Wait for me is a very comforting thought

There was a sweet old country song about a young couple who planned to elope. Her father did not like the young man, so they decided to run away and get married.

On the appointed day, he arrived at the meeting place and found a note attached to a tree.

Recorded by Collin Raye, the lyrics to "Love Me" include: "If you get there before I do, don't give up on me. I'll meet you when my chores are through. I don't know how long I'll be. But I'm not going to let you down, darling, wait and see. And between now and then, Till I see you again, I'll be lovin' you. Love, me."

He waited. And years later, when his wife was dying, he read this note to his grandson, and asked his wife, if she gets there before he does, to wait for him.

Since I personally believe in the spirit world, I understand these sentiments.

Walt Whitman, the great American writer whose writings incorporated transcendentalism, believed there also was a spirituality here on earth, communing with nature, and wrote in "Song of Myself":

"Failing to fetch me at first, keep encouraged,

Missing me one place, search another,

I stop somewhere, waiting for you."

There are many types and shades of spirituality. And often it encompasses the idea that the spirit of our loved one who died is near us, with us in spirit. I have had many such experiences. Sometimes a feeling, sometimes a sign - some signal or object that is connected to our relationship that only I would recognize.

A spirit presence can be very important in the long run. This month, Aug. 11 was the 11th year after my beloved Baheej died. And I was anticipating a wonderful visit. My granddaughter Shantel and her husband and their daughter, my 1-year-old great-granddaughter, were coming to visit me that day. My granddaughter was very close with her grandfather Baheej. She knew the day was important. And I'm pretty sure there was his spirit involved in the planned visit.

I was especially happy because mid-August is my most difficult time of year - the 11th followed by the funeral, and then our wedding anniversary on Aug. 18. On Aug, 21, 11 years ago, I returned home to Illinois after his burial in New Hampshire.

As it turned out, Shantel's husband, Joseph, broke his wrist in a bicycle accident, so they are postponing the trip here until Nov. 3. But that will work. I will wait and see them in November. It's a beautiful time of year here. We will have our fun together then. And I was OK on the 11th.

The point is: As Whitman believed, we probably have senses beyond our usual five human senses. Seems so to me. It's not just a matter of religion, although that is very important to many and to me, but it's a broad universal spirituality that spans religions and cultures.

My Grandmother Anderson was a big fan of Walt Whitman. And when I was younger I had no idea what that meant. Thinking back, who would have thought she was interested in transcendentalism. What do we know? People are more complex than we realize. Life is more complex than we realize. Anyway, I like the idea of "wait for me," whether here on earth or in the spirit world.

• Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@comcast.net or see her blog at longtermgrief.tumblr.com. See previous columns at dailyherald.com/topics/Anderson-Kleif-Susan.