I believe the reason your dreams didn't feel like usual dreams is that they were visits from....the other side. I've had a few and can definitely feel the difference between them and normal dreams. I've dreamt of my maternal grandmother twice where I was encouraged not so much with words but a feeling I immediately understood before stressful events occurred. I've also dreamt of an aunt and uncle but not sure why, it was quite casual. Another striking dream/visit was from a beloved staff member who died of AIDS. (I am South African). Her husband, who was a horrible person died a year before her. She had only one child (a daughter, 22years) who died before I met my her, also probably of AIDS. In the dream she was at our place of work sitting at a table and proudly introduced her daughter to me. I saw her husband in the distance, but a thick glass wall separated him from them. All these encounters didn't feel like dreams and I in my heart I know they weren't.