When my husband, Jeep, passed away from congestive heart failure in August of 2017, I did not know a local priest in our home town in Texas who would come to the home to do a posthumous last rites ritual, as Jeep was Catholic and I knew this would be important for his spirit’s journey. It wasn’t until my move to Washington state, and a new marriage to Ian, that I would be given a chance to perform this blessing. During that time, beginning in January of 2022, Jeep began to visit us regularly, and developed a deep friendship with my new husband.
On a Monday afternoon in May, our new priest at the Episcopal church Ian and I attend, Father Jim, agreed to come over to our house and perform the Last Rites ritual (Ian had told Jeep about this the night before, so that he could prepare). After we welcomed Father and he was ready to begin, I asked Ian if Jeep was here, as I cannot see him with my eyes. Ian acknowledged that Jeep was sitting in my recliner in the living room. I introduced my late husband to Father Jim, and asked him if he was ready for the Last Rites. Ian relayed that he nodded “yes”.
The ritual was beautiful, and allowed both Ian and me to participate in the liturgy. When it was over, Jeep thanked us, and departed. It felt wonderful to have fulfilled this wish that Jeep had told me he wanted many years ago when he was still alive. This was the only thing left for me to resolve, and brought peace and closure. Ian and I were so grateful to Father for his openness to accept our unique situation and Ian’s abilities; this part of our lives is not something we shared with everyone, and our priest’s understanding has truly helped us spiritually in our walk of faith.
The following night, as I was in my studio working on a video production gig, I heard Ian talking in the living room (we sleep in side-by-side recliners). “Can’t you come back tomorrow?” he asked, drowsy and slightly irritated at the interruption.
“Who are you talking to?” I asked from my office chair, as I could see Ian reclining in the darkness of the living room.
“Jeep,” he replied. “He says he needs to talk to me, but I’m very tired and want him to come back tomorrow so I can sleep.” He once again asked Jeep to come back, and turned over to face the wall, snuggling his blanket up beneath his chin.
Suddenly, I learned a loud sound come from the living room. I knew that it was the wire door to the kennel where our dog Bruce sleeps, near the foot of Ian’s recliner. This made me jump a bit, as was unexpected in the silence of the house. I got up and walked into the living room, and asked Ian if he hit the kennel door by accident with his foot and if he was okay.
“It wasn’t me,” he said. “It was Jeep. He’s trying to wake me up to talk with him.”
Without warning, our dog Bruce began to growl from his kennel, facing the hallway behind me that separated the living room from my studio. Ian sat up and turned around, and exclaimed: “Oh, my God!”
“What?” I asked, adrenaline beginning to surge.
“It’s Jeep. He’s an angel! He just spread his wings, which startled Bruce.” Ian paused, an amazed look on his face. Then he continued, “Jeep said ‘Thank you for my wings'”. With that, Jeep disappeared.
Ian described what he saw in vivid detail: Jeep had huge, white glowing wings, fully extended, the ‘feathers’ more like brilliant strands of white, gently flowing like the slow motion of seaweed in the ocean.
For the last two years now, Jeep’s wings have been part of his appearance, although sometimes they appear as just glowing stripes along his skin where the bases meet his back. The Last Rites truly freed Jeep’s spirit and brought about a physical transformation of his spiritual body. Whether this is something Jeep himself has done to envision his new spiritual evolution, or whether he has transformed into a form of angelic being (yet still being Jeep in every way) is unclear. There is no scriptural basis for such a human-to-angel change, as angels are unique spiritual entities who have never been human. Either way, what IS clear to me, is that there is power and peace in prayer and the rituals and liturgies we hold sacred. Such a blessing freed my husband to manifest is a beautiful and positive way, and to me, has become a guardian angel who watches over us and continues to bring us messages and comfort from the other side.
Maybe there is something to the heartwarming classic film, “It’s a Wonderful Life” after all, where Clarence gets his wings from the good deed he performed on Earth for George Bailey and his family. One of the mysteries to be revealed I guess, when it’s my time to cross over…