could see that warranted this type of interaction and reaction from her.

Right away I realized that this little one might be interacting with a great grandparent that had passed on, or perhaps even an angel. There were a few great grandparents that it could be, so I didn’t know exactly who this little one might be seeing, but she was seeing someone. It absolutely thrilled my heart to see this!

My oldest daughter and family were visiting from Winnipeg shortly after that. I had shared with both my daughters about this occurrence with my little granddaughter, after it happened.

My daughters also went to visit my son’s family. After the visit they told me they had been surprised, and that the same thing happened when they were visiting. Their little niece was noticeably interacting with something above her when they were holding her and there didn’t seem to be anything that she could’ve been looking at.

They also were certain she was seeing a loved one.

I was so thrilled that it had happened when they were there as well, as it verified to them about what I shared with them.

My youngest daughter also recently reminded me that when her first born son was in his crib and still very little, they would hear him in his room by himself, interacting and laughing. They found this kind of odd and were wondering if perhaps he was seeing someone or something that perhaps he could see but they would not see.

Many believe, like I previously said, that little ones can interact with loved ones but also can see angels. So, whatever they’re interacting with, it is such a precious thing.

Because souls shed their physical body when leaving this earth, it is more challenging to connect with them, but some seem to have a kind of gift and easily connect with souls across the veil.

I’ve also read amazing stories of those that can even physically see departed souls and this usually starts from a very young age for them. These people are a tremendous help to others and even to the police force and investigative agencies in solving all kinds of things. What a beautiful gift! But then there are some that have just earnestly desired to communicate with souls and have sought to develop the ability to do so and have done so in such an amazing way.

These people also are a huge gift to those who want to connect with their loved ones who have crossed over. Some really need to know they’re loved one is ok or want to connect with them. They may just want to get some peace and closure about their loved one’s departure from the physical.

I know many people may be skeptical of those that facilitate this kind of communication from souls across the veil but there are ways that verify authenticity.

A genuine medium will come thru with messages from people’s loved ones that the medium couldn’t possibly know, and the messages are encouraging, even sometimes humorous and very accurate.

Loved ones who have passed seem to know that the message given must come along with some very specific details so that there is no doubt it is coming from them, and they seem eager to provide those specific details.

These messages have brought much peace and closure and even great healing to loved ones left behind. Such a beautiful thing!

I think that it would be wonderful if more of us would learn to tune into those across the veil! There are many that can already connect and are now teaching others how to do it.

Also, such a beautiful thing!

One more thing that happened within our family opened me up to even more of the wonders of spirit. My older sister was taking care of her youngest grandson. He had been having difficulties swallowing as he was one of these little ones who needed the frenulum under his tongue fixed.

This issue had prevented him from being able to suck properly as a baby and further created eating issues. My sister had been saying prayers and was concerned for him.

She had a baby monitor pointed towards his crib as she wanted to keep an eye on him during her care for him. When she looked at the screen and saw her grandson sleeping, she also saw a round white orb floating all around in his crb.

It was so distinct that she took her phone and started recording the orb and it’s activity on the screen. She said this went on for at least an hour and then discontinued. She sent the video to me which absolutely bless my heart.

Whether it was an angel, a guide, a loved one, it doesn’t really matter. The point is that there was som thing that was hovering around this little one and probably helping this little one in someway. I don’t pretend to understand all of these things, but I have heard about orbs many times and so seeing one that my sister had recorded was absolutely thrilling to me.

Once again, what a beautiful gift and evidence that we are being watched over from those across the thin vale, just in another dimension and sometimes we have the privilege of seeing.

Sadly, this kind of thing would have likely drawn skepticism and inacted fear from those of my Christian background. We were taught that anything that was out of the box of the Bible would certainly be something that was not good.

I’ve learned and seen too many things to believe and buy into this limited thinking any longer. There is so much more to Spirit than any of us probably could ever understand while on this earth. I find it beautiful and fascinating and only long to understand and grow in this awareness, more and more. I open my heart and let go of fear and programming and religious dogma.

I know more and more people are awakening to the truth of spirituality and putting away the religious restrictions that have kept them from all the wonders of Spirit! These ones are opening themselves up to the beautiful truths of who they really are and who God or Source truly is.

I believe in the days and years to come there will be many more people awakening and realizing their connection to Spirit and other souls, realizing we are all connected and are all One!

Suzanne Giesmann has several beautiful books on how she ended up connecting with her stepdaughte after her sudden death. Her husband’s daughter was 27 and pregnant with her first child, when she suddenly passed after bizarrely being struck by lightening while she was walking.

Suzanne was not naturally inclined to do this kind of thing, but she had such a desire to connect with her stepdaughter and just kept sitting quietly, asking and trying for three years for this connection and then it happened.

Suzanne was the most unassuming person for this to happen to. She was, a former US Navy commanding officer and aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She walked the halls of the Pentagon and flew on Air Force One; someone whom you would not have ever imagined that would become so acquainted with the Spiritual world.

Suzanne and her husband had retired shortly after 9-11 and were off sailing around the world when they got the news of their daughters’ tragedy.

Suzanne has greatly changed her course in life since then. She now has a desire to teach others what she has learned and how to connect with those across the veil.

I cried reading her last book that came out in January of ’25. I have been very inspired to pursue this kind of connection more myself.

If you’re interested, please look her up and you will find a variety of books that tells her truly amazing story and her journey into this realm of the Spirit world.

She is a kind, beautiful soul with a big heart desiring to help others and you can hear that in every word she writes.