The Polish neighborhood in the Nebraska Ave. area in Toledo evidently had an active spiritual and supernatural life. It was the custom upon death to notify someone in the immediate block. Stories of actual sightings of a dead neighbor or a random push shortly after someone died were common place. My grandma explained that it was what they did.
My grandmother's sister who had small children was taken at a very young age. The Aunt Kate story unfolds in my grandmother's bedroom one evening after Kate's funeral. My grandmother woke in the middle of the night to see a glowing orb floating by her ceiling. She explained that it was a very bright light and she had to shield her eyes. Kate's voice was heard to say "Take care of my children." In nights to follow a tearful Kate appeared to her sister in the same bedroom and she had to same request "Take care of my children." Needless to say, Kate's two children came to live with my grandmother and grandfather shortly there after.
In 1985 my grandmother was dying of cancer in a local nursing home.A month prior to her death , my aunt saw my deceased grandfather standing in her garage.She was shocked and shaken because his face was drawn and very sad. The family definitely believed that death was on her heels.
Years later, the same aunt lost her husband of many years. My cousin Kevin who never "believed" like the women was shaken to his core one night in his home. He had just gone to bed when he heard his father's voice say "Take care of your mother." And take care of her he did. He built an apartment on his property for my aunt who lived there in style until her death.
But no one in our family could "see" the Other Side as well as my son Nick. At the age of 4 he would say "There is something wrong with my eyes." It wasn't until he told me that he could see our beloved dead Lab that I understood what he meant. The hair stood up on my arms as he explained that Barclay walked the halls at night as a shadowy creature and laid down on the carpet by the boys' bedrooms.He mentioned the dog so casually, and I did not want to scare him.
Nick would continue to have these visions and would only mention the biggest of the big ones. An example of a big one was in 7th grade at a travel baseball game...Nick would ask me after the game " Who was that dark skinned man standing in back of Dad at the game?" Well my husband sat in a lawn chair usually by himself to not be disturbed by talking....I had glanced over that day and no one was standing by him. It finally occurred to us days later that the man Nick saw was my husband's father..."Blackie" who had the dark swarthy skin of an Italian.And yes he was dead and Nick had never met him. In showing Nick pictures of the family, he identified the man as his grandfather. He would "see" this man again in 9th grade in Ann Arbor MI as he put his football equipment in the bus. His grandfather walked by and looks were exchanged. He wore the same green shirt which we later found in my oldest son's closet.....his bowling shirt. The third and last time he was seen was in our garage Nick's senior year before a varsity baseball game.
As Nick progressed in college his visions became far and few between. I remember over the last 2 years maybe twice....a man standing by his bedroom window at home at night and bright lights flashing in front of our door also at night after I had surgery. He has learned to ignore the unusual and just get on with his life.
Now my sister has always been of the school of disbelief. I on the other hand believe that if you are open to the notion, you have a better chance of hearing or seeing something or someone. I have never "seen" anyone like my son has but I have heard voices and dog barking. The dog barking usually occurs in the wee hours of the morning and no it is not an outside animal making the noise, it comes from our downstairs. The voices...well usually I am startled by someone calling my name early in the a.m. of the day while still in bed. It has happened enough to not write it off as a dream.
My sister the disbeliever was startled one afternoon after my Dad passed away. She had come home from work tired and decided to lay down on her bed. While fidgeting to become comfortable, she heard a male voice shout out her full given name. Thinking that my brother-in-law had just walked in, she called to him. Nothing. No one else was home. She was sure afterwards that it was Dad. She has had a few similar episodes since...see what I mean about being open to this?
It is not a real popular subject to be bringing up in public. People tend to think your oars are not completely in the water. Someone I worked with suggested that Nick start taking vitamins and have a complete physical....now I am leery to share these things.
I am a big fan of Sylvia Browne and have read a good deal of her books. She is a psychic and has explained alot of spiritual matters. Von Pragh and Edwards are good also....Edwards sees symbols not the person as he is doing a reading. Interesting stuff. I find it comforting that people we knew and maybe loved continue to communicate with us from the Other Side
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