Leonard was a very bright retired construction baron. His son Jeff, Jeff's wife Karen, and their 2 children had all perished in a private plane crash.  As Leonard's pastor (United Methodist), I became a close friend with him through visits to this home and to his sick family members in hospitals.  For that reason, it struck me as odd that he seemed reluctant to discuss the crash with me.  He seemed to grieve more for the loss of other family members than for the loss of his son's family. 

His wife Helen helped me solve this puzzle in 1999.  She explained that Leonard had experienced the best proof imaginable for his son's postmortem survival, but feared that no one, not even me, would believe his story.  Finally, in a discussion about his dying cousin, i found the right moment to question Leonard about his encounter with his deceased son.  I quickly realized why he had been so reluctant to share it.

Shortly after the crash, Leonard got in Jeff's pick-up to perform some errands.  Almost immediately he noticed a man surfacing from a nearby ditch and coming towards him.  Leonard received the shock of his life:  it was his dead son Jeff!  Jeff began by asking, "DO YOU MIND IF I DRIVE MY PICK-UP ONE LAST TIME FOR OLD TIME'S SAKE?"  A stunned Leonard slipped over to the passenger's side.  As Jeff drove down the highway, he passionately assured his Dad that he was with his wife and kids and that they were all OK.  jeff then turned right down a less travelled road and gave his Dad detailed instructions about his financial arrangements.  This information made it easier for Leonard to tie up loose ends for his son's estate.  Then after a slow drive down this second road, Jeff abruptly said, "I'M NOT PERMITTED TO GO ANY FURTHER."  He said goodbye, got out of the truck, walked towards a wooded area, and vanished into thin air.  Leonard reported this experience to Helen, but was still overwhelmed with grief.

So the next day, he went for a walk in the woods behind his house.  At a certain point, he felt overwhelmed, sat down on a log, and broke down sobbing.  Soon he heard footsteps behind him.  It was his deceased daughter-in-law Karen.  She admonished him, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?  DIDN'T WE TELL YOU THAT WE'RE ALL DOING FINE?  YOU GET BACK IN THE HOUSE AND COMFORT MOM!"  Somehow this second encounter did the trick: Leonard's grief instantly turned sweet.

There seemed to be pain in Leonard's eyes as he studied my skeptical expression.   I felt ashamed, but my face simply mirrored by initial inability to process such a unique and spectacular verification of postmortem survival.  The sheer "physicality" of Leonard's experiences blew my mind!  But then I recalled that when the Risen Christ ate fish with His disciples and allowed them to touch His wounds, they too remained skeptical throughout several resurrection appearances before the scales fell from their eyes and set them free.