For those new to the groups, this is the sixth in a series of short excerpts that did not appear in the book, Never Forget To Laugh, Personal Recollections of Bill Thetford, Co-Scribe of A Course In Miracles.  (I apparently only know how to write books with long titles!)  They refer to experiences Bill’s friends had with him after his passing.

During the course of writing Never Forget To Laugh, it was my good fortune to spend considerable time on the phone with Judy Skutch Whitson as she recounted her memories and experiences with Bill.  As our own connection deepened, I found myself increasingly “tuning in” to her and to Bill.  One afternoon after a lengthy conversation with Judy, I entered a place of quiet and seemed to receive a personal message from Bill for Judy.  Here he was again, sending Judy messages through someone, but at least this time it was a friend!  (On another occasion, a message about Judy’s mother’s imminent death came from a very unlikely source.)  I thought it was a very comforting and confirming message and one anyone would be happy to receive.  And it was thought-provoking.  When I gave her this message, she jokingly responded to tell Bill to mind his own business!   Undeterred, he continued to offer kind and encouraging words to be given Judy.

Bill seemed intent on not minding his own business.  During that same period, in addition to messages for Judy, I was becoming engaged in a dialogue with him that included advice and encouragement about the book writing endeavor.   I still found it unusual to be having a discussion with someone we have been conditioned to think of as “dead” although this was not the first time he had definitely come through.  I inquired inwardly, “How do I know this is you, Bill, and not thoughts of my own invention?” Bill’s silent response was, “Ask Judy about her plaid dress and her answer will let you know you’re really talking to me.”

That definitely got my attention because just prior to the time these messages from Bill were coming, in my mind’s eye I had unexpectedly envisioned Judy as a little girl with long dark hair, happily running free and wearing a plaid dress with some red in it.  Although I couldn’t actually see it, I sensed the details about it.  In no way was I attempting to see something about Judy; the inner pictures simply intruded into my awareness unbidden.  Therefore, after that surprising statement by Bill (how did he possibly know I had entertained that fleeting thought?), I emailed Judy but approached the subject obliquely because it was so astonishingly specific.  I asked her if a plaid dress had ever been important to her when she was a little girl because I was getting a strong impression of her wearing one and that she was very happy.  I did not add the second half of the story that Bill had asked that I do this to certify the authenticity of his presence.  To my considerable amazement, she shot back an email in capital letters, “ABSOLUTELY and I have the pictures to prove it!”  I breathed a sigh of relief and then told her the remainder of the reason I was asking – this was a “test” of Bill’s authenticity in my mind.  She then sent pictures of herself in her plaid dress, which did have red in it, with her baby sister—their first taken together by a professional photographer and dear to her as her sister died suddenly many years ago.

Try as we might, there is no getting around the fact that we’re all still here together as One, beloved and safe, regardless of the presence or absence of bodies.  So here’s a special round of New Year’s gratitude for Bill and everyone, forever at home in the heart of God.

For more about Bill’s book and what others have to say about it , please go to: http://www.neverforgettolaugh.com.