Afterlife: The Death of My Grandmother's Little Brother Alfred

Is it possible that there is an afterlife? The afterlife might be a realm of existence where an individual or consciousness continues to exist after the death of the physical body in the individual's lifetime. After death, life might continue in another dimension or plane of existence. People want to believe in an afterlife or need to believe in existence from beyond the grave. There is no scientific proof of an afterlife, but near-death experiences might give clues to the possibility of an afterlife. People, who go through near-death experiences (NDE) have common experiences, which include popping or floating out of one's own body, then floating or flying down a long tunnel towards a bright, white light. Many people, who have near-death experiences, describe this bright, white light as "loving." The light is described as being "God."

Some near-death experiences describe beautiful cities filled with light and beautiful colors, which do not exist on earth. There are beautiful beings of light that are there to help individuals, who have just died. In this beautiful realm, the dead are greeted by friends, relatives, and even pets, which have all died before them. The dead can't be seen in their spirit form. The spirit world may be an invisible counterpart to the physical world. Not all of the near-death experiences were beautiful and joyful--some were harrowing with nasty spirits insulting the individual, who's experiencing the near-death experience, and taunting them making for a horrific experience.

Is there was life after death? There are many books about life after death and I've always wondered if it was true? I know that I wouldn't want to be dead forever. I would assume that no one else would want to be dead forever, either. I want to believe that people, animals and every living thing has an afterlife. A life after death would be better than being dead forever. It would be better if there was an afterlife. Having no afterlife does not make any sense. There would have to be more to life than just having life end forever. I remember this one true story my mother use to tell her friends. It was a sad story about a small boy, who was my grandmother's brother, who had died when he was four years old, by accidentally falling into a vat of left over scalding water from washing clothes. This incident happened along time ago (around the early 1900s).

My mother used to tell this story of the little boy who was only four years old and how he died one day, when his mother and other members of the family, were washing clothes. He was my Grandmother's brother on the maternal side. He was only four years old and he had blond hair and blue eyes. This is about an accident, where he had fallen into a vat of scolding water backwards and that was how he had died. I think my mother said that they had finished washing clothes, but there was still some hot scalding water left in the vat. The boy's name was Alfred and he died from falling into the vat. Alfred (the four year old boy) had lived many years ago. My Grandmother was born in 1901, so the incident happened along time ago, before my mother had been born.

Around the time that this was happening some relatives of the family were driving up to the house where the boy had just died, not knowing about what had just happened, they saw what looked like a little spirit rising up out of the house by the chimney, and into the sky. They was not sure what it was? They found out after arriving at the home that the little boy had accidentally fallen into a vat, which still held some scolding water after the clothes had been washed. My mother used to say that they thought that it must have been the spirit or soul of the little boy, that was floating upwards just after he had died. My mother said that his (the little boy) mother never forgave herself for what had happened on that day. That was a terrible thing that had happened. The little boy was buried in a small cemetery in Northeastern Iowa, where he remains today.

Maybe there is life after death? It must have been his spirit that rose up just after he fell into the scalding water and died. It is sad that a young life was lost at the time, but it was an unfortunate accident and after it happened, it was just too late to save his life.

Along time ago when this little boy died they used to take pictures of the deceased in the casket and put the photos on postcards. My mother used to have a photo of this boy with his photo taken in this way. I think hat he died in 1904, but I am not sure of the year exactly. I have not seen his grave for many years. My Grandpa and Grandma (his sister) are buried in the same cemetery in Northeast Iowa near Alta Vista, Iowa. I saw a picture of the boy who was around four years old, lying in a white casket. He had blond hair. He was so young. My mother used to tell people that the boy's mother never forgave herself for what happened to the boy on that day.