What would you give to have a daily conversation with a lost soul mate, whether it is a spouse, parent, sibling, relative, child, or best friend? Dr. Liong Tee understood that need when his soul mate passed away. Consider the possibility there have been many signs from your loved one, both big and small, that were right in front of you all the time but you simply failed to recognize them. Have you ever asked yourself why you keep experiencing a familiar smell, a certain shape, a distinctive color, a special flower, or perhaps a favorite animal that appears over and over again, reminding you of your lost loved one? Or did you simply brush those incidents aside, dismissing them as only being a coincidence? Based on his written journals, follow Dr. Tee's incredible story of conversations, signs, and messages received from his lost soul mate, Jan, since her passing in June 2008.
Witnessing Conversations with Heaven
A True Story of Love From The AfterlifeBy SUSAN H. KASTNERBALBOA PRESS
Copyright © 2012 Susan H. Kastner
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4525-5418-1Contents
Preface..................................................viiIn Appreciation..........................................ixDedication...............................................xi1. How Do I Even Begin?..................................12. Let Me Introduce You To ..............................63. The Golden Years......................................144. The Diagnosis.........................................195. The Miracles Have Only Just Begun.....................316. The Crossing..........................................387. First Signs...........................................428. Evolution: The Cell Phone.............................569. It's Only a Coincidence...............................7010. Healing..............................................8311. He's Not the Only One................................9212. Truth Is Stranger than Fiction.......................10213. Unexpected Messenger.................................12314. Love Letters.........................................12815. Afterthoughts........................................13416. Liong's Journal......................................138Year 2008................................................140Year 2009................................................161Year 2010................................................195Year 2011................................................27817. Fun Statistics.......................................33718. For Your Reference...................................341About the Author.........................................347
Chapter One
How Do I Even Begin?
"Dearest Jan,
My life took on meaning when I found you. For all my personal faults and shortcomings, I want to tell you on this 56th anniversary of my existence in this lifetime that I love you. I want you to be with me – this lifetime and if ever there is any next lifetime – for I may then be a better person for you. Liong April 1, 2000"
This love letter from Liong to Jan on his birthday is but a small glimpse into the life and love Liong and Jan shared here on earth. The steadfast love experienced between Jan and Liong is the very foundation of this story. Over the eighteen years of their life together, they shared a love that was unstoppable and unshakable. Even when Jan was in her final days, when asked if there was anything that needed to be done, she smiled and simply said, "Liong will take care of it."
It is not often you find a couple who had such total trust in one another. No doubts plagued their relationship; no angry words were ever spoken. In fact, everyone who knew them can attest to the fact that theirs was a life of harmony, love, and abundant happiness. To know Jan and Liong was to know love in its purest form, and they exemplified the very definition of what soul mates are.
If this story is to have any deep, meaningful impact on you, it is important for you to understand who Jan and Liong were in life together. That bond that they shared is what makes this story so impactful. Too often in other books, you are presented with dry, static information, usually reduced and isolated into single encapsulated events. Even though the "wow" factor may still be present in the event being told, often it does not give you any useful information that you can apply to your own life, your own situation, with any lasting satisfaction or insight.
My relationship to this project is that I knew Jan for seven years before she passed and I have known Liong for over sixteen years. I am blessed to say that they were and still are my friends. I felt that their story was an important one to share, showing what is possible. Even if this book only brings comfort to one more person struggling with grief, I have succeeded.
Now it is important to make this point clear before we go any further: I am not a psychic, psychologist, psychiatrist, member of the clergy, or any kind of authority or expert on death or the afterlife; nor even a professional writer for that matter. So you will not find any expert opinions, conclusions, or religious dogma anywhere in this book unless it is something that was written down by Liong in his journal.
I have read other after-death experience books, and in some cases, I almost felt the writer needed to find some justification or corroboration for what they were writing. Without some "official" recognition or authority, what they felt, perceived, or experienced was not legitimate in its own right. There was always a point-of-view spin attached to the experience, whether it was religious, psychic, or psychological. This book will not contain any elaborate spinning of the information to any particular point of view. It will simply be a presentation of the events that have taken place between June 5, 2008, and June 5, 2011. I am relying entirely on your heart to hear what is true.
This book is written as a testament to that sustaining love that has continued on even after death. It should be noted that Liong started writing his journal simply as an outlet to share his thoughts on what life had become after his angel passed away. It was to be his journal of memories, thoughts, and feelings about their life together. Instead, it evolved into a written record of experiences, in many forms, of Jan's continued presence in his daily life. As you get further into the story, you will see that over the three years since Jan's passing, the volume of entries grew from only a few pages in 2008 to an almost daily record by 2010.
Needless to say, it would be almost impossible to write about every single time Jan has made her presence felt because of the sheer volume of material available. Therefore, I chose to group some of the events contained in the journal into categories to better illustrate the dynamic communication patterns between Jan and Liong or Jan and other important people in her life.
Another reason for writing this book was to fill in a gap that Liong was not able to find for himself after Jan's passing. We both read a multitude of books written by psychics, psychologists, spouses, and near-death survivors, and then some more. All of them dealt with either a single event or a few events that were of short duration. There did not seem to be any books out there that dealt with an ongoing, almost daily communication with a loved one who had passed away.
I asked people if they would read this kind of book or if they thought a book like this would help others deal with their own loss. Every time I received positive affirmations to my query. Everyone believed, or at the very least wanted to believe, their loved one was still somewhere close by their side.
I actually started discussing with Liong the possibility of writing a book in October 2009, and thankfully he agreed. His only conditions were that I had to use the contents of the journal with limited editing, and I also needed to continue contributing to Jan's scholarship fund at Colome High School annually. Naturally, since the conditions were so reasonable, I quickly accepted his terms.
To add flavor to our story, a little understanding of the Chinese culture is required, as it plays an important factor in the coming pages. For those of you that do not know, the Chinese are a very superstitious people about the souls of the departed. They will take great pains not to offend the spirit of anyone who has departed this world. It is important for them to honor their deceased loved ones by burning candles or incense, making offerings as a token of respect, mostly of favorite foods, and honoring their memory. To that end, it is also the custom to mourn the loss of a loved one for a period of three years. It seemed, therefore, a perfect timeframe for the book to cover the first three years after Jan's passing, signifying that Liong's traditional period of mourning had come to an end.
Actual passages are used from the journal as written by Liong at the time. You will see a drastic contrast in his writing style when you compare his love letters to Jan and the entries in the journal. The love letters are full of passion and affection, whereas the journal is completely devoid of these elements. The sharp contrast in writing styles reflects the emptiness I have seen in Liong since Jan's passing.
For those of you that want to follow the linear chain of events as they evolved, the entire journal has been included in the latter half of this book. You can follow the progression of events as they unfolded. I would caution you not to be fooled into thinking that every significant event in the journal has been included in the first half of the book. There are many more examples of Jan's communications contained within the journal's pages for you to consider. I tried to select a balance of small, medium and large manifestations in each of the categories to show that the magnitudes of the communications are not all the same. Just as in life, there are highs and lows in everything, including the afterlife. At Liong's request, the only things that have been omitted from the journal are passages that do not show any communication from Jan or are of a sensitive nature to friends and family members.
With all of that being said, I ask you to sit back, put your feet up, grab a cup of your favorite reading beverage, and prepare to be amazed.
Chapter Two
Let Me Introduce You To ...
To walk by Jan and Liong on the street, you would probably ask yourself, "How in the world did those two people ever get together?" I am sure to the casual observer they would have appeared as an extremely odd couple. Jan was fair skinned, five foot three inches tall, and almost as big around when I first met her on my birthday in January 2001. Liong is Chinese, five foot six, and slender. Perhaps that is one of the reasons this story is so appealing, because of the diversity of our dynamic duo.
Liong often talks about the day he first met the love of his life, Jan: "I was playing blackjack at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas. Jan was dealing blackjack at the next table. When I looked over at her, she was staring at me. Then she flashed me a big smile. I got up and moved to her table. On her name badge was the town where she was born. It said Winner, South Dakota. So I said to her, 'Where is Winner, South Dakota?'
"Jan replied, 'You wouldn't know even if I told you. It's a small town of only four thousand people. Where are you from?'
"I leaned over the table toward her and said, 'I'm from Loser, California.'"
They both laughed about that meeting for the next eighteen years.
In actuality, Liong Hian Tee's birth in Manila, Philippines, was as dramatic as it could get. He was born into a poor Chinese family during the height of World War II while the United States was conducting a bombing raid over Manila on the night of April 1, 1944. The electricity was cut off in Manila by the Japanese because of the air raid, and his father had to cover the windows with blankets before lighting candles to illuminate the room. Since the city was under blackout conditions and bombs were exploding all around, Liong came into this world in a very dramatic way. He even jokes that is why he is such a romantic person even today because he came into the world under candlelight. Coincidentally, it was also the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese calendar. That might give you a few clues about his nature.
By American standards, we would have called him a precocious child. Liong was the fourth of seven children and the second son. According to the stories he tells, he always had a crusader spirit and a mischievous nature, whether it be with his family or his many friends. In fact, he believes he was a knight in an earlier life. Of course some members of his family say it is because Yong-Yong, his eldest sister, dropped him on his head as a baby.
Just like any good knight, he never allowed anyone to bully him or his siblings and friends, even if they were bigger or stronger. That even included some of his teachers. If he did not like them, he always found ways to make fun of them in front of the class. And as far as he knows, he is the only one in his school that ever graduated as valedictorian of his class with a conduct D grade. Yet, among his family and classmates, he is still the one that they all remember. Liong was known for always getting things done, even though sometimes his father would mockingly ask him, "Is it legal?"
Despite all the antics of his youth, Liong's family was always a top priority to him. Realizing the many sacrifices his parents had to make to provide him with a home, food, and clothing, he did all that he could to help his mother and father. Never wanting to be a burden to his family, he learned early in life that he would have to rely on himself to get ahead, even if it meant selling mismatched socks as "the new American fad" in front of his father's store to earn his pocket money for the movies as a schoolboy.
Unlike Americans who were raised to go to school and get a good job, Chinese children were taught from a young age to own their own business, even if it was only a food cart on the corner of the street. You were considered a failure in their society, at the time, if you worked for others. This notion of not wanting to work for others combined with his crusader spirit and sharp mind enabled Liong to pursue diverse opportunities wherever and whenever he could find them.
After graduation from high school in Manila, he attended the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, a sister university of Purdue in Indiana. Even before he had completed his senior year, Liong had already received a scholarship offer to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, he could not leave Taiwan without making his mark there as the first foreign student to graduate at the top of his class in 1967.
While attending the University in Taiwan, Liong rented a room from the Lu family, whose patriarch happened to be the warden in charge of all military prisons in southern Taiwan. Colonel Lu liked Liong so much he asked Liong to become his godson. When Liong's parents went to Taiwan for a visit, Liong's new godfather told his father, "It's a good thing Liong has the heart of a Buddha; otherwise, he could be a very bad person if he wanted and he has the intelligence to lead bad people." I am certain this was not the kind of glowing endorsement from a person who had dealt with military prisoners since World War II that Liong's father wanted to hear.
Upon completion of his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, Liong went onto Wisconsin where he earned both his Masters and PhD in mechanical engineering in three years. After graduation, he continued on at Wisconsin as a post-doctoral fellow in the mechanical engineering department. For a short time, he consulted with the paper industry and completed a grant study for the United States Department of Defense.
In the early 1970s, Liong decided to return to the Philippines and was asked to serve as a technical consultant to the Philippines National Housing Authority with the responsibility to jumpstart a manufacturing complex. When the political climate started to change in the Philippines, Liong decided to return to the United States with only four hundred dollars in his pocket.
Between 1986 and 1991, Liong pursued his dream of being a business owner. He utilized his many skills and experiences and worked as an insurance agent at Prudential Insurance, became a real estate broker in California, and finally became the owner/operator of a medical clinic and medical laboratory business in Los Angeles. At this time, Liong was riding high and the world was in the palm of his hand. What better way to celebrate success in life than to spend a few days in Las Vegas?
Elinor, a good friend and coworker of Jan's from the Mirage Hotel and Casino, wrote in a note to Liong on June 12, 2008, "To know Jan was to know Jan loved Liong." And according to Jan herself, she and Liong fell in love as soon as their eyes met over that blackjack table at the Golden Nugget casino.
Jan Marie Forgey was as opposite to Liong as you could possibly imagine. She was born in Winner, South Dakota, in July 1958 to John and Lucy Forgey. John was and still is a Black Angus cattle rancher. Jan was the third of six children and the oldest girl in the family. Growing up in a small ranch house with four brothers and a baby sister, taught Jan early to be self-motivated and thrifty. Ranch life is not an easy one, for those of you who have never experienced it. Yet, to know Jan, you understood she would not have traded it for any other kind of life. She was a ranch girl and proud of it.
To know Jan was to also know how much she loved her family. Naturally, because she lived in a remote area and there were not too many other entertainment options available, she spent many happy hours playing Cribbage with her dad and cards with her mom and their many friends. Of course, it depends on which one you talk to as to who won the most games.
As with any child from a small ranching community growing up in the sixties and seventies, she did her turn at 4-H, raising two lambs and a baby steer and taking part in country fair cooking competitions, for which she won a couple of ribbons. Even at an early age, Jan developed her lifelong love of cooking and especially baking.
Jan started her first seven years at school in a one-room school house, which her two older brothers, Steve and Neil, and her two younger brothers, Danny and Dale, also attended. It was not until the eighth grade that Jan actually started attending a regular school in nearby Colome, South Dakota. After graduating from Colome High School in 1976, she attended Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, just outside of Rapid City.
Always a hard worker, when Jan arrived at school, she unloaded her belongings from the car into her dorm room, loaded her new classmate Linda Lyons into her car, and drove into town. When Linda asked her where she was going, she simply said, "To look for a job." They pulled into the local Pizza Hut and thus began Jan's lifelong love affair with Pizza Hut pizza. Her friend and roommate, Linda Lyons, even remarked at Jan's memorial service that they ate a lot of pizza that first year.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Witnessing Conversations with Heavenby SUSAN H. KASTNER Copyright © 2012 by Susan H. Kastner. Excerpted by permission of BALBOA PRESS. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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