MY STORY

A collection of one woman’s memories of mystical encounters that began after a near-death, out-of-body experience while giving birth.

In July 1982, Cook was pregnant and four days past her due date when an appointment with her obstetrician led to her being sent straight to the hospital.Her doctor told her that she was in labor and probably had been for the past several days. However, she was experiencing only minimal contractions by the time she was checked into a maternity ward. When the doctor arrived, however, he rushed her into the delivery room. She had some excruciating contractions and then felt nothing; she couldn’t move or open her eyes but was aware of the frenzy around her as the doctor called for immediate blood transfusions. She recalls watching the action from above (“I was floating over my body’s left shoulder”) and then says that she saw the apparent spirit of her deceased great-grandmother standing before her. Cook says that she felt peaceful, ready to be “escorted” across the mortal divide, but another unknown figure, a man with a “sense of power,” appeared and said that it was not yet her time. Her and her baby boy’s survivals were considered medical marvels by hospital personnel; she writes that she’s convinced that it was God who saved them. This is the most dramatic of the incidents she recounts in this slim volume, written in a genial, conversational prose style. There are some stories here that will challenge readers’ credulity, such as an account of chasing a threatening “evil cloud” out of her home. Other tales, about mystical auras, come from family members or acquaintances. All, she firmly believes, are evidence of the existence of God, Jesus, guardian angels, and an afterlife. However, the most poignant, and perhaps the most relatable, moments are her recollections of when she felt the immediate presence of departed loved ones. Readers who are open to her beliefs will likely take comfort in her words. (Includes black-and-white family photos.)

A provocative declaration of Christian faith for a deeply religious audience.