Happy Halloween.
I went to bed thinking of my last post about my pets and realized it may be worth sharing an experience I had a few months back. The house was crazy busy. People were coming and going. Kids banging stuff in the kitchen. I was in my office and saw my wife walk by. I was at a stopping point so I followed her into the bedroom. She turned a corner into our bathroom and I followed her there only to find myself alone. I thought she was maybe in the closet digging for something but she wasn't. I looked in the the shower and she was not there either. She up and vanished before me. There is no way back to the house except by passing me so it was really odd. I walked into the kitchen befuddled and found her sitting at the island in the kitchen using her laptop. I was thoroughly confused. I asked her if she was just in the bedroom and she said no. I related this story to her and asked her "who did I just follow into the bedroom??" she said "well- I guess you followed Jan". I know this may give you a "spooky" feeling but for me I just smiled. I smiled because I have moved 1200 miles away from the home Jan and I had together and to know she has been in our home here brings me comfort. Samantha then related that at times she will walk past the front room where the piano is. She has said on multiple occasions she has seen a woman standing or sitting by the piano. Again - you may think this is spooky but for me I just smiled. I am a firm believer that our family stays close by and stories like this bring me comfort.
My grandmother related a story when she was in her 70's. She lived in an older part of Houston where crime was prevalent. She said she was sound asleep when her husband sat by her bed, put his hand on her hip gently woke her and said "Oneda - you need to get up". She woke up - her husband who passed away over 30 years before was not there and the apartment was quiet. It was just a dream. She got up and went into the living room to see her front door ajar. She shut and locked the door. The next day she went outside to see boot impressions in the flowerbed under the living room window. I think on this and again - just smile that my grandfather was watching out for his wife and never really left her - 30 years later after many moves he was still there for her. When my grandmother told the story she just smiled when she reflected on her husband being there for her. I get it.
Well- tonight my kids are going trick-or-treating. Shouldn't there be an age limit to this?? Some kids just show up with a pillowcase and no costume. I open the door and am like... er... what are you? When Jan and I lived in Houston there was a guy with a chainsaw (no chain) and the full makeup and outfit to boot that would strike fear in adults (not to mention kids). He would slowly walk around and randomly start up the chainsaw and raise it above his head. This led to many kids just going to a different neighborhood. Many parents had to talk to this guy and he eventually got the message. So far in my new neighborhood I rarely get kids that stop by at all which means I am left with a bucket of candy. That is the last thing my kids need... More sugar. I wonder if my house is just "creepy" or something. I recall as a kid there were houses we avoided. One guy on our block in Houston was "re-roofing" his house the entire time we lived there (over 30 yrs). His house was two steps away from looking abandoned and needless to say not many kids stopped by. We lived across the street from Bellaire High School and walking home every day I would pass his house and wondered who lived there. It reminded me of the house that Boo Radley from the book To Kill a Mockingbird lived in.
Until later -
