Yes, we all have our ghosts. I still think of those who have touched my life in a profound way just through a fleeting, happenstance meeting. Of course, many of my ghosts are from my family and you’ve heard a little about some of them, including my parents, grandmother, grandfather, and sister.
Who are yours? I’d love to know.
P.S. My sincere and heartfelt thanks to William Keckler for allowing me to share and slightly modify his found photograph. The poetic words are Maza Dohta’s and you can find more of her poetry on Twitter and Instagram.
This is so perfect. Definitely my parents, my siblings and my husband are all mine.
Thanks so much, Rita!
Decades ago when I was a young woman I was washing my car outside. A young couple came walking by with the most beautiful baby boy. He was so adorable that I stopped and told the young parents how lucky they were to have such a precious baby. He toddled up to me and raised his arms for me to pick him up. I was thrilled and immediately picked him up and held him in my arms. In that moment I said a silent prayer that one day God would give me a sweet boy just like the one in my arms. Then the most curious thing happened. The little boy held my face in his hands and looked deeply in my eyes with the most intense love in his eyes. I almost cried right then and there. It was a spiritual experience for me and I never forgot it. Years later I did have a baby boy. Next to meeting my husband, he was the best thing that happened to me.
What a lovely memory, Briana! It gave me chills.
I purchased a 100+ year old home in Smithville, TX (hey neighbor) 5 years ago after the 2011 Bastrop complex fire. It had been my dream to put my mark on a vintage home and found a little jewel in the area. My first ghostly encounter was when I was at the house working after I first purchased it… I had the back door open and I saw a cloudy figure walking in the back yard. Early on I decided to hang curtains made from sheets. The windows had been uncovered until then. When I was ironing a sheet, a small empty bottle of Gatorade FLEW off a trunk I had in the living room where I was ironing. Another time I was thinking of watering my plant that was hanging on the wall and thought I should check it to see if it was dry. Just thinking mind you…. and then all of a sudden I saw the plant sway. I was so tired from working that I didn’t give it much thought. I mustered up the energy to check to see if the plant was dry and the plant swayed when I touched it exactly how I saw it just moments before. My sweet dog, Syra, was at the end of her life, but I didn’t know how close at the time. Syra was always a light sleeper and if I moved out of a room, she was alert to check on me. She was also a sensitive. One day when I was working I realized she hadn’t checked on me so I tiptoed to check on her. She was on the couch with her chin on the back of the couch. I watched her for a few moments contemplating why she was in that position. I called her name and she didn’t budge. I said her name louder and she didn’t hear me. I walked over to her and I seemed to have startled her. She was clearly in another zone. I decided to pet the top of her head, and as soon as I did, she positioned her chin on the back of the couch again. There’s no doubt in my mind she was visited from the other side. Unfortunately I had to let her go about a year later. I lived in my RV for about 3.5 years prior to actually living in the house. I had my RV on the burned lot for the first 3 years and would make the trip to work on the house. I finally moved my RV in the backyard. One night there was a storm and it blew a vent off the RV in the bedroom area and rain was coming in. I decided I had to sleep in the house and it was the very first time. My apprehension had increased as more events had taken place so I was a little nervous. I was in the dining room and I felt a very gentle tap on my shoulder… like I was being told it would be okay. It made me feel at ease, but it still took a while for me to fall asleep. I believe the visitations were from a previous owner… Mrs. Brothers. We had much in common it appears. A neighbor introduced himself to me early on who said he visited with her on occasion. I asked him what she was like. He said she was abused by her husband (so was I and had gotten divorced); she had been a nurse (so had I when I was in the military); she had 4 or 5 dogs (I had 5 dogs at the time and only brought Syra with me when I worked on the house). When I had an A/C unit installed a box was brought down from the attic. In it were items that indicated Mrs. Brothers sold Mary K in the 70’s. I sold Beauty Control in the early 90’s. I felt drawn to the place from the very first time I saw it. One time I saw a dusty cloud that was only a couple of feet off the floor that move from one room to another. That happened before the storm… eek! A friend of mine and her husband sold a vintage oriental rug to me that I cherish. When I was visiting at their house my friend asked her husband which one of his Aunts owned that the rug and he said it was his Aunt Brothers. She and I both looked at each other… strange! I’ve been living in the house for a while now and the events are fewer. Every now and then I’ll still see something move out of the corner of my eye. My apprehension is gone… I think she’s used to me now.
My goodness! What a story … and the coincidences! Wow! I don’t know if I would ever feel comfortable in a house with a (literal?) ghost, but maybe? At least Mrs. Brothers is friendly and seems like she has now accepted you into her beloved home.