Note: The following article by Suzanne was submitted for inclusion in the newsletter of the grief support group Helping Parents Heal:
I broke down in my husband’s arms crying, “I can’t believe I’ll never see him again.” My father had passed a few days earlier and the emotions caught up with me in a rush of grief.
“Yes you will,” Ty assured me with confidence. “You’re the one who showed me that we will one day see all of our loved ones who have passed.”
I blinked at him as his words sank in. He nodded to assure me of the truth in his words.
“You’re right,” I said, and took in a jagged breath. “I forgot.”
Dad made his transition in 2008, a year and a half after the tragic death of Ty’s daughter, Susan, a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. She was struck and killed by lightning while crossing the flight line at the squadron where she was assigned. Susan was 27 years old and 6 months pregnant with our first grandchild. Like many parents who lose a child, this double tragedy for our family propelled me on a search for answers about life and what lies beyond it. Never did I expect that Susan’s passing would lead me from Navy Commander to my current work as an author, spiritual teacher, and evidence-based medium.
These days there’s no shortage of books about the afterlife, but it is those who inhabit the non-physical realm who have taught me the most 
about life after death. I have connected with thousands of souls, reuniting them with their grieving families. It is the evidence those departed souls pass on to me—things about themselves that I could not possibly know—that shows us that the spirit never dies.
I learned this fact as the result of a reading with a medium that Ty and I experienced one year after Susan’s death. The evidence Susan provided proved to us beyond a doubt that she still existed. It took me days to process the information the medium shared with us. There was no other explanation than that Susan was still with us. I knew then beyond a doubt that what I had suspected was true: that Susan’s vibrant spirit—her energy—could not be destroyed, merely transformed.
I work regularly with families, so I am familiar with groups that aim to support those who have lost a child. Often these groups focus on showing new members that others who have suffered loss are learning to get on with their lives. Certainly, this is one of the principle roles of a support group. There is great comfort in sharing with others who have experienced similar circumstances. Support groups provide hope for those in despair.
My goal is the same, which is why I have reached out to some of these groups, only to find that mediumship is still a taboo subject among the more traditional organizations. Perhaps that’s why some of my clients have stepped away from these groups. They have noticed that many of the members are still stuck in their grief years after their loss. Granted, there is no timeline for grief. We go through the process at our own pace, but I fail to find hope by watching other people recover. I find hope in the basic messages of mediumship, knowing that:
- Consciousness extends beyond the brain and exists independent of it.
- Consciousness is eternal in nature, therefore life continues beyond the transition we call death.
- All things are interconnected in the grand web of creation.
- The organizing principle of the cosmos and the overarching purpose of evolution is unconditional love.
I had the opportunity to demonstrate these truths to a grieving mother from South Carolina named Irene Vouvalides. The sessions Irene and I enjoyed provided healing beyond our expectations as her daughter, Carly, made her presence known with undeniable evidence.[i] Irene has found great comfort from a support group called Helping Parents Heal.[ii] She recently started a chapter of her own in Hilton Head.
I was thrilled to read that Helping Parents Heal encourages its members to discuss the afterlife. Their mission statement declares, “We go a step beyond other groups by allowing the open discussion of spiritual experiences and evidence for the afterlife, in a non-dogmatic way.”
As Irene describes her journey, she discovered that the way out of her darkest days was simply to think of Carly’s death differently. She has embraced her belief in the afterlife and the awareness that Carly is still with her. She sees death as simply walking through a door and considers the grief process as one of learning to love in separation.[iii]
That is how I have come to terms with the life transitions within my own family. At the time of my father’s passing, I was new to mediumship. I would discover my own abilities as a medium later that year. I understand how my grief caused me to temporarily forget what I had learned from the medium who brought Susan back to us and to mistakenly think I would never see my loved ones again. I had a lifetime of thinking that death was the end. Since then my dad has popped in to visit several times, always proving his presence with evidence that I was not aware of.
Today the only thing I forget about life after death is that not everyone knows what Irene and I know. The awareness that our deceased loved ones are as close as our thoughts brings such peace. Knowing we will see them again brings immense comfort and healing. That’s why I’m grateful to groups like Helping Parents Heal and other messengers of hope who allow for open discussions of all aspects of life, both here and in the hereafter.
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[i] See more about Irene’s experience in a video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=6&v=6xzYzl3-n1I
I want to thank you again for all that you do and for who you are. You helped guide me out of the darkness and I am forever grateful. You truly are a messenger of hope……….
Thank you for posting this Suzanne. I agree with Irene, your willingness to reach out to us in our grief has forever changed my family’s trajectory. We are so grateful you shared your gift with us! With love, Robin, Scott and Doug
Earth plane, heavenly plane, and since meeting you, Suzanne, enlightened plane. Enriched by attending your Awakened Living workshop, your Heart Gifts presentation and reading several of your books, I am convinced your mission to comfort and heal the grief stricken with evidence based authentic stories of connections with loved ones who have transitioned is truly God blest. Those fortunate enough to have experienced a reading to ease their burden of loss is growing into a ginormous masterpiece of mollified loved ones–a testimony to your commitment and dedication. Thank you❤
Greetings Suzanne! I also found healing from my grief for my father’s passing through our session that I hadn’t been able to find through a grief group, therapy, the passage of time, prayer or any other way. I felt incomplete and bereft beyond any consoling because of the way things happened when he died. I was experiencing what psychologists call “grief with complications.” Although I knew on some level that everything was OK and that my father’s spirit continued, I couldn’t stop the emotional pain – it was as if I were hemorhaging emotionally and there was no way to staunch the flow. Your reading stopped that. I was assured that my father loved me and appreciated who I am. I got what I needed to go on in life. I felt I had my father’s blessing – something that I had not felt at the time of his death and which kept me from being able to go forward.
After our session, someone sent me a book – “After This” by Claire Bidwell Smith – which talks about the healing effect of mediumship on grief. It is written by a grief counselor who did her own explorations regarding the afterlife and now encourages her clients to seek about a medium if they feel the urge, because it seems to help the grieving process in a profound way.
So glad I connected with you, and grateful for your healing work.
Catherine Preus
Thank you so much, Catherine, for sharing your healing experience with me. It is such an honor to serve spirit and beautiful souls like you through this work.