Special to United Methodist Insight | May 29, 2025
King Abdulah II, of Jordan, tells that his father, the late King Hussein, visits him in his dreams every so often and brings him a message of comfort:
“One of the times His Majesty (H.M.) came to me was the day I went to the Palestinian camp. I went just to tell Hamas: ‘Oh yeah, you think you have support here? Well, I have support here too.’ That night I had a dream that H.M. stepped off an airplane and he just gave me a big hug and said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ ”
Sometimes the right dream comes at a time when it is most needed. This was the case with Kaydren Harris of Dallas, Texas, who dreamed of her late brother during a time when she was “struggling” with his sudden passing.
Kaydren Harris
“My younger brother passed away at 34 after a brief illness back in 2021,” she said. “We were very close, Irish twins in fact. I had a vivid dream soon after his passing where I was at a fair. The fair was crowded with a sea of people.
“As I was walking through the crowd of people, I turned to my left and several feet away I saw a man that looked awfully like my brother. I snapped out of it, quickly remembering and saying to myself that ‘my brother is dead.’. It instantly made me sad, and I wanted to leave. But I felt something say, ‘don't leave, but to walk over there instead.’ So I did.
“As I got closer towards him, I remember that he was wearing a white T-shirt, white pants, and white shoes. It was like he was glistening. I looked around me to see if other people were seeing him too. It appeared they did, but he wasn't a distraction to them, so they kept on about their way walking around him.
“Seeing his face, he was perfect. He's always had naturally straight, white teeth, but they were perfect, perfect. He was fit and looked like his early 20s self. I walked up and touched his chest, and it was solid. I wanted to make sure he was a real person. I said, ‘Hey brother, are you OK?’
“He said ‘Yes sister. I am better than ok. I am great.’ He smiled really big, and I got to see his dimples.
I immediately woke up and cried the whole morning. I guess he wanted to let me know that he was ok because I'd really been struggling with his passing. I've never before had a dream about a person who's dead and known they are dead in the dream. I am thankful for it. I went on to have two more dreams in which Daquin appeared. I miss him every day.”
Daquin "DC" Coleman
Kaydren told me that her brother's name was Daquin “DC” Coleman. She said, “Daquin was born on June 14, 1987, and died September 2, 2021. He was a self-employed mechanic at his shop, DC Automotive. Daquin used to say he could fix anything, and usually he did! He loved cars and trucks and would always charge people a fair amount, which was often always cheaper than others. He just loved helping people.”
I asked Kaydren how this dream experience squared with her faith beliefs.
Kaydren wrote, “I know that God is real. Our parents had us attending all church events. At my home church we had Sunday school, the morning service, evening service, and if there was a sister church having a program that day or any other day we were there! Revivals, anniversaries, you name it.
“So I've always had a relationship with God. I can remember growing up very sheltered. My parents were teen parents. They had my older brother when they were 16, me at 19, and my younger brother, Daquin, at 20. They never wanted us to do all the wild and crazy things they did. So church was always quite the event to get out of the house.
“I've always felt that God and I have a unique relationship. We laugh and everything. I feel that when my brother passed away, I was a bit numb to it at first. I didn't understand how it could happen so quickly. He was sick, but not deathly ill. So I didn't take it seriously and I don't think he did either. But when he died, I never questioned God. Because his date of death was always going to be that date, sick or not sick.
“I understood that my brother’s job was done and his impact was made and would be lasting. It made me want to be a better person and live more like he did. He was happy and did what he loved to do.
“I feel that I listened to God more. I talked to God more. I was able to understand what people mean when they say life is short. So I was determined to be happy in all things. If it didn't bring me happiness, I no longer wanted it.
“I quit a great paying job...it was the most money I've ever made at a job...simply because I was not happy and I hadn't been happy in years there. The money no longer mattered. I tried to leave three times before and each time I was offered more money to stay and I accepted it, but the feeling of being unhappy, unfulfilled, remained and just grew over time.
I trusted God when I took a lower paying job and He carried me through that. So overall I think it brought me closer to God.”
Kaydren said she is a middle school counselor now, “…and currently in the final leg of course work to become a child therapist. I am married and have a biological child, but we also have three children from my husband's previous marriage. I love working with children and aspire to work with children, teens, and young adults who have gone through adverse childhood experiences. I feel this would make my life more fulfilling.”
John Sumwalt 2024
John Sumwalt is a retired pastor and the author of “Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives.”