Chapter 21 - A Spirit Body's Heart

September 17, 1948

Solomon was three hours late to the clinic when he spoke to the patients in the waiting room. “I’m sorry folks. One of Ma’s patients had her baby in the office,” he explained, “and I couldn’t leave.”

They understood. “No problem, man.”

Solomon asked, “Who’s first?”

An older man said, “Take Mary. She sounds like she got the pneumonee.”


As soon as possible, Solomon went to the dispensary and rang Jerry Banks’ telephone.

Jerry answered, “Hello?”

“Hello, Jerry, this is Solomon Sepaugh. May I speak with Becky?”

“Let me get her,” Jerry said. She was standing beside him so he clapped his hand over the phone’s transmitter and waited for her to respond to his offer of the phone.

“I don’t want to talk to him,” she said. “Today was so upsetting. I just wish I could move somewhere else to have this baby.”

Jerry didn’t say anything. He just held the phone out to her.

Solomon doodled on a piece of paper. It seemed to take forever for Becky to get to the phone.

“Hello,” she finally said.

“Hello, Becky, I wanted to apologize to you about what happened today. Ma didn’t realize it would upset you, and I was so preoccupied with Nellie that I couldn’t...”

“You don’t have to apologize,” she interrupted. “I understood,” she said, “was it a girl or a boy?”

“Oh, it was a little girl,” he said, “and mother and daughter are both fine.”

“I’m glad,” she said.

“I was…uh…I was wondering if you’d mind if I came over after supper tonight,” he said. “I promise not to talk about anything that could possibly make you uncomfortable. I’m just beginning to realize how sensitive you are about these things.”

She hesitated a second, and then she said, “Well…I guess it would be okay for you come over.”

“Would seven-thirty be okay?” Solomon asked.

“Yes,” she said.


Solomon was relieved that Becky had agreed to see him. When he got home from the clinic, Ma was sitting at the desk in her office. He sat in the patient’s chair across from her. “I’m going over to talk to Becky at seven-thirty. Do you have any suggestions?”

Ma shook her head, no, and handed him Becky’s medical history.

He reached for it saying, “She wouldn’t want me to see this.”

“Prob’ly not,” Ma said as she waited for him to read it.

“It looks good. Her last period was June seventeenth.” Counting in his head he said, “Back three months and add seven days…she’s due March twenty-fourth.”


Solomon walked up on the front porch as Becky was coming outside. He wasn’t usually one to notice clothes, but he always noticed what Becky wore. In her hair was a pink ribbon with a bow at the ten o’clock position. She had on a floral halter-top sundress with material gathered across each breast. It had a cummerbund waist, which still fit her.

Jerry had a front porch swing just like Ma’s. Solomon sat down leaving room for Becky. She leaned against the porch banister briefly, and then she sat down beside him. He pushed off with his feet, and then he held them up to let gravity swing them like a pendulum. The rusty hooks squeaked with the movement of the swing.


Becky looked up at them, “Think they’ll hold?” she asked.


“Oh yeah,” he said. Solomon reasoned that it was okay to sit in silence. He could feel the warmth of her arm against his arm. Yes, this is good enough, he thought. I’ll encourage her to go back to Ma another day.


As Solomon left, he felt satisfied that Becky was okay in spite of the morning’s insult to her sensitivities. On the truck radio an evangelist droned on about man’s sinful nature. He shut it off as he made a three-point turn and headed back to his house. His life felt full and happy. What did I do to deserve it?

Sarah appeared in the seat beside him. “God ordained that ye be raised in a family that is close to the spirit world. That was God’s gift to ye. What ye do with yer life is yer gift to God.”

“Sarah,” Solomon said, “I’m glad to see you. I’ve been wondering about something. That voice I heard; you called it the Pure One. Who is he? And what’s all that stuff about those keys?”

“It’s about yer spiritual growth on the earth plane,” she said. “I canna tell ye about the Pure One. He’s from a plane far above me. I canna comprehend him anymore than an earthworm can comprehend ye. I can only tell ye that he’s magnificent.”

“And as for the five keys, they’re levels of yer spiritual growth. They’re questions that yer soul must ask on the earth plane. As ye receive the answers, the powers of yer soul increase. The answers to the questions are the five keys. When ye have received them all, the Sign will be upon yer soul. Physical eyes won’t be able to see it, but it will shine like a beacon in the Light World. And then yer spiritual powers and yer control over yer environment will be…well, they will be supernatural.”

“I don’t want supernatural powers,” he said.

“Maybe that’s why ye’re gettin’ them,” she smiled.

“Well,” he said, “what if I ask the wrong questions?”

“Well then, ye wouldn’t be gettin’ the Sign, I suppose,” she said, “but don’t ye be worrying. God rewards sincere seekers, Solomon. He rewards them who hunger and thirst after righteousness. God is big enough to guide each soul. All, who reach out to Him, will be rewarded.”

“Ma’s never heard of the five keys...or the Sign,” he said, “so why me?

Sarah said, “I wasn’t chosen for the Sign in my earth life either. I was an ordinary woman. I loved God and my family. Ye have been chosen,” she said, “and only God knows the reason.”

Solomon pulled the truck into his yard. He looked exasperated, as he thought…chosen? He spit out the word...“Chosen!” He felt frustrated because he didn’t understand.

“I don’t know why,” Sarah said. “I don’t know what ye’ve done or what ye will do in the Light World that caused God to single ye out for this bounty. I don’t know why God has led the Pure One to guide ye through the five keys. Surely ye know that ye’re different from others. Surely ye know ye have a destiny not like others.”

“But I still don’t understand,” he said.

“Aye, and ye won’t understand,” she added, “until ye detach from yer physical body and all the veils that surround it. Do ye remember how the Bible says that ye see through a glass darkly?”


“Solomon, what question do you have for me?” The voice of the Pure One thundered this time. The atmosphere around Solomon glowed fiery red. Eddies of orange and yellow swirled around him. The smell of sulfur wafted over him. He stepped out of the truck. Sarah followed and dropped to her knees. She fell prostrate before…before what? Solomon couldn’t say.

“Am I in hell?” he asked. He looked down at his feet. It looks like lava, but it’s not hot, he thought.

The Pure One laughed and said, “No, Solomon, this atmosphere is governed by your emotions. You’re angry because you have unanswered questions.”

Solomon dropped his head. “I’m sorry,” he said.

The voice responded, “Anger is a fine emotion when it’s justified. Anger is an attribute of God.”

As Solomon began to calm down, the atmosphere softened with rosy currents. He spun around looking for the Pure One. “Who are you, and why won’t you show yourself to me?”

“For the same reason that God and heaven are concealed from you,” the Pure One said.

“Are you going to answer me?” Solomon raised his voice. He twirled around again, “Or...are you playing with me?” The atmosphere blazed red again. Sparks flew in every direction. Solomon tried to calm himself. I’m not used to having my emotions so obvious to others, he thought.

“I’m going to answer you, Solomon,” the Pure One said. “I would never play with you. My love for you is unconditional.” The ethereal scene went through several shades of purple and then lavender before a soft powder blue became predominant. The Pure One said, “If God and heaven were not concealed from your eyes, Solomon, you would not be able to develop faith. Faith is a quality that is required for you to function in the afterlife.”

“It is?” Solomon looked puzzled.

“Yes, it is. Like you need a heart to function in the earth life, in the same way, you need faith to function in the afterlife. Without faith you would be sickly and handicapped in the afterlife. This is impossible for you to comprehend right now, but your spirit body has organs too. Faith in God is the heart of your spirit body.

Solomon laughed out loud. “Is it that simple? I can understand that.”

The Pure One laughed too, “Yes, it’s that simple.”

“What else does my spirit body need?” Solomon asked. “What are its other organs made of?”

“That’s simple too,” the Pure One said. “Your spirit body’s requirements are the attributes of God—love, mercy, kindness, courage, patience, forgiveness. Shall I go on? These are the organs of your spirit body. That’s what the Messenger, Jesus Christ, tried to show to the world.”

“I think I understand,” Solomon said. He felt peace and contentment as billows of light blue mingled with fluffy pink cloud-like formations.

“And this, Solomon, is your fourth key.”


A bright light popped like a flashbulb inside Solomon’s head. He was suddenly standing alone in the clear autumn night in front of his house. The crickets chirped and the fireflies twinkled on and off. An owl hooted in the distance. Solomon bounded up the front steps. He ran into Ma in the living room. “Come outside with me,” he said. “Let’s sit on the porch. I have something amazing to tell you.”

Copyright © 2008 by Robbin Renee Bridges
Coping with Grief through Afterlife Communication
http://www.spirit-sanctuary.org/