Melita-

I read all of those in my jumior year in high school. I loved English Literature (we had American Lit as sophomores and World Lit as seniors). My younger brother contracted mononucleosis when he was 8 or 9. He was home sick for almost a whole year. I used to read to him from the Hobbit every night. He identified with Bilbo and used to call me Gandalf.

My introduction to Kipling was from my dad as well. The Mowgli Stories, somewhere around here I have an old beat up copy that was his.

I think we are going to have to start a literature thread on here. Kim, OKnana, Betty, Nola, how about it? Maybe in off topic chat.

Margarita, good to see you posting, hun. Don't be shy sweetie, we don't bite and we'd love to hear from you. You know, my BBF has told me several times about meeting people, who, when she described them to her mother, had died before she was born. She speaks to her grandfather frequently. I bet there are people around you that you just are not aware of yet. Stay open, and they will make their presence known.

Yes, Margarita, Meg is right. Just stay open to the presence of the spirit world and they'll come to you eventually. Just a week or so ago, I was in my grandparents' home (I do a lot of sewing over there). I walked through the dining room and smelled a strong odor of pipe tobacco. I grinned and said, "Hi Grandpa!" Since my grandparents built that house and are the only people who ever lived there, I knew it was Grandpa. Several times I've had visitors at that house - especially when I'm alone. I'll heard footsteps when no one is there, etc. Nothing scary about it - I just figure it's one of my grandparents, possibly my great-grandmother who lived with my grandparents for a few years, or maybe even my Dad.

My Dad's theory was that the spirit world is all around us - it's just a different dimension that we can't usually see. Just occasionally we'll get a glimpse of something beyond the veil, or smell a familiar odor that will let us know our loved ones are nearby.

I've even been visited by my beloved dogs that have crossed over. My little Miki followed me back into the house immediately after we buried him in the orchard. I was in tears because I loved that little guy so much - he had cancer and we had to have him put down. I always take the collar off my doggies before we bury them. Well, after we buried Miki, I came back in to the house carrying his collar, sat at the computer to email a friend for sympathy, and my Sheltie, Cassie, went beserk! She stared at Miki's collar, wouldn't get near it, and I heard Miki's toenails clicking on the floor as he walked through the kitchen. I still sometimes hear him coming down the hall to my bedroom upstairs. Same with Cassie - lost her to cancer last year. Sometimes I feel her curled up in my bed.

(Meg - I have to ask - what is a BBF???)

Hugs,
Nola

Sorry! Nola, guess my son's texting is starting to rub off on me! hehehehe Should have been BFF- best friend forever- these poor old arthritic fingers just aren't hitting the keyboard correctly.

Nola your story reminds me of what happened in my Grandparents house. When we moved to the city my Grandparents pulled out their tennis court, subdivided their property, and my parents built our house in their bottom garden. It was great, my sister and I would go there every day after school. After my Grandfather died one of my Father's brothers moved in with my Grandmother who was then in her 80's and he stayed on in the house after she passed on.
He was a widower and inclined to be grumpy.
Some years later when he in turn died his nephew, my cousin, was executor of the will. My cousin was at my Grandparents house angrily complaining about the work involved in sorting out the estate, when my Uncle's photo flew off the wall and hit my cousin on the head!
With that my cousin's teenage daughter ran to my parents house in quite a state almost crying, refusing ever to back. In hindsight its pretty funny, but it certainly had everyone quite spooked at the time.
Another of my cousins (We're a BIG family!! Dad is the youngest of 13 children, a good big Irish Catholic family. Mum's the eldest of 10!) now lives in my Grandparents house. While I love that house, its so full of happy memories, I can't say I envy her! Not with my grumpy old Uncle lurking around. LOL

Melita

A couple years ago I was taking some medicine for an infection in my lungs and had a alegric reaction. I did not know I was having one. I took my son to school that day and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital. My mom said I called her and said I couldn't find Lyle my Dh she said I was crying and confused. They also told me I said that dad helped me to get home from taking my son to school. He told me it was ok Baby doll turn right look for cars slow down turn left he helped me to get home safe. I do not recall any of it and my Dh was in bed the whole time and when my mom got to my house I was laying in the floor in the kitchen passed out. My dad died 16 years ago. I do belive we get help from our love ones who has passed on and I also some times smell the cherry pipe he used to smoke. Thank you for this post. Laura

Oh goody-good, this thread's really taken off. I'm glad some of you mentioned reincarnation - I nearly did myself but then thought no better not. Apart from my quilting lady, I do have vague memories of other lives, in particular one as an Anglo-Saxon girl in the south of England in about the 8-9th century.

Nola, I do agree with your father's theory about the spirit world being here, with us, but in a different dimension.

And we even like the same literature - I love Thomas Hardy too, I think The Mayor of Casterbridge is probably my favourite, and Jane Austen and George Eliot.

Jane

I think many people have experiences like we're talking about here - they just don't understand what it is, or are afraid to talk about it for fear people will think they're "a couple bricks short of a load!"

Have any of you ever taken pictures that have strange things in them - like white spots, swirly-looking white or other colors of streaks, or something that looks like fog? I have quite a few of these kind of pictures. Many people will try to explain the mysterious objects away by saying the camera lens was dirty, or the camera strap was in the way. In some cases, they be right, but there are others that HAVE to be supernatural things. I don't want to post my pictures here as they take up too much room, but if anyone wants to see a couple of them, PM or email me.

Nola

Its amazing you should talk about this here Nola.

A couple of weeks ago I visited a cousin (another one!) in her new home near the beach. We hadn't caught up with each other for years and we finally made the time. Bev, a single mother with 4 daughters, is renting her home. Its delightful with a separate granny flat that her 23 year old daughter lives in. I was commenting on how homely it feels even though they have only been living there a few weeks. While we were talking one of the kitchen cupboards suddenly flew open. I laughed and said some throw away line about ghosts.
Bev went on to tell me about her resident friends, two spirits of young children that had somehow been left behind, who sometimes rampage around the house and granny flat. They are quite mischievous and often move things, stop the kettle and other electrical appliances from turning on, flicker lights on and off, rattle door handles; the whole gamut of ghostly behaviour. I was a bit skeptical but I couldn't stop the hairs on my neck from reacting! Apparently her little ghosts are so naughty that the Real Estate manager refuses to enter the granny flat at all, and the property photos include those 'fog' spots you were talking about. In fact if you look closely you can actually see the outline of a small child next to one.
The great thing is that Bev is totally relaxed about the whole thing and talks to her two new little friends, even scolding them if they behave too unruly.
Bev doesn't mind have her little spirits around the place and says there are some up sides. Bev is finding new home is very easy to manage and says it simply doesn't get as dusty and dirty as her old house! And insects simply don't go inside but die outside the door! For a busy working single mum they are definite pluses.

I think you are right Nola, most of us don't want to be labeled as 'fruit loops' so we simply don't share our experiences.

Melita

Meg and Jane, I've found The Mill on the Floss in my bookcase. If my bookmark is any guide I started reading it in 2004 (my bookmark being an old parking receipt) but I never finished reading it. I don't know why, its delightful. Wouldn't you love to be able to write like that? Its so beautiful its a shame not to read it aloud, so I am! Thank goodness my two youngest children, 15 & 17, are very tolerant, because I've been making them listen while they eat their breakfast. Its good to have a captive audience! LOL

Meg, I had to look up what "mononucleosis", and found out we call it glandular fever here. Horrible isn't it? My youngest son had it when he was about 5 but I'm ashamed to say that it wasn't diagnosed at the time. Liam had a lot of surgery in his early years and unfortunately the symptoms were automatically associated with his other problems. It was only from some of his routine blood tests that it was found that he 'had' had it in the past. Poor little guy.

Melita

quote:

By Laura
I do believe we get help from our love ones who has passed...

So do I Laura, though perhaps not often as impressive as your experience. Your Dad was obviously a lovely man.
My sister had a 'visit' from my Grandfather in the middle of the night a couple of years ago. He sat on the end of her bed and told her that she would be alright, that she was strong like him and could achieve anything she wanted once she set her mind to it. A couple of months later my sister's husband was killed in a farm accident. It was horribly traumatic, and was followed by an appalling amount of bureaucratic bungling that is impossible to credit. My sister has been incredible, and I like to think my Grandfather's 'visit' helped give her the strength to cope with it all and go on to deal with her new life.
Its wonderful to know that the love our family shows us in unending.

Melita

PS. Sorry to hog the limelight. There are so many interesting threads happening here its hard not to want to talk to everyone!