Messages from the afterlife
At the beginning of May 2020, I received the completed manuscript from my author José den Ronde – van Dun. Finally, the time had come for me to get to work as a publisher and turn her work into a book. But just as with the writing of the book, Jozef, her deceased childhood friend and the main character in the book, also had very clear instructions at this stage.
Joseph and José
Joseph is José's deceased childhood friend. A few years ago, he contacted her and began passing on all kinds of information to her:
As time passed, the pressure on José grew greater and greater. Joseph made it clear to her that part of her life's mission was to write a book and to make the issues discussed in this book more discussable and understandable. According to Joseph, so many people still experience prolonged grief after the death of their loved ones, even though they are actually doing well at Home and are always there for you when you need them.
A special experience in the park
I already knew that, but while editing and formatting the book Doodgewoon (Dead Ordinary), I suddenly experienced some 'wonderful' things that confirmed it once again. I preferred to do the editing after lunch. That way, I could work for a while until it was time to walk my dog, Nala. This became more difficult for me every day, because I had been suffering from intermittent fever for weeks without any clear cause.
One day after editing, I was walking in the park and saw two different butterflies. I felt moved, because I knew that butterflies could be signs from the deceased. I felt Jozef's support in this, but otherwise I didn't think about it any further.
The next day, walking was even more difficult for me. I felt that I had to shorten my route, and at that very spot, there was another Atlanta butterfly. Suddenly, I was overcome with the feeling that this was a sign from my biological father. We never knew each other, but since his death in 2014, he has been in regular contact.
Now there were messages from the Hereafter again, saying, Marleen, I am with you NOW. It was as if I heard a voice saying, 'I know you are having a hard time right now and that you could use all the support you can get. Here, sweetheart, take my arm, and we'll walk together for a while.' And that's what we did.
You understand, tears streamed down my cheeks. Not only because I was moved, but also because this confirmed to me that there was more going on than just a persistent infection that wouldn't go away on its own. Weeks have passed since then, and tests indicate the possibility of lymph node cancer. And yet, despite that, time and space magically continued to arise between the high fever and the many hours of sleep to work on getting the special and simple book Doodgewoon ready for printing. You can bet that Joseph had a hand in this!
Reading tip
José den Ronde – Van Dun has now received a sequel to Jozef, in addition to the book Doodgewoon. You can purchase the books Doodgewoon and Jozef vertelt verder in the webshop. Not only as paperbacks, but also as e-books and as a combo pack so you can order both with a single click.
