George Campbell

In my office, I have a sign that says "dare to be remarkable" - in many ways, that was George Campbell. When he walked back into my daughter's life 346 days ago [from October 2, 2005], there was an immediate impact. Sandi was in love and with a man we - her father and stepmother, her brother, her stepfather, her children and I - knew to be exceptional.

This was a man who was large in form, but not as large as his loving heart;
This was a man who was generous of heart, but not so generous as his healing spirit;
This was a man who quietly touched the lives of many and made a remarkable impression on each of them with his compassion, his empathy and his humbleness. George was a good man in the clearest sense of the word and he had an amazing smile that would light up your face to see it.

I felt an immediate connection to George - I do not know the karmic ties that made it imperative for me to help him in any way I could, but I know absolutely that it was there and that helping him was one of the best things I could do with my life. I loved him immediately and was greatly honoured when he would call me, "Mother" in his gentle voice.

From the age of three, George was aware of auras, the ebb and flow of energy around people. Since his two near-death experiences and during his Vision Quests, his innate ability to link with the needs of the physical, mental and emotional bodies was heightened and his connection to Spiritual Healing Guidance strongly facilitated.

George was an amazing healer. He was an empath able to understand from the body just what kind and intensity of energy it needed where in order to be cleared and raised to its most comfortable and quietly energized state. He was the facilitator and channel for what we called Aquarian Massage, an intuitive healing practice uniquely personal to George. He had no karmic path work to rebalance; he was here simply to transmit healing and love to anyone who crossed his path.

A man of deep spirituality, George developed his own personal understanding of the Divine and its workings in his life. Although he was aware of  The Power and The Presence as a living force, his spiritual experiences were his alone - unique, loving, visionary and precious to him.

Shortly after I met George, he told me of his ability to see white light auras around certain people - those he had come to understand were good people enveloped in Pure Light. "Sandi," he said, "and the boys have very strong white lights." George had been clearly attuned to his Higher Guidance. When he was twelve, he had a vision of a light-haired woman who would love him so much that nothing else would compare to it. Ever since then, he had been watching and waiting for her to appear in his life; he believed completely that Sandi was the incarnation of that vision.

George was a man of simple wants: for the rest of his life, he wanted to share in marriage a deep and rich love with a woman of like heart and mind; for the rest of his life, he wanted to have children - including one of his own - to play with and guide, encourage and support in creating their dreams; for the rest of his life, he wanted to engage in work that he loved in an environment of laughter and friends.

I am glad I had the chance to tell him and Sandi that I loved them both; I wish I could hold them together and tell them again.

Three hundred and forty-six days after he came into our lives, at the far-too-early age of 35 years, George was taken from us through the agency of a care-less speeding driver. Our understanding is that he passed from life so quickly that he did not suffer. Beyond that we do not understand yet why this good, kind man who had everything wonder-full to enjoy in his life had to leave. It has been suggested to me that perhaps God needed George more with Him than we needed him here - if that is the case, then God's need must have been enormously great indeed.

I know that George is not finished with us, although we may have to learn how to hear him somewhat differently. The first message I had from him [after his passing] was to let his precious Sandi and their boys know...

I will always love you.

This is the story of that first message ...
For a very long time, I have known that life continues after death. I needed no proof; it was simply a part of my awareness. Within hours of my daughter’s Beloved being killed, I began to hear – as if they were dropped into my mind – the words and music: “I will always love you” and I had an image of a dozen dark red roses with one white rose. Please understand that I rarely get clairvoyant images: I know things; I don’t “see” them. At first I ignored the words but they kept repeating – not the entire song, just: “I will always love you” and the image of the roses over and over.

Finally, I decided to act on my intuition and on the way over to my daughter’s home, I arranged for the red roses with one white one to be sent to her, writing on a card: “I will always love you.” No signature.

The moment I finished writing, I heard deep within me, in George’s voice: “Thank you, Mother.” At that moment too, I was flooded with such a feeling of love and great gratitude I almost felt I could not contain it; it may seem strange that such an unhappy occasion could also be an occasion of happiness, but I will never forget how glad I have been at this sign of continuing love and how grateful I am that I could help.

Sandi and George met about nine years ago when she worked at an arcade called Wizard's Castle and George was a frequent patron. They enjoyed a flirtatious acquaintance but drifted away from each other before anything more serious could develop.

However, that was not quite the beginning of their story...
As mentioned above, George had a vision at the age of twelve of the woman who was to be his own true love. Sandi, around the age of nine, had an imaginary friend - a somewhat chubby boy - who seemed to be a few years older than she. In the usual tradition of imaginary friends, she told him her deepest thoughts and wishes and felt he shared his worldview with her. When Sandi and George re-united, they discovered they knew things about each other from their childhoods that indicated a very unique and special connection. "I always knew I could tell him anything..." and so she always had.

All three of Sandi's sons looked on George as a father whom they loved and respected; played with; felt safe and cared for and cared about... and he too considered them his sons.
At the end of the 2004 school year, 12-year-old Cody brought home a booklet he had completed as part of a school project. Although the book was dedicated to his uncle Evan, it was presented as written by "Cody Campbell."
The following tribute was written by Cody to be read at the service for George. Although Cody could not read it himself, his feelings are clear:

"George Campbell was a very nice man but I didn't get to know him very well. What I did know what he was very kind, helpful, and fun to be with. He was Donald, Bob, Toby and Crystal's brother. He also was the father of three young boys named Jordan, Travis and myself [Cody]. George and my mom were going to get married. George was always there if somebody needed him.
"During the summer, my mom, George, Jordan, Travis and myself, all went to Victoria and then to Wabasso Campsite in Jasper National Park. It was a good time to be with the family. It was also good to get to know George better and to have a good time with my family. I will miss you and will never forget how much you meant to me. I love you, Geo."

Thirteen-year-old Jordan - called Jay - touched many hearts with the following tribute to "Georgie":

 I know by blood I wasn’t your son or daughter, but I love you just the same. 
 I know by blood you weren’t my father, but I love you just the same.

 You touched my life in such a way, like a father day by day. 
 I wished so hard for you to stay so we had much more time to play.

 You treated me with respect and love; I always knew where I stood. 
 Now you soar high above and I would turn back time if I could.

 I know by blood I wasn’t your son or daughter, but I love you just the same. 
 I know by blood you weren’t my father, but I love you just the same.

 The time we shared, the things we would do; 
 I always knew you cared for me and loved my Mommy too.

 You brought so much happiness into my life through your words and your actions. 
 I wanted my Mommy to be your wife, then my life would be filled to perfection.

 I love you, Daddy!