Bright rays shine in the clouds

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I often jokingly refer to myself as a recovering Catholic when it comes to faith, but that’s pretty close to the truth. I struggle a lot with the formal aspects of the faith: rules that seem arbitrary and exclusionary, and a lack of accountability on the part of the church for many injustices. But I still have faith, and I believe that there is a higher power and that the world chooses a variety of ways to honor it. As a fairly fact-based person, I don’t think we can ignore the countless experiences that people on the brink of death go through. Even nursing home nurses have witnessed people who miraculously “came back” and reported it Something It occurs at the end of the line.

Recently, a woman who died for 27 minutes claimed to have experienced this as well. According to Daily MirrorTina Haynes died clinically after suffering cardiac arrest while preparing for a hike with her husband, Brian. He immediately began performing CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. While being taken by ambulance to the hospital, Tina drifted in and out of consciousness but stabilized. When Tina fully woke up, she couldn’t speak, but frantically wrote on a piece of paper, “This is real.”

Her family started trying to guess what she meant, and her husband asked if she was referring to her pain or the hospital. But it was her daughter who guessed correctly when she asked, “Is it heaven?” Tina reportedly nodded.

After waking up, she said she felt like she caught a glimpse of heaven, where Jesus stood before her with outstretched arms. “The colors were very vibrant,” she said. “It was very real.”

Tina even wrote a book chronicling her experience called Heaven…It’s Real – How Death Changes LivesShe remained firmly in the belief that this was what she saw in almost her last moments.

Historically, near-death experiences have been recorded for centuries with Heraclitus, Democritus, and Plato, all of whom wrote about “returners,” that is, people who died and then recovered. Scientifically speaking, new research on near-death experiences suggests that 15% of people who experience cardiac arrest report having a spiritual experience. The most common description they shared was of seeing their bodies from above, traveling through a long, dark tunnel toward the light, and feeling completely at peace and detached.

Although it may be a different experience for each individual, I think this aligns well with spending eternity in a space you personally believe in. And I think we’ll all find out one day.