To michalina and lifelessons,
sometimes deceased ones come to comfort us; sometimes we experience dreams or visits because they are asking for help.
The greatest help we can give to loved ones is to ask the priest to celebrate a Holy Mass for the repose of their souls. In addition to the Holy Mass, we can do a “work” to obtain a plenary indulgence (that is, release from Purgatory) for a deceased loved one. To obtain a plenary indulgence, one must make a good sacramental confession, attend Holy Mass and take Communion, in addition say a prayer (for example, Our Father, or the Creed - I usually say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be) for the intentions of the Pope, and do an act of “work”. This act of work may consist of either 1. Adoration of the Eucharist for half an hour; 2. prayerfully reading the Bible for half an hour; 3. making the Stations of the Cross; 4. praying 5 decades of the Rosary, loudly, either in a church group or at home in a family group (by group we mean at least 2 people).
I have some stories of my own, and stories about things that happened to my mother. Every time, I ran to do something for the souls of these loved ones - either had a Holy Mass celebrated, or did this procedure for obtaining a plenary (or at least partial) indulgence. It should be mentioned that if I’m not totally free from attachment to all sin, even less serious venial sins, I can’t obtain a plenary indulgence. However, God will still grant a partial indulgence to the soul in whose behalf I’m interceding.