The World of Spirits

The World of Spirits

They Do Not Forget Us

Spiritual experiences occur when you least expect them. Recently, I received an email from a friend. Although I had not seen her in years, we often communicate via email. Out of nowhere, she wrote me an email wanting to know if I did portrait painting, and if so, would I do a portrait of her son, who had passed away several years ago.

"Is she kidding me? She wants me to do a portrait painting. Professionals do portrait painting, not me. I am an amateur; a simple amateur, at that," was my first reaction.

After a minute or two of reflecting upon her request, I emailed her asking her for her son's photo. Immediately, she granted my request. The image revealed a young boy of approximately nine years old with a pleasant smile.

Without much thought, I picked up my brush and proceeded to paint. After thirty minutes, I had painted a face. It was not the face of a little boy; instead, it was a much older boy. Immediately, I emailed her the painting and waited for her reaction.

The next day, I received the anticipated email. She said that she could not believe the similarity to her brother. Additionally, she stated that she always wanted to know how her son would look like a young man and secretly wished a painting of her son at that age.

A few days later, while meditating, I was spiritually directed to include her father in the painting. Her father, who had passed away many years ago, was a significant figure in her life. When I related the news, she was elated. Promptly, she provided a photo of her father.

As I continued to paint the portrait, I found myself including her dog, who had recently passed away—not questioning why I continued painting.

As I was reaching the end, I decided to do the final touch-ups around the face. I grabbed a brush and commenced to do the corrections. I was close to finishing up when the unexpected occurred. The oil paint had smeared the upper part of the face. The more I tried to correct the damage, the worst it got. It was a total disaster. I had two choices- give up or start again. I decided to redo the face.

The first few days were excruciating. Nothing was coming outright. I decided to call out to her son's spirit and ask for his help. Slowly, I began to see a change. A face was emerging on the canvas. His face and eyes began to take form. The more I painted, the more connected I felt to the boy on the canvas.

After the completion of the painting, I began comparing the before and after. The before was totally off. It was the after that seemed to capture his essence. Perhaps, the accident was not an accident. Could it be that he was behind all this? Was he letting me know that it was all wrong, and I needed to start all over? If that were the case, I would thank him for guiding my hand.

During the process, I kept my friend abreast of the painting's development by sending her copies of the unfinished painting. To my surprise, she has saved each one of them.

Recently, I received an email from her stating the following: "I feel a closeness to my loved one as never before. I have my son in my heart and mind more than ever. Thank you for doing this painting. If it weren't for you, I would have never seen my son in an older stage. He reminds me so much of my brother. Thank you, thank you, thank you. May God bless you always."

For years, she had complained about not seeing, feeling, and dreaming with her son. Even though she was raised to believe in the existence of spirits, she had a difficult time accepting the fact that her loved ones were closeby. On many occasions, I heard her say, "They are not around me. They have abandoned me." Her son has never abandoned her. He has been around witnessing all of her moments.

I was not aware that she secretly wished to have a painting of her son as a young man. However, he had captured her thoughts and guided my hand to produce the above artwork.

If you ever feel that your departed loved ones are not around you, think again. They are by your side. They are called spirit guests. All you need to do is open the door to your heart and let them in.

UPDATE

A few days ago, the painting was delivered to her. She wrote me the following email:

"I don't know what to say. You have left me speechless with the painting. I keep staring at the picture and talking to them. Thank you for taking the time to do this for me, I will never be able to repay you for what you did, but all I can say is God bless you. I never thought I would get such a beautiful portrait of my family. I have been crying since I took the picture in my hands, but they are tears of joy.

Love L

P.S. I will treasure this painting forever and ever. Thank you, thank you, thank you,

Thank you, Ramon, for the spiritual lesson. Although our loved ones have departed, they will never forget us.

This is not the end of spirit visitors. It is just the beginning.