The Advocate

By Don Levin

In this thought-provoking sequel to Another Last Day, it is six months after he diedand then didnt die, as he was given the opportunity to celebrate another last day with family and friends.

Having put that special day behind him and making the most of this gift of additional time, Jackson Lee, a former attorney, retired military officer, and now successful real estate broker, is presented with an opportunity beyond his wildest imagination: a second chance to serve those around him, but now as an earth-bound heavenly advocate assigned to do on earth what angels cannot do for fear of altering heavens plan.

Assisted and mentored by a heavenly being with whom only he can communicate, Jackson experiences multiple life-and-death situations as he continues to find answers to questions relating to his own mortality, the existence of heaven, and life after death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546215820

Don Levin

Don Levin is the President & CEO of USA-LTC, a national insurance brokerage, and has been in the long term care insurance industry since 1999. Don is also a former practicing Attorney-at-Law, court-appointed Arbitrator, as well as a retired U.S. Army officer with 23 years of service. Don earned his Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School, his MPA, from the University of Oklahoma, and his BA from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and the Defense Strategy Course, U.S. Army War College. In his spare time, Don has published thirteen other books in a wide range of genre, as well as countless articles on leadership, long term care insurance, and personal development. Don is very active with his church and within the community, and remains focused on his wife Susie, their five children, nineteen grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and two dogs aptly named Barnes & Noble. A native of Chicago, Don and the majority of the clan now resides in the Boise, Idaho and Northern Utah area. Don may be reached at [e-mail].

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

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We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching.

Paul Tsongas

You say something like this every time we watch the show, said his wife.

I can’t help it. Every time I watch how a body goes from a living, breathing person to a set of bleached bones picked clean on the examination table, it bothers me, said Jack.

"But it is the premise of the show, hence the name Bones."

I know, but they are so routine and casual about it.

Well of course they are, they are professionals and deal with it every day.

"But they completely ignore the fact that these bones used to be a person, with family, a life of their own, a soul, a spirit, and now they are just waiting to become a dog’s treat," said Jack.

"That’s not true. Nobody turns the remains into dog treats, she exclaimed. Jack, they are forensic anthropologists working with the F.B.I. out of the Smithsonian!"

"You don’t know what I mean. It’s as if we are just so many dollars’ worth of chemicals, and completely devalued. And it’s not the Smithsonian, but rather the Jeffersonian."

Even though you don’t believe me, I do know what you mean. Much as I hate to say it, ever since your heart attack you have been fixating on death, said Kathy.

"I am not fixating on death, but merely truly appreciating life. Don’t you ever wonder if you are going to be missed when you are gone, or what is going to happen to your stuff when you die?"

What? she said, doing a double-take and twirling her head.

"You know, will anyone want the books on the shelf, the pictures of the places we have been, the works of art that you have painted, or the furniture that we have collected from our families as they have gone on to their next reward," he said, sweeping his arms around the room while making reference to the funeral that they had attended the previous week for a grand-aunt that had died at the ripe old age of 101.

This again?

"Hear me out. We have a lot of cool stuff with memories and sentimental value, not to mention real value that I want our kids, grandkids, and maybe even great-grandkids to appreciate."

I am certain Jack that both Bobby and Becky will want to erect an appropriate shrine to their beloved father in their respective homes, and to perpetuate the legacy you have created, said his wife with a bit of mirth in her voice.

You’re mocking me again, said Jack.

No, no I am not. I know that you went through something very emotional six months ago, and I may not fully understand it, but you are alive, we have one another, we have a great life, and have plans for even more good times ahead. I just don’t want you to turn into Woody Allen with a fixation on death.

Don’t you ever think about your personal legacy, implored her husband.

Of course I do; and our legacy is walking all around us. Bobby and his family. Becky and her family. All of the people you helped while an attorney. The troops you worked with in the Army. The kids I have taught all these years in school and at church. Jack, we have a great legacy.

"But will they really remember that we were here?"

Of course they will. You are their father, their grandfather, a brother, an uncle, a friend, and usually a good guy to have around, she said, rising out of her chair, pushing him back down into his large brown leather recliner, and sitting down on his lap prompting a gasp of air to come from both he and the chair.

Don’t try to distract me with your wily charms, he said, catching his breath, as he took a moment to stare into the soft blue eyes that offset the blonde hair that framed her face and hung down to barely kiss her shoulders. At a petite 5’4 and still carrying a near perfect hour glass figure, she still turned heads when they went out to dinner or to socialize with friends.

Jack, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a noise? she asked with a straight face.

That’s what I mean.

"Jack, I was kidding. Of course it still makes a noise, just as you will be remembered as having been here, making a difference in the lives of those around you, and leaving a legacy."

"But how do you know that for sure?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

Because you have a heart that is good, full of love, and your life has been one of service to those around you. Because you have made so many people happy by being the type of person that people want to be around. Because you always put me, the kids, and now our grandkids ahead of everything else in the world. That’s why, she said, squeezing his chin and kissing him gently.

I certainly hope you are right, he said slowly.

If you want to be on the safe side, put your name on the flyleaf of every book in the house, she said with a smirk.

I would if I didn’t think that most of them will end up in the used book store or in a landfill, he said.

You’re impossible to talk to sometimes, she said as she stood up. And besides, if nobody wants your ratty old books it’s because they are all on line as E-books.

Or because nobody reads anymore, he said.

Sure they do, she said, grabbing her iPad and pretending to read.

Give me the feel of a book any day, he said ruefully.

Well, it is still reading.

"And Miss Smarty Pants, I also read online that kids today don’t know what to do with their parents’ stuff and quite often can’t even get rid of it in estate sales or in consignment shops because nobody wants it."

That’s absurd.

"Oh yeah? Newsflash – that big monstrosity of a mahogany dining room set that we saved from your parents’ house – and have used for the last thirty years -- forget about it. Nobody wants it. The gold rimmed china that I hand wash every Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas – because you insist that we use it -- forget about that too. If it is not dishwasher safe, or disposable, the kids today don’t want it."

Oh you are exaggerating. I know that both the girls will want a set of the china, she said, her voice trailing off as much as her confidence in what she was saying.

The article went on to say that we should consider making life easier for the kids and grandkids by getting rid of the ‘junk’ now and saving them the trouble, he said triumphantly.

Our kids are sentimental, and will want the furniture that my grandfather made for my mother or for me when I was a child, she said, crossing her arms defiantly.

Suit yourself, but I wouldn’t want to bet that most of our ‘treasures’ don’t end up in a twenty yard dumpster.

Believe what you want to Jack, but I know our kids.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust for us, and the trash heap for our stuff, he said to her back as she left the room.

Let it go Woody, let it go, she said whimsically.

You are in denial… he said as he began to turn off lights.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come to bed Mr. Reaper.

CHAPTER 2

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"I’m beginning to believe that there are angels disguised as men who pass themselves off as such and who inhabit the earth for a while to console and lift up with them toward heaven, the poor, exhausted and saddened souls who were ready

to perish here below."

George Sands

Thank you for coming Jackson. I know that it will mean a lot to Annabelle to see you, said William Pritchard, one of Jack’s maternal uncles.

I didn’t realize that the cancer had advanced to this degree, said Jack somberly.

From the time it was diagnosed, it has been even more aggressive than the doctors thought it could ever be, said the older man, his shoulders slumping.

This must be horrible for you and Evie, said Jack.

There are certain things a man should never have to do, and one of them is watching one of his children dying. It is not natural to have your children die before you.

I can’t even begin to imagine, said Jack as he patted his uncle on the back.

And I hope you never will be able to imagine it, said his uncle, with a tight smile, a quick sniff of his nose, as his eyes glistened with another set of tears that were merely an addition to the collection already shed by everyone who knows Annabelle.

She’s had a tough life. Losing John and the girls in that car accident years ago was an incredible blow to all of us, but Annie never lost her faith, never stopped smiling, and despite the incredible hole in her own heart, did everything she could to make life better for those around her.

I know. She’s been like that ever since we were all growing up together, replied Jack with a small smile as a distant memory came to the forefront of his mind.

You and Kathy have always been some of her favorite people, said her father.

The feeling is mutual, said Jack.

The hospital chaplain who was here yesterday tried to convince all of us that having the cancer and knowing that Annabelle was dying was actually a blessing.

Excuse me, said Jack stopping in his tracks. "The cancer was a blessing? How could the cancer be a blessing?"

Because unlike the quick way John and the girls died, Annie has had time to say goodbye, to make peace with herself and those around her, he said, as more tears formed in his eyes, and his throat became constricted.

I think most people would still prefer simply to die at age 100, still fully active and cognitive, while sleeping at home in their own beds, said Jack.

"That’s what I would have said up until the past few years, but you know, when it comes time for me to die, I guess being able to say goodbye may be a blessing assuming that I don’t have to suffer like Annie has been the last week. It’s been all I can do not to cry my eyes out while I am in her room with her," said her father.

I would agree, said Jack, as he recalled his own additional ‘last’ day of six months ago when he had another day in which to presumably say his goodbyes.

Let me walk you in, said William, as he reached for the heavy door that separated the private room from the brightly lit corridor.

Look who is here to see you kitten, said her father.

Hi Jackie, said Annabelle, as she formed a weak smile. The sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, cracked lips under the flowered turban, and nearly translucent ashen skin bore evidence of how much the cancer had ravaged her body. Despite this, the twinkle in her blue eyes and the beckoning bony outreached hand, bid him welcome, as he felt his own throat constricting.

Hiya Kiddo, he croaked out as he walked across the room to kiss her softly on the forehead, and to sit next to her on the bed.

I’ll leave you two alone and go get something to eat, said her father, as he patted Jack on the shoulder and made his way back towards the door.

Thanks Daddy, said Annabelle.

He really loves you, said Jack.

I know. I think he has aged twenty years in the last month, she said quietly.

Kathy will be by to see you as well, but she’s at school right now, said Jack.

I know. I just want to see everyone before my time finally comes, she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Maybe it is not your time quite yet, he said with a smile meant to encourage her.

Oh Jackie, only if, only if, she said, her voice trailing off, as she squeezed his hand.

Jack looked around the room at the pastel colored walls, the fluorescent light shining toward the ceiling casting harsh shadows on the highly polished square floor tiles before looking back at her, as her twinkling eyes met his.

I think it is safe to say that I don’t have many days left, she said with a deep sigh.

Miracles happen every day, he said with a wan smile, as he thought about his own experience of six months ago.

Yeah, and we’ve been praying for one, but I think maybe the angel in charge of miracles must be busy or something.

It’s not over until the proverbial fat lady sings, he said encouragingly.

That must be her that I hear warming up down the hall, said his cousin.

Annabelle, you have to keep fighting. The Will to Live is an amazing thing. When Kathy’s mom was dying, Kathy was eight and one-half months pregnant with Becky and could not travel to New York. Her dad called us to tell us that he had told the doctors ‘no heroic measures’ and that the end was near.

What happened?

Well, the look on Kathy’s face ripped my heart in half, and I told her dad to put the phone near her Mom’s ear, and I basically read her the riot act along the lines of, ‘how dare you do this to your daughter and unborn grandchild.’ Apparently it hit a nerve because her dad said that there was fire coming out of her eyes, and from that moment on she started to rally.

And she saw the baby?

You bet she did. When Becky was ten days old we flew up to New York, and when we arrived at the hospital we found Kathy’s mom sitting up in a wheelchair, with a turban almost as pretty as yours on her head, makeup on her face, her nails freshly manicured, ready to hold her new granddaughter, he said, remembering the experience fondly.

Then what happened? asked Annabelle.

Well, he said, taking a moment to drag his hand across his face, after she had handed the baby off to Kathy, she waggled her finger as if to indicate that she wanted to whisper in my ear or give me a kiss, and so I bent over, and ‘whack,’ she cracked me across the face and told me that I should never talk to her like that again, he finished with a grin.

"Wow. I can picture her doing that," said Annabelle with a small smile of her own.

Yeah. Well, anyway, she lasted another four months after that visit. So like I said, it isn’t over for you yet either, he said, taking her hand in his own.

While I appreciate the story and the sentiment Jackie, I think maybe it is my time, and you know what, I’m okay with it. I have been praying that I will see John and the girls soon, and we will be a family again.

Oh Annabelle, he said, kissing the knuckles of her thin hand.

Tell her Jackson.

What?

It’s alright Jackson. Reassure her. Let her know about Heaven’s Plan and how she will be reunited with her family in the next world. Go ahead.

Annabelle, if you have the faith, then yes, you will see John and the girls again, and you will be a family again – for all eternity, he began, his voice cracking.

Really? You wouldn’t lie to a girl would you, asked Annabelle, a half smile playing across her face.

Never. Never.

Tell me why you believe that I will be with John and the girls. Please, she implored.

Comfort her Jack. Tell her.

Adam and Eve were married by God himself in the Garden of Eden and became the first family, an eternal family, for there was no death at that point. Then came the fall, they became mortal, the power of procreation was given, they were directed to multiply and replenish the Earth, and they added children to their family. Because of their faithfulness, they have lived on as an eternal family, just as you and John and the girls will too, he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Thank you Jackie, said Annabelle with a deep sigh of contentment, as the lines of her furrowed brow relaxed.

For what?

For sharing with me something that I have always believed was the Truth. So many of my friends today think that Death is the end. That there is nothing after it. It used to bother me until I decided that if that was their belief and it worked for them, so be it. But for me, I knew that I was going to be with my family forever.

You were always the bright one in the crowd, said her cousin.

You have always been as close to me as one of my own brothers and sisters. I have a big, really big, favor to ask, she said, her voice falling off at the end.

Ask away; your wish is my command, said Jack with a smile.

Would you be willing to speak at my funeral? I don’t think anyone else would do as sweet a job as you will, and I know that it would mean a lot to my mom and dad if you would too, she said with pleading eyes.

Oh Annabelle, he said, twisting up his face.

Please Jackie.

It would be my honor, he said, as he sniffed so as to contain his emotions.

Another favor?

"Two?" he said in mock amazement.

Would you go talk to my dad and lighten his heart a little bit and let him know that he did not fail me and that I will be okay after I die.

Yeah, sure.

I mean right now. Go to the cafeteria, make sure he is eating something, and then come back to me. Please, please.

Of course I will. Don’t go anywhere while I am gone, he said, standing up and adjusting his shoulders inside the comfortable old sports jacket he had chosen to wear that day.

Thank you Jackie, she said, leaning back, taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes.

I mean it Annabelle; don’t you go anywhere before I get back, said Jack.

I’ll be here. I won’t leave until you get back, she said softly.

CHAPTER 3

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Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same - with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead.

Mother Teresa

That was very touching Jackson. I see that you have not lost a scintilla of your compassion.

Benjamin, is that you?

Of course.

So do you work by family? By town, state, zip code? What?

Hardly, said the spirit that had been assigned as his own escort a scant six months earlier.

Is it Annabelle’s time?

It’s all about the Lord’s timetable, you know that.

Yeah, but that is what you said before when I was supposed to take the Cumulus Express and I am still here.

Apples and oranges Jackson.

Why? Why can’t she be the