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Two reasons above all keep me sharing God winks with you, my dear readers.

First, they are a source of hope for those of you who are in grief over the death of a loved one. You want to know that death is not the end of us, and I believe with you and your winks that death is definitely not the end of us. It ought to comfort you to know that every single organized religion on earth teaches that our souls live on beyond the death of our bodies. Some forms of Buddhism may be an exception, but it is a complicated issue. In those Buddhist sects, everything in the world is an illusion and devoid of essence (shunya). In any event, if every religion is wrong and if these God winks are just magical thinking and psychologically induced illusions – if they are a crutch – then so be it, but what makes you think you are not disabled by grief? Sometimes you need a crutch.

I am not saying and I do not believe that anything that brings you hope is a good thing. I have seen mourners who are blocked in their grief work by their belief that they can communicate at will or through the agency of a medium with their dearly departed. That is false hope. Healthy mourning must come to an acceptance of the finality of death. However, God winks are an unexpected gift of hope that we will not be separated forever from those we love.

Here is an example:

Q: I see you continue to be inundated with God wink stories. Please, don’t think your readers tire of them. The God wink stories are always a welcome read, and a source of comfort. My husband passed away earlier this year. He always loved antiques. His favorite piece was an antique iron New York City street sign from the intersection of Park Avenue and East 57th Street. That street sign sat in the same place on a bookshelf in our living room for 24 years. Shortly after we went to sleep the night after my husband’s passing, my daughter and I were awakened by a very loud crash that shook our house. It was so loud we thought a tree had fallen on our home. Being two brave gals, we searched inside and out for the source of the crash. We saw nothing amiss. The next morning, I sat down in the living room and saw, in a far corner, under a table, the beloved street sign. I knew it was my husband giving us a "sign" to let us know that he was still here with his two favorite girls. – (From N)

Here is another example:

Q: I no longer feel like I am the only person that has received a sign from above. So, thank you for your recent columns. It was a stormy, rainy, early evening. I was trying to call my father, and the line was busy. I was sure it was because of the storm. After a while, I decided to take a short nap. I had a VERY vivid dream. My mother, who had died 20 years prior, was walking down from above with a bright light surrounding her. She was wearing the dress she had worn to my wedding. I had never had a dream about my mother before. Then all of a sudden, I felt her arms around me in a big hug. I awoke in a sweat. The next morning, I went to my father’s apartment. He had died that night with the telephone in his hand. I have not shared this event with any nonbelievers, as they probably would think I was not all there. – (From P)

A: The second reason I am happy to publish your God winks is that I do not want you to think that you are alone. Not every group of people reacts positively to a reported visitation from beyond the grave. I understand that many of you are not comfortable sharing such visitations with secular, rational, materialistic folks. It can make you look like a weirdo. I get that, but by sharing the long and varied list of people who have received a God wink I hope you will reconsider the wisdom of the Christian testament in Hebrews 13:2, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Now although Hebrews is referring to hospitality for human visitors, angels are definitely aware of God winks.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including “Religion for Dummies,” co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)

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