"We Thank You" --by Rich Nichols

Throughout my life, I have experienced many interesting out-of-body experiences. One that changed me profoundly happened several years ago following the disastrous space shuttle explosion in January of 1986. The following day, I entered that experience into my "Book of The Living"

"Yesterday, January 28, 1986, the space shuttle exploded as it was being launched into space. All seven astronauts on board died instantly."

There was very little else on television that night and I sat with my family and watched the details and background stories over and over again. We sat and watched and experienced an entire nation being brought to grief, hurting and caring deeply for those seven people.

Later that night, as I lay preparing for sleep, this incident was still very heavy on my mind. I was concerned that the trauma and the suddenness of their deaths might cause the souls of these astronauts to become lost. As I drifted into sleep, I asked my father (who is dead) to find them and offer them "guidance".

There is a sense, a message that is conveyed to me during certain rare dream events. This message establishes that what I am about to experience is not a dream, not a fantasy, and not to be feared. In order to proceed with the dream, I must acknowledge that I accept this reality. Last night, I had one of these dreams. It was real!

As my dream began, I was standing at one end of a small room or hallway. Behind me was an open door. From somewhere beyond the door, there emanated a very strong feeling of love, warmth and rightness. At the other end of the room there was something like a ragged hole, very chaotic and indefinable. From within this hole there came some vague noises and motions. Then three people stepped through the hole into the room acting very confused and tentative. They were wearing astronaut suits. Individually, they "saw" me and I offered them my hand to guide them to the other door. I "touched" them, but only with my mind. As I brought each of them to the door, I gave them a simple message; "We thank you". When they became aware of the door and what was beyond it, they showed great joy and peace, then they stepped through and were gone.

I "knew" that there was a fourth person still in the other opening. I further "knew" that I would not be allowed to meet or guide this last person to the other side. That person would cross over after I left. My work was done, my dream began to dissolve in balance with my gentle recovery of earthly awareness. As I was half in and half out of the dream, still in that room, yet also lying awake in my "real" bed, I received a message, an understanding from that fourth person. The message was; "Thank you, son." That fourth person, the other guide, was my father.

As I write this, I am once again locked solidly into my earthbound existence. All my walls are hard when I run into them, hot is hot, cold is cold, all my "normal" senses are attuned to the physical. There is no more knowing, there is no more special communication with others except through our earthly "scientifically proven" forms such as writing, speaking and the like. I carry with me a sense of sadness at having to set aside my "other" senses, yet have an absolute sureness that it is only a temporary condition while I continue my existence in this reality. I can offer no proof that what I experienced was real. I can offer only my own personal sureness, and that is all I need.

What others believe doesn't concern me, for I know that some day they will understand. I have experienced the deep personal grief and confusion at the loss of a loved one. I know many of the feelings that so many people in our world are coping with today. I wish that they could take comfort in what I know. The astronauts who died in that explosion are safe, secure and content that theirs was the most successful mission of all. For they, if only for the briefest of time, caused an entire world to care for the loss of other human lives.

"We thank you...."