Cheboygan Daily Tribune
http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2005/02/14/news/opinion/opinion2.txt

Was it a dream, or voice from beyond the grave?

By JOAN OTTO

February 14, 2005

The story I'm about to write is 100 percent true. I'm not enhancing it. I'm not exaggerating. So read on, and when you've finished reading please e-mail me to let me know what you think it's all about.

When I lived in the Copper Country I had an attorney friend named Joe. Joe was married. I didn't know his wife all that well, but Joe and I were pretty good friends. He was a high-degree Freemason and I think he also belonged to some offshoot of the Masons called Knights of the Templar. Whatever.

Joe liked to talk about mysticism and sometimes we'd really get into some heated discussions about life and death. Joe was a firm believer in the hereafter and I remained firm in my convictions that there is death after life but no life after death.

In 1985 I moved to Cheboygan and never heard from Joe again until few months ago. That kind of surprised me because Joe had died in 2002 and a few months ago was 2004.

This is what happened:

One night in November 2004 I had a dream. In the dream my Copper Country friend Joe is talking on the phone with me. This is what he says, "I'm living in the land of Beulah. It's a wonderful government. Let my wife know."

When I woke up, I laughed off the dream.

A few nights later I had the very same dream.

The next morning when I woke up I sort of wondered what the heck was going on, but still, I laughed it off.

About a week later again, I had the very same dream.

When I woke up this time I didn't laugh it off. For the rest of the day I kept telling myself that if I contacted Joe's wife to tell her about this dream she was going to think I'm a total loony, whacko.

For a month or so I was unable to shake this dream. So, I decided to write to Joe's wife and tell her about it. What the heck, big deal if she thinks I'm goofy. What else is new? Besides I was getting tired of Joe and "Beulah" always being on my mind.

Finally, I wrote Joe's wife a short letter and told her the dream exactly as it happened. Then I never had the dream again.

After I mailed the letter, I kept wondering what Joe's wife's reaction must have been when she read it. Like, who goes to "Beulah" after they die? I also kept hoping that Beulah wasn't the name of one of Joe's old girlfriends.

Anyway, yesterday I got a letter from Joe's wife and guess what one of her favorite songs is?

Hold onto your socks ... It's none other than "Dwelling in Buelahland." She also wrote in her letter that the lyrics of the song "make the place sound idyllic". She said that she hopes I'm right about Joe living in such a nice place.