Sunday, October 9, 2016

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Because this past week was my grandpa's birthday (October 6th), I've been thinking about him.  No, he's no longer with us, and hasn't been for a long time.  He was born way back in 1884 and died in 1963.

He was my maternal grandfather (the only one I ever knew), and I was close to both him and my grandma.

I wrote a post about Grandpa when I first started blogging and thought I'd share it again today.  Here it is.

Grandpa Stops By

First of all, let me state that I do not believe in the super-natural, the occult, apparitions or ghosts.  But I saw my grandpa as clear as day a year after he died.

My first real job in the working world was as what used to be known as a secretary.  I was employed by a large company that supplied natural gas to the whole northern half of the state of Illinois.  No computers then.  I even took dictation with a pencil and steno pad.

One day at work I had such bad menstrual cramps I thought I would have to go home but decided to try to lie down for a while to see if that helped.  The door to the women's rest room on the floor on which I worked opened into a short hallway.  Immediately to the left inside the hallway, and before the door to the rest room proper which was straight ahead , there was a door that opened into a small room which was set up as kind of a lounge area.  It contained a couch and a few comfortable chairs.  I went into that room to stretch out on the couch.  When I entered I turned off the lights but left the door open in case someone else came in wanting to use the area for a work break.

I had been lying on the couch on my stomach for about ten minutes when I heard the outer door open and footsteps come into the hall and stop in the doorway.  Fully expecting to see some other woman wanting to use the lounge area, I raised myself up intending to tell her to turn on the lights and come in.  But the person standing there wasn't another woman.  It was my great, big, old, dear grandpa.  In his bib overalls, long-sleeved undershirt and high-top tennies.  He WAS there.  I know he was there.  He didn't say a thing, he just stood there for perhaps ten seconds as we looked at each other . . . and then he was gone.  I sat up, pinched myself a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and tried to figure out what had just happened.  I wasn't frightened or upset because . . . well, it was just Grandpa. 

When I later told my mom of the experience, she reminded me that that was the way he always made an appearance when he was alive.  You would turn, and he would unexpectedly be there.  Several of his married children had nearly suffered coronaries on more than one occasion as they would walk into their kitchen and there would be Grandpa unloading some of his homegrown tomatoes onto the counter, or they'd go into the basement with a load of laundry and Grandpa would be stacking wood in a corner for their fireplace.

I might not believe in the super-natural, the occult, apparitions or ghosts, but I do believe in the spirit.  My grandpa had a quiet, strong, caring spirit, and I think that day at work he was just stopping by to check on me.  No other explanation for it.

14 comments:

gld said...

We must be of the same generation (I am on the older end of that!). I also was a secretary and took dictation using shorthand and a steno pad.

I also saw my Dad shortly after he died. The dream was not comforting to me: He was standing outside in the dark staring in to the lighted house...I had this dream more than once. I could see his expression very clearly and it was one I was very familiar with.

I won't say I enjoyed this post but I certainly understand and empathize with it.

Glad you have such wonderful memories of him.

Mama Pea said...

Glenda - Our subconscious does hold some memories we seem to have no control of. Some good, some bad.

I think we may be closer to the same age than you think. I turned 73 this past spring. And I don't know how in the world that happened! ;o}

Kev Alviti said...

Lovely story, never had anything lke that happen to me but I do get deja vu a lot.

Mama Pea said...

Kev - Oh, yes, aren't those feelings of deja vu strange? They can be so, so vivid. I'd love to know what it is in our brain that triggers them. Is it truly flashes of memory from a previous life? Or some crossed wires in our circuitry that simply fool us?

Laurie said...

That was a great story about your grandpa!

Leigh said...

That's an amazing story. I'm like you when it comes to those kinds of things, but you can't argue it when it happens.

Sue said...

What a fine story. It's nice to think that the spirits of those we love continue to watch over us. I'd give anything for a visit from my mom!

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, Laurie!

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - I'm sure you'd get a couple of differing answers to my grandpa's "appearance" from experts out there on such things!

Mama Pea said...

Sue - I don't think I'll ever get a real visit where I could ask questions about certain things that I never did when people I knew were alive . . . but, oh my, what a difference in our lives that could make!

Fiona said...

My paternal Grandfather was killed in a mine disaster when he was just 36. My mothers father lived in England and was estranged from my mother. However I was blessed with the most amazing father and when he died in 1989 It left an enormous hole in my life. I still get the feeling he is looking out for me though...at the oddest timesI will think of something he said or taught me. I think he would love this little farm in Kentucky and I know he would thoroughly enjoy Ralph. I loved this post!

Mama Pea said...

Fiona - What a shame you didn't grow up with a grandpa, but it seems your father more than made up for any other male figure in your life. You were blessed in that.

The grandfather I wrote about always wanted to live out in the country but Grandma didn't so they stayed in town. When my mom first saw this little homestead we were working on up here in Minnesota, she said Grandpa would have been in heaven if he could have experienced it with us.

Susan said...

This just gave me goose bumps! I didn't have grandpas growing up - my maternal grandpa (who I would have LOVED), died before my mother got married. My paternal died when I was about 1 and I have no memories. I do believe very strongly that the spirits of those who truly loved us will always be looking after us. Lovely story.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - Thanks, Susan. Sorry to hear you're another one who never got to have a grandfather in your life. My paternal grandfather died when my dad was two years old, but I was so fortunate to have my maternal grandfather around until I got married.