On the Dead in Dreams

When someone who’s passed shows up in one of your dreams, do you believe it’s just a product of your own wild and random imagination, or do you feel it’s really them coming back to talk with you?

I’ve always felt that one of J.K. Rowling’s most perceptive moments is when she has Dumbledore say to Harry that “Of course [this moment] is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” I love it because, to me, it remains pretty ambiguous: What’s going on there remains a mystery, but the impact—and the moment—remains real.

That friend of mine I wrote about apparently showed up in my mom’s dream the other day, thanking her for hosting his memorial. To her, that was real, but I hunger to know whether or not it was “really” him, even if it was real and meaningful for all of us to discover his thanks. Maybe somehow that gives more strength to his words, instead of a reflection of her desire to be thanked by him. Does that make sense? Maybe I’m oversimplifying.