Some people dream, some don’t, or at least they don’t remember doing so.

But do dreams mean anything? Well, while people are convinced dreams are a form of messages received by forces we are unable to see or feel while wide awake, some scientists claim that dreams are simply a result of neuronal processes taking place within our brain.

While we are asleep, our brains are anything but.

Sometimes, dreams happen as a reflection of the day that passed, and other times they represent our fears. But what does it mean when we dream of a deceased person?

These dreams can be seen as part of the process of grieving or a transition that takes place in our own life. According to Healthline, it has to do with the latter.

These dreams are common when we experience certain changes, such as getting a new job, moving places, or meeting someone new.

What is most important than the dream itself, however, is how it make us feel.

Rubin Naiman, who has a Ph.D. in psychology, spent years of his life studying sleep patterns and habits. According to him, “Dream interpretation is about decoding the dream. It enlightens us and expands our awareness psychologically, [offering an] expansion of consciousness.”

So, dreaming of someone who is no longer alive may be related to the changes mentioned above and how those changes affect us.

”A lot of contemporary neuroscientists believe during REM sleep, the brain is involved in maintenance tasks, and it accidentally ‘kicks up dust,’ visually. At that end, dreaming is considered totally meaningless.” On the other hand he explains, “The other end is that dreaming is more substantial than waking. And we see this in ‘dream cultures,’ such as the indigenous people of Australia, who believe dreaming is intrinsic to our spiritual existence.”

Experts place these dreams into four categories.

1. First, dreaming of a deceased person may be interpreted as the brain trying to work through the pain of the loss.
2. If we hadn’t made amends with the deceased person before their passing, we may feel guilt and that might be the reason why they visit us in our dreams.
3. According to Lauri Loewenberg, a dream analyst, we may be dreaming of a deceased person if we see some of their behaviors, such as substance abuse or else, in ourselves.
4. There are experts who believe that these dreams represent a visitation from the deceased person, especially if we see them in a good condition in our dream, meaning they are well dressed or seem happy. If we feel good about the dream, it may mean that the deceased person says ‘Hello.’

No matter what we feel about dreams, the truth is that they offer something deep and meaningful. They often give us insight into the soul and our connection with the deceased person that we see in our dreams.

This single guy raised 30 children and adopted five more; here’s how they all live now

Being a foster parent means making a change in a child’s life. These people are compassionate and caring and always ready to open their hearts and homes to minors in need of love and kindness.

Lamont Thomas from Buffalo, New York, has devoted the last 20 years of his life fostering children. Speaking to Good Morning America of the time he welcomed the first child, this amazing man says, “In the beginning, I was helping out some friends. They had lost their child to the system. I went on and got certified and became a foster parent. I haven’t stopped since.”

Believe it or not, Lamont has fostered more than 30 kids, five of which he officially adopted. So with his two biological children, Anthony and LaMonica, he became a father of seven.

The first kid Lamont adopted is Michael Thomas. He’s now 27 and recalls the time he became part of the family.

“He was my third foster home and it ended up being my forever home,” Michael said. “He [knew] my biological parents.”

“Lamont never turned [a child] away,” Michael added. “They either aged out or went back home to their own families.”

With seven kids to take care of on his own, Lamont knew he was done adopting, but then he came across a very special case that made him change his mind.

Five siblings aged 5,4,3,2 and 1, who were children of one of Lamont’s foster kids were placed in foster homes themselves. Lamont was sad the kids got to experience their parent’s fate, and his heart tore apart when he learned Zendaya, Jamel, Nakia, Major, and Michaela were separated. Not only they were taken in by four different families, but they were also in four different cities.

Sadly, that meant one thing, that they wouldn’t be raised together.

That’s when Lamont stepped in. He just couldn’t let the siblings spend their childhood without being by each other’s side so he re-certified as a foster parent and adopted all of them.

Some of his older kids had moved from the house already and had families on their own, so Lamont knew he was making the right decision as he could devote all his time to the new addition to the family.

“I was fighting to keep back the tears,” he said of his adoption day with Judge Lisa Rodwin. “Every day I think about it, my eyes swell up. All that we endured to make this happen, it was something.”

This incredible single dad was now a father of 12 children. He knew things wouldn’t be easy, but he was willing to give it a go.

“They bring new energy to me,” Lamont shared. “They’re lovable kids, very affectionate. They deserve to be raised as siblings, and that was my fight.”