A Current Ghost Story

I have asked my daughter to allow me to use a post she had written on another site regarding the paranormal activity she has been experiencing for a couple of years now. This incident occurred just the other night, and I thought it fitting for Halloween. She moves out in a few days, and in her, and her husband's mind, - it can't be soon enough. They have experienced knocking, banging, whispers, and my daughter has experienced physical hits to her body. She has felt someone sitting next to her on the bed in the middle of the night, and covers being pulled off of her and her family. A few weeks ago she heard a very definite "Get Out!" She said it sounded loud, as if someone were shouting. It woke her up.

They always sleep with their son between them. I have talked with several people about this, and I have it on good authority that my daughter may be psychic, able to see things that we cannot. I do know that these things started when she was a teenager, right after one of her boyfriends died in a car crash.

My personal thoughts are that old houses, and this one is over 100 years old, can have energy left over, and that if traumatic events occur in the house, it can have residue from these events. Of course, we have no idea what might have happened in the last 100 years since the house has been occupied. But it has a very weird staircase that scares the stuffing out of me. They are extremely steep, and wooden. I worry constantly about someone falling. The upper banister is very low - not what you would call "code" in any way! It is only about three feet tall, and anyone could just stumble and go over the banister to the wooden stairs below!

There is a very old man that lives next door, he's lived there since he was a young, working man, with a young family. One day we were chatting about the neighborhood, and he mentioned the stairs, saying he thought they were dangerous. He mentions this right out of the blue!

So do the stairs have something to do with the "haunting"? Could the ghost be trying to warn them before someone falls? Maybe their toddler? You tell me.

Anyway, here is my daughter's story from a few nights ago:

Anyway, the other night we had some paranormal activity. It was a weird, restless night. I FELT something there from early on in the evening when I was sitting in bed doing homework- and I ignored it. I am really past the point of being afraid of energy or entities (at least those that hang around my house) because they have never done anything to harm me. The worst they have done is try to get my attention which can startle and frighten me a little- but now I am accepting of it.

So I am laying in bed, awake, as I tend to do and my son is suddenly extremely restless. He starts crying and doing his writhing around on the bed thing and he keeps saying "No, NO NONONONONONONO NO NO NO NO No NO NONO" (you get the idea). This was different from when he has night terrors though because he was communicating with me- he wasn't in a trance state, he was conscious. When he was saying this I could feel the energy in the room growing... eventually he changed what he was saying and started saying "Stairs. STAIRS. STAIRS. STAIRS. STAIRS. DOWN STAIRS. STAIRS. STAIRS! STAIRS! STAIRS!"

That creeped me right the freak out. After about 20-30 minutes I finally got him to calm down and lay down with me. That is when I heard it.

We have very old doors and door knobs in our house. They are metal and they make asqueaking sound when you turn them. Earlier in the night I had latched the door because my son is now big enough to get out of bed and make a run for it if he wants. Anyway, I heard the door knob turn and then the door SLAMMED. I screamed and sat up clutching Coleton to me. The door was open a crack.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!!" I asked my husband.

He suggested that it was the DOG- but I could CLEARLY see the dog across the room, curled up on her bed. It was NOT the dog. This was at 5:00 in the morning and there was nobody else up in our house. There were no doors or windows open anywhere that could have created a "suction" effect and I knew it.

I demanded that Erick turn on the light and he did and I SWEAR I could see something move through the room. It makes me feel crazy when I try to explain to people that I can see energy, but I just can. It's almost like a shimmer in the air... but shimmer is not the right word. In any case, the SHIMMER came and stood next to the bed and I told Erick where it was and he said he could not see anything. I told it to GET AWAY FROM ME. GET AWAY FROM MY SON AND STAY AWAY FROM US.

It left.

I didn't feel like staying in that room so we all got up and went downstairs and started our day... early.

Ever since that night I have been sleeping like a BABY and haven't felt anything there. I guess it listened, right?

Or maybe I am crazy. Either way- we move out in two weeks... Sayanara ghosts.

Little Voice

I have watched Nightline this last week, and it was talking about Scientology and David Miscavige, as well as, James A. Ray, the "guru" leader who was responsible for the sweat lodge that killed several people and sickened many more. I'm sure you have all heard or read about these people in the news.

I would just like to say, as someone who has spent the last 20 years reading and studying a myriad of materials relating to human nature, the mind-body connection, spirituality, etc. - if someone tells you they know more than your "little voice" - run, don't walk, as fast as you can in the opposite direction. No one has the definitive answer to anything. You have just as much spiritual value as any one person, and your intuition is geared to keep you alive and healthy. It is nature's way of giving us a sixth sense about the world around us.

When I think of these people, and others like them, who think they know more than anyone else, the quote "absolute power corrupts absolutely" comes to mind. They may not have started out that way, but I think the ego takes over and these people actually begin to believe they are greater than the people around them. Sadly, it sometimes takes a tragedy to bring this fallacy to light. I can recall several cults over the last many years that proves this point. Anyone remember Jim Jones, and The People's Temple? I always wondered how such a tragedy could transpire, and I think it's because people give away their personal power to someone else.

We need to listen to our own intuition. We have it for a reason. It tells us it's time to leave the sweat lodge for some water and find a new way to spend $9,000.

Sustainable Gift Giving

One of the things that our family is doing, like so many, is being very careful with purchases. I have begun to not only think about the price of an object, I ask myself if it is needed, but also what is the impact of that object on the earth. In the case of shoes for toddlers, the answer is almost always yes - they are needed. So I thought I would share these cute shoes with you. They are made by Simple Shoes and I ordered these through Zappos. I try to use local vendors for most things, but being a grandmother in one state, with a grandson in another, it is not always possible. In this case the shoes will be delivered the next day, free shipping, and return if necessary. Our younger daughter has been wearing shoes by Simple for a few years now. Most of hers are made of the sustainable product, hemp, with recycled materials for the soles. I like the product specs on these little shoes:

• Constructed from washable, earth-friendly suede.
• The suede is from an eco-certified tannery.
• Certified organic-cotton fleece lining for comfort on your feet.
• Organic cotton comes from non-genetically modified seeds. It is also grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides.
• Recycled PET and natural latex elastic laces with pull toggle for a snug fit.
• Foot form inserts are made from post-consumer recycled paper.
• Non-marking, natural rubber outsole with toe bumper.
• Even the box that your fun shoes come in are created from post-consumer recycled paper, soy-based printing ink, natural latex, and a starch-based glue.

Post Of The Week

Thank you so much for the high honor of Post Of The Week for my last post titled "Childhood Lost." Many more wonderful offerings for runner-up are listed, and well worth a visit. Please visit Hilary at Smitten Image for a list of these great writers. Thanks Hilary, and for all the people who have left comments that reinforces my view that you are a great bunch of people, who really care about this terrible problem that we are facing all over the world.

Childhood Lost

Recession Drives Surge In Youth Runaways

It is a difficult time to be an adolescent. Not that it has ever been easy. Misunderstood, and often irritating, they can be difficult to be around. The main developmental goal is social, and that doesn't mean their family, who are often first in line for their angst. They can often be easy targets for familial scapegoating, as they make it easy with bad attitudes, laziness, and self preoccupation.

But underneath all that bravado is a child trying desperately to evolve, to become an adult, to be free from the dependence that has been all they've known. Some of these kids come from dysfunctional environments. Homes with anger, hate, substance abuse, and violence. And never more than now.

There is a group that is literally falling through the cracks. Children on the streets as young as twelve years old. Too young to get a job, or even rent a hotel room, they live in packs if they're lucky, sleeping in public bathrooms or foreclosed homes, living next to freeways, or river banks. As our economy struggles, no one struggles more than families on the edge. Armed with very little resources, they are the first to go under. We are seeing a surge in runaways unprecedented in this country. Families that are either throwing their children out on the streets because they can no longer afford them, or not calling the police to file missing persons reports when they run away. It is a serious problem, and growing.

It is estimated 1.6 million kids are kicked out of their homes or are runaways in any one year. Most return within a week, but many are not even entered into the database for missing and exploited children by law officials. Excuses abound. Outdated software, not enough man hours, etc., etc. But the bottom line? We will pay for these kids one way or the other. Either we will help them while they are young and on the streets, or we will pay for them when they enter the criminal justice system. But pay we will.

Am I writing about this because I want to give you one more thing to worry about? One more downer in a world full of them? No. I am bringing this to your attention because you are an intelligent, kind, resourceful group of people. You write blogs, work jobs, have an effect on your world, even if you don't think so. I just want you to remember these children, not to forget they are out there. Talk about them, bring them to the attention of your friends and family. Just please don't forget them. Realize that the 1.5 billion dollars allocated for fighting homelessness is targeted toward families, and not these children out there alone. Help out, or give a few dollars to your local teen outreach. Mentor. Give generously to your local food bank, because these kids are often first in line, knowing exactly when the shelves are restocked.

Just another sign of the times.

Laughter is the best medicine!

We took my brother and sister-in-law to see Craig Shoemaker at T's Comedy Club in Rancho Cordova, CA on Saturday night. It was our gift to my brother, who is turning 50 on November, 4th. What fun! We laughed for a solid 1.5 hours! If you have a chance to catch this funny, funny comedian, do so. You will not be sorry. His rendition of "The Love Master" will have you rolling. And what could be better during these rough times? Laughter is the best medicine!

Disclaimer: He's a bit racy!

Winter Reading

(A view of a sand trap on the golf course behind where we live, taken on a walk yesterday. Now that the golfers are finished for the season, it is a great place to take a walk.)

(The fall colors are beautiful right now - another view of the golf course.)

I have decided to do some research on my "dream" post from yesterday. This winter will be a perfect time to do some reading on alternative living styles. If anyone has a good book you think I should check out please let me know. I will start a list on my sidebar, and share the results of my research with you, or you can come along for the ride. It should be interesting, and it gives me a project for those cold wintry days. My husband can bake bread, we can have a pot of soup simmering, and I will see if this thing is even in the realm of possibility. What do you think?