i'm sorry to hear about ur loss. i can understand ur confusion. i know exactly how you feel.
i think about this same question all the time! its so frustrating, we're only told what happens after death but we can't know for sure. i mean thats where faith comes in but still..as a human being you can't help but wonder. its easier to believe things when you actaully see it in front of your own eyes but, in this case, obviously you can't really do that. you can't die, see what happens, and then come back to life. plus, there's so many different beliefs. like in Sikhi, i don't know that much about it, but i do know that theres the different levels of.. i cant think of the word for it..but thers like sach khand, gyan khand, etc etc. and then theres the 8.4 million cycle..and im not sure about hell. some say we're currently living in hell? sounds possible. i dont know. and yeah the jam dhoot..that really freaks me out sometimes.
but at the end of the day, we should just try to be the best we can be. don't do bad, don't hurt another soul. try not to think negative about things. keep a clean, positive mind. and of course, follow Sikhi as much as you can. try to get Amrit but i know alot of ppl are struggling with that and are not strong enough. its okay though, just keep trying and ask for Guru Ji's guidance and one day, you might be blessed with it.
anyways, thats just my opinion. forgive me for any offensive/wrong comments i might have made.
wjkk wjkf