Molly's thoughts about death and the afterlife, part one...

In the spring of 2001, Molly took a course called "Death and Dying" at the University of Utah. The course was designed to "explore and acquire knowledge concerning topics related to death and dying." Some of the areas to be considered were the "stages of grief, the dying process, and coping mechanisms." Taking this course for her degree program would have been a natural fit with her long-term interest in the afterlife.

Molly was also in the habit of keeping her class notes, assignments, tests, etc. for courses that she took. We came across her course assignments for this class and they included some passages that reveal a bit of how she viewed death and the afterlife. I think that Molly would certainly want to share some of these thoughts with those who were close to her in this life.

In one assignment, she wrote about her own grandmother. Although the circumstances of Molly's passing are shocking and tragic, she gives us an idea of the emotional joy that must have accompanied her reunion with those she loved who had preceded her into the next life:

"I believe that those buried are going on in another phase of life. I do believe in an after life. I had an interesting experience a month before my grandma died. I had a dream in which my grandpa who had passed away over twenty years ago came to me in my dream and told me it was time for her go and be with him. I was sad and cried that I didn't want her to go. But as I watched their reunion, I saw that they were ecstatic to see each other, so much so that they were dancing together with the biggest smiles I've ever seen. They were definitely happy to see each other again after so many years. I know their reunion was a celebration by the way my dream went. My grandma died surrounded by family and able to to do for herself til the end. She lived to be eighty-seven years old and remained in good health up to the last day. What an ideal way to go. It was sad to not have the interaction with her on a regular basis, but yet I was happy she got to finally be with my grandpa after being without him for so many years. They were happy together."