I just read all of these posts and am grateful for such honest and words of hope to give to each other. I was raised Catholic and studied eastern religions and read everything I could on life, loss, death, life after death. My conclusion is that everything I read and all of these differing views are valid. And helpful to one degree or another. I go to a Christian bible church, and a unitarian univeralist fellowship and a Catholic church depending on how I feel. Some days I use the idea of karma to get through the day. Somedays I lean on more Christian beliefs. No human being knows anything for sure because we are still in a body. I think, anyway.