Michael R. Albert
Near-Death experience inspires New Jersey retiree to pen a book about how to live and love.
Two years ago, Michael R. Albert, 84, a member of Our Lady of Mercy parish, South Bound Brook, New Jersey, suffered a heart attack and was resuscitated from the brink of death. It was then that he felt God was giving him another chance to share a dream he had when he was 12 years old. Michael retells the dream in a book he authored entitled “Mekhail’s Dream.”
“What inspired me to write Mikhail’s Dream was my deep appreciation for life and that we all have a purpose to fulfill.” “We are all unique and precious. One life destroyed cannot be replaced by another. I believe our purpose is to live a good life, loving and caring for one another, so that one day we will return back to God.”
Through the years, Michael has always remembered his dream, but struggled to recall what the instructions were that God told him to do while he was here on earth. He wrote down the dream so he could keep the facts of the dream straight.
“Mekhail’s Dream” is seen through the eyes of an inquisitive 12 year-old boy, who questioned how he was created; while trying to deal with the death of his two sisters and his brother. He tried to imagine what death was like. He gained insight to his questioning during his dream.
The dream is about the creation of souls and God’s blessing and final instructions to the souls preparing to come to earth. Mekhail is upset when he see God’s sadness for the souls who will not be returning to Him after their life on earth.
After having his dream, Mekhail, spent many years searching for the instructions he remembers being given. It took Mekhail until he was in his thirties, after reading Chapter 4, Verse 7, of the First letter of John to remember the instructions that were given to his soul by God. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God: everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.”
Mekhail became very concerned about how the unborn can fulfill the instructions and return to God. All life is precious at any stage of life. One life destroyed cannot be replaced by another because that person would be different and his destiny would be different.
Life has been full of love for Michael and his wife, Madelyn and their three sons and four grandchildren. Madelyn attended St Francis De Sales High School, in Denver and they were married in that parish almost 60 years ago. They met in Albuquerque, NM, when Michael was serving in the U.S. Air force. Trying to fulfill his instruction, Michael became active in parish ministries, including teaching religious education and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. He is now a retired financial examiner.
Michael told the Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, this is what he remembers being told in his dream: that by loving one another and caring for one another, we will desire to one day return to God and God will love you for it.
“Mekhail’s Dream” was published in June 2016, and is available at Bookstore. Archway Publishing.com, and is also available through, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Michael R. Albert
