Reverend In Peace

Where I was, that's completely irrelivant. Who I was with, how I found out, none of that matters. But the utter feeling of loss that sank into my stomach, that, my friends, is still with me to this day. Jimmy Sullivan, I never had the joy, pleasure, or simple satisfaction of meeting him. But I am connected to him in a way I cannot describe simply.

He was an inspiration on such a level that it pains me to even read his name. But I do on a constant, repetitive basis. The word inspired actually roots to in spirit. He inspires me still, in spirit. I know that anyone who reads this will color me bonkers, but I don't care. Listen to what I have to say. Hear me out and you might find that you're closer to The Rev than you ever thought you could be.

Within the past few months the toll of Jimmy's death randomly grabbed ahold of me. It was like hearing the news all over again. I wake up thinking about him. I am depressed all day, thinking about him. I go to sleep at night, you guessed it, thinking about The Rev. It gets more interesting than that though.

Spiritually, I'm a Christian; religiously, I'm Full Gospel. But I'm open-minded and not a typical, uptight Christian. I have a therapist, she is sort of my mentor. She has the same views as I do. And I told her about a dream I had about Jimmy. I told her about how his death is affecting me, and has been for quite some time. She explained it to me in a way that I find amazing and inspiring, and this is why I must share it with everyone. Because Jimmy is still helping me, us, even in death.

Be very open-minded, or none of this will make sense to you. Take it as a simple dream, or read on after the dream for the opinion of a licensed professional.

My sister has a problem with addiction. A few nights ago, I had a dream where she was talking about getting fucked up. I started screaming at her, telling her to change her life. Then all of a sudden, I felt someone pushing me gently towards my bedroom. I laid down on my bed, and I swear to you, it was like an angel's voice in my ears. I could hear Jimmy talking to me, telling me to calm down because he was 'here' with me.

I said, "Jimmy? No, this isn't real. I'm dreaming, I can feel you here."
He replied, "I know. It's okay."

Then out of nowhere, he was laying right there next to me. He proceeded to tell me not to worry, and that everything would eventually be okay. 'Everyone has a purpose. Everything will be all right.' He continued to reassure me, petting my hair and looking right at me. I asked him if I was supposed to be doing something else with my life, or something about my sister. He said, "Shyla, it's going to be okay. Be happy, that's all."

I asked him then, "Can you stay here for long? We miss you."
He replied, "No. I have to go. But it's okay. You're okay."

He smiled at me and I woke up, crying like a baby.

Now, when I told my therapist about this, she stayed quiet for a long time. I asked her if she thought I was nuts for being obsessed with this man, and for thinking too much into this dream. Be ready for her reply.

"No. I think he's one of your spiritual guides, a part of a group of spirits who are all connected to you through similar lives and loves. You're a musician, and you're a singer, right? You were a fan of his and you were inspired by him? Well, you are connected on an intimate level. Not just you, but all of his fans who shared his music, his love, his legacy. He's still guiding you, and them."

I looked at her in the eyes and through a mess of tears I said, "You're fucking kidding me? It was him?"

All she said was, "I think it was. And I more than bet money that all of his other fans who have dreamt about him, it was him then too. If you know anyone who has dreamt about him, ask them what the dream was like. You'll know if it was him trying to guide them."

So, take that with a grain of sand if you must. But needless to say, one of the most respected psychologists/therapists in my whole state just told me that Jimmy is still with us. His music has united us to the core, our spirits. Our fucking souls. I don't care if she's actually wrong, and he's not really with us. I'm going to believe that she's right.

I was hoping to hear an account of a dream of Jimmy from someone on here. I'd love to hear some because you never know if it's James Owen Sullivan guiding you in the right direction.