Felice Shapiro
The most amazing thing happened. Something so bizarre, it’s tempting to say it was a coincidence. But I have had so many “signs” from my deceased husband to dismiss any of them.
I was asked to write a book review of “The Hand On the Mirror” by Janis Heaphy Durham. The timing and the topic of the review was yet another sign – I am sure of it. The topic — seeing “signs” of life beyond death — and the timing — the 10th anniversary of my husband’s passing. I could say, “How weird is that?” But the truth is — not so weird for me. I have come to welcome the signs, of which there are many.
What was most sweet about this particular sign was it gave me great comfort during this 10th anniversary weekend as I traveled to be with my son who had moved across the country. I read the book in one sitting on the flight from New York to Seattle.
Janis Durham could not ignore the signs from her deceased husband after losing Max to esophageal cancer. She tried to dismiss them for a while but there were too many.
And by the way, it’s not so easy to dismiss Janis Durham as a quack. She had a long career in publishing, culminating as the publisher of the Sacramento Bee, which won two Pulitzers under her leadership. The woman is legit.
Her story is one of delving into how and why these signs occur. And as I read her story on the weekend of May 16 – ten years to the day of losing my husband – I was comforted remembering all the signs I too had seen.
Janis’s signs were vivid and witnessed by others — hard to shake off. But the most glaring that set her on her journey of discovery was a handprint that appeared on her mirror on the one year anniversary of her husband Max’s death, and on the second and third anniversaries as well.
There were multiple signs during that first year but the Hand on the Mirror was the catalyst that launched her on the path to understanding this phenomenon.
She began to see that the odd occurrences or “signs” of Max communicating with her were not random. Clocks stopped in the house at the very hour he died (12:44), lights flickered, rugs moved, and so many more.
I could totally relate to many of Janis’s experiences, so I loved this book. But I believe those of us who sense there is something that connects us beyond the boundaries of life and death will find this book to be mind expanding and comforting.
On this 10th anniversary for me, the “signs” I witnessed (then and now) of life beyond death “mirror” so many of Janis’, and it was comforting to jot a few of them down and reflect:
- This book was sent to me to review on same week of the 10th anniversary of my husband Alan’s death (May 16, 2005). Why was I given an assignment to read and review this book…this very week?
- The author is totally relatable to me. Like me, she has been in publishing her entire career. Like me, she is the third of four kids and, like me the phenomena she witnessed after losing her husband were similar.
- She describes chimes sounding with no wind anywhere. The week of my husband’s funeral we gathered in our backyard and held a Shiva service. During the silent prayer – it was completely quiet and then a brief wind picked up for a nano-second, the chimes sounded and all in the group were awed – everyone commented that it was Alan’s spirit.
- She describes her communication with Max’s spirit. He visited her – she saw a shadow of him in the room –he interacted with her –he was close but not too close – yes, I had this very same visit multiple times but only in the first three years.
- She talks about finding another love in her life – beginning again. “That love extends across the boundaries between this life and the next and we can experience love here and with those who are gone.” We share the philosophy that you can not only love again but you can still love those who are gone and those you are with.
- She talks about using a median in Year Three after his death to help settle Max’s spirit down and I did the same – and I did it in Year Three as well. My experience was with a Shaman and it was life altering. At the end of the session, we had released Alan and thus myself from the unsettled place we were still both stuck in. (I will write about this at another time.)
Janis takes us on her own discovery journey and we begin to see how she stops judging herself so harshly and begins to let go as she gains an understanding of this spiritual awakening – the topic of life beyond death.
If you have any interest at all in the subject — or have experienced “signs” and believe that life continues on – I highly recommend this book. I also encourage you to go to Handonthemirror.org to read others stories and to share your own.
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You can order: “The Hand On The Mirror” by clicking on this link.
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