Ireland
It's from the damp parts of the world that this lifetime comes to me. Here I am about 13, a girl and part of a large, robust family. We live among farmers, though I don't think that is my father's occupation. I have sisters, or at least a sister. It seems we are a happy family and I am comfortable in this life.
Relevant to this past-life recall, it seems that it is necessary for me to travel a hard packed dirt road on a near-daily basis, as I go from home to possibly town or to a neighbor’s house. It feels like I’m going to school, or at the very least; a place of learning. As I travel down this long dirt road there are open green fields on either side. This is farming land, and very often I see a farmer in the field - one in particular. The more frequently I pass this way the more evident that this farmer is interested in me, and each time I pass by he is closer to the roadside, leaning on his hoe or shovel or whatever he is using in the field. Just watching. Occasionally he will tip his hat to me, or raise a hand to wave - but he's always watching.
Unbeknownst to me this man has decided that I will one day be his wife. He is quite smitten with me and I believe he may have spoken to my father at some point. The potential of this relationship is enough to keep the man happy and looking forward to a life shared.
One day I am walking either to or from home along this roadway, and it begins to rain. Then it begins to pour. I feel as though I made it to my original destination, stayed the allotted time and then when it was time to go home, I left on schedule, regardless of the storm. At one point along the way I have to cross a stream or narrow waterway of some sort. Normally, not a problem as I can easily hop from rock to rock to the opposite bank. Today the stream is swollen and beginning to roar due to the pouring rain. In the inexperience of my youth I disregard the danger, take off my shoes and begin to make my way across. About half way through I slip on a rock, hit my head and get swept downstream, drowning in the process.
The farmer is the one who finds my body - frantic as he was when he found out I was missing. He was heartbroken and never quite recovered from the loss, even though we didn't really have a relationship. But to him, we were family. I think he was somewhat bitter for the rest of his life, and angry at himself for not having been there to save me.
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My farmer friend Bill in this lifetime was the farmer in the above lifetime. Even though he was 35 years older than me, he always felt like family and it seemed like I knew him somehow. I suspect that many characters from that lifetime intermingle in this lifetime including his mother and my kids. By connecting in this lifetime Bill was able to resolve the loss he felt in the previously shared life experience and I was able to enjoy a sense of connection to family and home.