As a nurse, I witnessed a phenomenon that was so frequent I considered it to be a normal part of the dying process. Patients that are nearing the end saw their passed loved ones who I believe were waiting to escort them to heaven. Some skeptics believe that it is a person's subconscious protecting them from their impending death. I had an experience that would be difficult for the skeptics to explain. I was working in a long-term care facility. I had a lovely elderly patient named "Agnes" who was always humming and happy even though she was riddled with rheumatoid arthritis. "Agnes" was completely oriented, but occasionally, she would suffer from what the doctor would call "hallucinations". I, along with other staff, considered that she might be seeing ghosts. The doctor would treat her with antibiotics and blame it on a urinary tract infection. One day, I was feeding "Agnes" lunch, and they brought a terminal patient back from the hospital and placed her in the bed next to Agnes. Agnes was thrilled that she was getting company but I had to explain to her that the patient was very ill after suffering a severe stroke and was not expected to live.I apologized and explained that we had no other available beds. Agnes was upset for a short time, but then her eyes brightened and she stated, "That little girl is beautiful!" I glanced over to see who she was referring to, and there was no little girl. I immediately started to worry and made a mental note to notify the doctor even though she had no other symptoms. A little time later,while I was at the desk catching up on paperwork, a realization hit me out of the blue. I remembered a time, from months ago, before the terminal patient had the stroke and she was sitting in her wheelchair in the hallway and crying. I went to her to attempt to console her and asked her what was wrong. She told me that she had lost her little girl in an accident many years before, and sometimes the sadness overwhelmed her. When I went back to feed Agnes supper, I asked her if the little girl had left, and she said no. I reported this situation to the oncoming nurse when I left for the day. I was off for two days, and when I returned, I was informed that the terminal patient had passed. I asked the staff what had occurred with Agnes and her "hallucinations". They informed me that Agnes had requested to keep the curtain closed because the little girl stood there, motionless, day and night. When the terminal patient passed and they opened the curtain, Agnes reported that the little girl was gone.