[MRM]

Don't know if you are religious or not, but I have a similar story that has a religious bent to it. When my dad died our minister told us to be ready to see him come back from time to time, especially soon after his death and not to be startled, that it was common, and he was just coming back to see us and say hello and comfort us. Sure enough, a few times my mother, sisters and I could have sworn we heard his voice. But mostly he came back to us in dreams. They were the kind of dreams that are so real that they take you a few minutes to realize you've woken up.

Over the years he's come to me in several dreams. None are the same but any dream with him in them is so realistic that it's hard to explain. He's been gone for more than ten years, so my waking memory of what he looked and sounded like are a bit fuzzy. We were very close, worked together on our farm, and he was very distinctive, so the fading memory feels strange, especially considering what a larger than life figure he was for so many years. But when I see him in a dream, it is like being next to him again. The unique sound of his voice, the calluses on his hands, his flat top haircut, the smell and feel of his chore clothes, it's all like I am with him in the room again.

Sometimes we talk, but it is always short and I see him only for a minute. The dreams come out of nowhere and don't seem related to anything I do or think. For what it's worth, I do think the minister is right and that our loved ones do come back to visit us from time to time and that it is meant to be a comfort to us.

I wouldn't take your Godmother's appearance to be a harbinger of doom. I would treasure the memory and look forward to the next time she visits.