I was on your fantastic website last night, and I want to write the contributor of the story entitled The Scent of Roses.

I found your website after speaking with a friend of mine. I'd been telling her about a dream that I'd had in 2001, a full 13 years after my beloved father's death in October of 1988. I had remarked to my friend that the dream about my father had been incredibly vivid; everything was somehow brighter and more alive. I remember every single detail of it 9 years later, unlike any other dream I have ever had in my 40 years.

I can still smell him, feel the cloth of his jacket against me, and most importantly, feel his arms around me. I know - 100% - that he came to me that night in order to help me understand that he was with me in spirit, and that he was happy where he was. I will never believe that this was simply a 'vivid dream'.

The dream in 2001 was the start of a much healthier grieving process than I had been capable of prior. It meant so much to me to know that the love that my dad and I had shared was alive and well. A lot of the guilt that I had felt up to that point simply dissipated. I know on every level of my soul that my dad is well and happy, at peace and waiting for those he loves.

I was struck by the way Sherrie's dream included mention of her father dancing with his mother. My own dream included a sequence where my dad and mum danced to Frank Sinatra - something I had not witnessed while he was alive. I noted that Sherrie also mentioned that she herself had not witnessed her father and grandmother dancing together during their lifetimes either, Because of all this, I felt a lot of common ground in her story.

Without knowing who had written the Scent of Roses, I arrived at the bottom and read that it had been written by Sherrie Thomas-Woodside. My father's name was Thomas Woodside. A small thing perhaps, but one that felt very powerful to me.

Thank you for a wonderful website and resource for all of us who have lost someone special, and for those of us who are endlessly fascinated by the wonderful mysteries of this life. My thanks also to Sherrie for a lovely, affirming and beautiful story.

Andrea Woodside
London, England