Family-Life after death

I'm not a very religious person.  I don't understand the whole concept of organized religion, but I do consider myself a spiritual person.  My family has had to deal with more deaths than we could have expected within in the past few years.  Death is always difficult to cope with, but I have grown to accept death as a process of life.  I think that is because I have been faced with my own death.  Obviously being diagnosed with cancer has made me think about my life ending earlier than I expected. My personal views are that when someone passes away their spirit always stays with you, and they watch over people who need them.  Out of the members of my family whom have passed, I continually feel my grandmother's(my mom's mom), and my aunt Sister Pat(my dad's) sister spirits around me.  I feel safe with them watching over me.  That may sound crazy to some of you, but I can feel their presence around me. A strange occurrence that recently happened to me confirms my spirituality. I had an appointment with one of my new doctors.  I had been having a rough morning regarding my health, and missing my family.  I went to my appointment as scheduled.  When the nurse called me back she could tell that I wasn't feeling well.  All I really wanted was a hug.  I needed that feeling of family around me.  I was sitting in the room waiting for the doctor when I heard a knock on the door.  The doc was coming in for my consult.  When he opened the door, I was in complete disbelief.  He was the spitting image of my grandpa(my dad's dad).  I was always very close with him.  He died when I was pretty young, but I still have vivid memories of him.  I felt a complete sense of calm come over me.  He made me feel more comfortable in an instant.  He reaffirmed that this move to Memphis was the right move for us.  My doctor even gave me a hug at the end of my appointment.  It felt just like a hug from my grandpa.  I know that my family members who have passed on sent him to me, so I would feel confident in this move. Whether living, or deceased there is always someone looking out for you.  I never thought of it that way before.  I always thought you had to look out for yourself, and reaching out to others made you weak.  I realize now that it's ok to ask for help, and in turn helping others get through their problems can impact your life in so many ways.