1. In Chapter One, This is What It’s Like to be Dead?, Hollister Rand describes her earliest personal encounters with loved ones in spirit and provides descriptions of the afterlife from the spirits living there. These descriptions include a unique way of viewing death and what life is like on the other side of it. Have you had your own encounter with spirits? If so, how did this experience influence your beliefs about life, death and life after death? What assumptions have you made about what life is like in the afterlife? How do the descriptions in this chapter support your own view of death or prompt you to consider a different perspective?

2. In Chapter Two, Playing with Spirits, Rand discusses the skepticism she faces and how afterlife science addresses some of these concerns. She also presents the rules by which she communicates with those living in the afterlife. However, the young in spirit seem particularly prone to disregarding these guidelines and, instead, create unique ways to communicate with those they love who are left behind. If you were skeptical about whether spirits can communicate with the living, has a personal encounter changed your mind? Do scientific studies or personal experience dictate your acceptance of the work of mediumship? What do you think about Hollister Rand’s assertion that “a son’s love for his mother and brother’s love for his sister can also reach beyond the boundary of death and skip across the street of skepticism?” Does Rand’s “dike of grief” vision resonate with you? If so, have you experienced a grief of your own which has caused you to confront your own skepticism? What, if anything, has caused you to consider the possibility that communication with spirits is possible?

3. In Chapter Three, Oops! – What Kids Say About Dying By Accident, Rand relates a number of dramatic instances, in which a momentary lapse in judgment or a seemingly random set of circumstances leads to deadly consequences. How might Rand’s statement that “Kids in heaven don’t blame and they don’t hold grudges,” be a freeing concept for those suffering great grief? Even though choices made in your life might not have resulted in a death, what “accidents” have caused you to temper your own actions and to be more mindful of the actions of others? How might Hollister’s statement “They see accidents as opportunities for forgiveness” be applicable to situations in your own life?

4. Chapter Four, Who’s Your Daddy?, Hollister Rand presents adoption from the perspective of kids living in the spirit world. How has reading this chapter broadened your view of adoption and the idea of legacy? In this chapter, Rand contends that both extended and fractured families on earth remain connected in the afterlife. How does this concept change the way you think about the people, the causes and the organizations you align yourself with or separate from in your life today?

5. Chapter Five, By My Own Hand, Hollister Rand shares her personal struggle with the suicide of her cousin, Tommy. After years of hearing from other young people in spirit who have made the same choice, Rand finds peace and understanding when another medium provides her with a message from Tommy. In this chapter, a grieving mother asks her son why he committed suicide. Instead of explaining his death, he responds with, “Would any reason be good enough. What do you think of this boy’s answer to his mother’s question? What do you understand his answer to mean? Do you think there is ever a reason that is good enough? Has someone you know taken his or her own life? If so, how might this chapter provide a different way of looking at this particular type of separation and loss?

6. In Chapter Six, We Shall Overcome – Addictions in Life and Death, Hollister Rand discusses ways to end the cycle of addiction by including the spirits’ help in the equation of healing on earth. How do the words “forgive,” “hope” and “help” create stepping-stones to freedom from addiction? How might considering life from the spirits’ perspective of possibility expand your own thinking beyond the limitations of probability in your own life? Rand states, “I like to think of the help that the spirits provide as being prayers from heaven rather than answers to prayers from earth.” If this statement resonates with you, under what circumstances have there been times in your own life when you’ve been helped by prayers from heaven?

7. In Chapter Seven, Peer Pressure, Hollister Rand makes the case that kids in spirit remain connected to kids on earth, even those they don’t know well. These connections often mirror the way the young here in the physical world create communities by using cyber networks. Throughout the chapter, Rand shares stories which demonstrate that communication from the spirits seems well planned and coordinated. In what ways might this affect the assumption that events are random happenings? When in your own life have you experienced an invisible hand behind supposedly chance events? What about the idea that kids in the afterlife help to take care of their own and how might this concept comfort those left behind on earth?

8. In Chapter Eight, Over Before It Started – Miscarried, Aborted and Stillborn Children Speak, Hollister Rand contends that spirits who pass in this way do not abandon their earthly families, but instead, serve as joy guides and guides to healing. In your own life, have you grappled with the difficult decision to end a pregnancy? If so, how do the stories in this chapter speak to your feelings? If you or someone you know has suffered a miscarriage, have you considered the possibility that the spirit remains close? How does the statement, “You gave me enough love for a lifetime,” contrast with the idea that the value of a life is related to the length of it?

9. In Chapter Nine, It’s Just Wrong – Murder and Crimes Against Humanity, the young in spirit address the unthinkable. Surprisingly, their wisdom doesn’t allow us to consider them victims but instead, their love reminds us that they remain connected to us despite the intent of others to destroy that love. What gifts of healing can we receive from the young in spirit who encourage loved ones not to remain “stuck” in the horror of a traumatic death? In their refusing to be considered victims, how might they be prompting us to reject being a victim in our own lives? Rand asserts that “The arm of the law is long, but it doesn’t reach heaven” and that “. . . justice doesn’t always bring healing.” What does the message of balanced love bring to “unjust” events and does this love make things right?

10. In Chapter Ten, Bringing Heaven Home, Hollister Rand provides numerous examples of how kids say “hi” from the other side of life. From dreams to ringing bells to more complex greetings, loved ones in spirit make their presence known. Have you or anyone you know, experienced phenomena similar to that described in this chapter? If so, what happened, when did it happen, and how did you know for sure who in spirit was communicating?

11. In Chapter Eleven, Is Anybody There?, Hollister Rand provides some simple, yet effective, exercises for connecting with loved ones in spirit. Are you willing to try to make contact with loved ones? If not, is it because you are nervous about what will (or won’t) happen? If you’ve tried one or more of the exercises, what has been the result? Have you considered keeping a journal of your experiences?