Beyond the Veil

Nothing appeared real. I embraced the moment and took in the scene before me. Was this the beginning, or the end? It didn’t seem to matter. I felt at peace.

I was surrounded in a mysterious whiteness. There was a curious sensation of weightlessness like drifting on a summer cloud. I heard singing. I heard music, and beyond the sheer white veil before me, hands stretched out to me.

‘Come’, a voice called.

I reached out and separated the white from white. ‘Who are you?’ I whispered.

‘Come,’ the voice called again. It was a gentle voice, yet powerful and alluring.

I drifted through the mist and looked around. The image lingered. ‘Lord?’

Again, I heard His voice. ‘Come.’ This time the image approached; hands still outstretched. Our fingers touched.

‘Come, my child. I love you, and I have plans for you.’

‘Lord, show me your will for me. I’m lost without you. I’m lost in my confusion. Show me what I need to do. Tell me how to cope. I need you Lord.’

‘Take my hand and trust me. Your heart is troubled my child. Why do you doubt? Your confusion will melt away; just like this vision. Only trust and obey. Go back. I have made you for a purpose, and this has not yet been fulfilled.’

In an instant the white veil appeared before me again. We had turned full circle. The white on white image of my Lord blended slowly into the mist. ‘I will trust you’, I whispered into the air. The veil parted. I stepped out and drifted away.

My eyes were heavy and the sound of muffled voices invaded the peace. Something forced my left eye open and a bright light flashed.

‘Sally. Sally. Can you hear me?’ The voice became clearer. ‘I’m Doctor Sherman. Can you squeeze my hand?’

I squeezed his hand.

‘Good girl. You scared us there for a while,’ the doctor responded.

‘Where am I? What happened?’

I squinted at the torchlight in my right eye.

A nurse checked my pulse. You’re in hospital. ‘It’s been a long night. We thought we had lost you. Where have you been?’

Where have I been indeed, I thought. But instead I asked, ‘How did I get here?’

Doctor Sherman sat on the side of the bed. ‘You collapsed in your garden. Your daughter found you. She wasn’t sure how long you had been unconscious. She called 000, and here you are. It was a minor heart attack but tests have shown little damage. We don’t believe it was serious. We’ll run some more tests today and get a Cardiologist to visit you when we have the final results. You should be right to go home tomorrow if everything is okay.’

I stared at the doctor and then at the nurse. I wasn’t even sure how long I was staring. ‘Can I see my daughter, please?’ I finally asked.

A few moments later Sheena, my precious only daughter, stood beside the bed holding my hand. ‘You scared me half to death Mum.’

‘I’m sorry and I’m sorry too that I haven’t been the kind of mother I should be. I…’

‘It’s not you that needs to apologize. You were right. John is bad news. Our relationship was wrong. Can I please come home? I need you to help me get back on track’. Sheena lowered her head and sobbed.

‘Sheena, I love you and always will. I think we have some work to do on our relationship, and I have a feeling we won’t be doing it on our own.’

Sheena looked into my eyes. Tears ran down her face and tilted her head. ‘Who?’

Tears stung my eyes. ‘Let’s talk about it when we get home. In the meantime, I need some sleep. Please stay. I’d like to have you here after my tests.’ Holding Sheena’s hand in mine, I closed my eyes to seek a glimpse of white on white beyond the veil. Thank you Lord.