Most of us have dealt with the
expected loss of a parent, grandparent or anyone who has lived a full
life and is ready to go. It's a heartfelt loss and grieving
is a normal part of the circle of life. The loss of a child, no matter
what their age, is devastating to the parents. Parents are supposed
to go before their children in the normal pattern of life and
death. It's especially devastating when the loss is sudden
and tragic.
A counselor once said to my cousin "The shock of
an unexpected, sudden death can be compared to being mentally hit by an
eighteen-wheeler semi-truck, only no one can see the damage. If you
were physically hit by the truck, people would see the damage to your
body from the accident, but in the case of mental damage, it's unseen
by the world.” The hurt is so deep, how can a person come
back from that kind of loss?
When my dear cousin suddenly
lost her 28-year-old son- KJ, to a tragic accident, I was afraid I
might have lost her as well. I had no idea how to help my
cousin. I felt her pain and I am feeling it again right now as I write
this. The tears are streaming down my face. Oh God, this is harder than
I thought it would be. My cousin was suffering so much. My own belief
on the subject of death is that I am 100% sure that when a person dies,
they don’t just disappear. They hang around the living. Especially
around their loved ones.
So, I knew KJ was around his mom, but I needed
someone else to be the one to tell my dear cousin this. Because she
loves me, she probably would agree with me that he was around her and
thank me for saying it. But deep down I felt she wouldn’t have really
believed it. However, I knew a psychic medium that was pretty darn good
at talking with spirits. I felt this was the one person my cousin might
listen to and really believe. I needed her to believe her son was still
with her.
First of all, because he was! Second of all, somehow I knew
this would ease her pain- even if it only eased it a little. I went
ahead and set up an appointment for my cousin to have a reading with my
psychic medium friend. The only thing I said to the medium when I made
the appointment was “My cousin really needs to talk to you.”
I didn't even tell her my cousin's name.
My cousin and I drove into East
Boston to the medium's house for the reading. The medium took my cousin
into a private room, where she stayed for almost an hour. When my
cousin came out, her whole demeanor had changed. She told me that KJ
had come through in her reading. He identified himself as Rymp. Rymp
was a nickname his friends had given him in high school. I certainly
did not know that. Only my cousin would have known KJ by this nickname.
KJ talked through the medium and asked his mother if she had been
finding pennies around the house. She said she had been finding pennies
and sometimes in the strangest places. She said, “I vacuum everywhere
in the house and there are no pennies anywhere. After that, I walk into my kitchen
and there is a penny on the floor. I find them everywhere.”
KJ -through the medium told his mom that it was him. He was leaving the
pennies. Pennies from heaven or really from KJ!
Since
writing this story, I have been finding pennies around my house. I
guess KJ has been visiting me lately as well. This is something he does
to his mom all the time. He was always such a funny guy- let me tell
you. We all miss him so much. It has been almost a decade since KJ
passed.
My cousin still finds pennies around her house in the strangest
places.
How wonderful is that?
Elizabeth
Lopilato is a lifelong resident of New England, growing up in Woburn,
Massachusetts. She graduated from Woburn Senior High in 1981. During
the late 1980s she attended Middlesex Community College, graduating
with honors in their nursing program. Over the years, she has gained
experience in many areas of nursing, including telemetry, endoscopy and
most recently in psychiatrics. Currently, Elizabeth is employed by
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston MA, in their emergency
department. Elizabeth has written and self published 4 books on Amazon
KDP.
