kat, it's interesting you should mention that point in Jasper Swain's book, about his son having been taken out of his body just before the crash. Because that was precisely one of the initial messages I received from Lani, through my friend. She said that she had not felt any pain, because she left her body just before the impact.

It's heartening to see such a positive response to my story. It helps me to know that my impulse to share it here was a good one.

I wanted to share another little part of the story. One of the things I loved about Lani was her playful sense of humor. The day after I "found" Lani again, I asked her about the time I had seen the hawk, and felt my terrible grief subside for a moment into great peace: "The hawk...was that you?" "Yes, it was," she answered. At that moment I happened to look up, and saw a meteor streaking from the center of Orion's belt. "Was that you, too?" I asked in amazement. "I'm not telling!" she replied...and we both laughed.

Aloha,
Mark