This month always reminds me of unusual things that happen to people but are not often shared.
I’ve had a couple in my life and October seems like a good month for them to be told.
From the time I can remember, living in my grandmother’s house meant that we all knew our long-deceased grandfather still wandered around and not to be worried about it.
All the grandkids heard footsteps come up the stairs at night and go into the bedroom where my grandfather passed away.
The sound was very clear and everyone heard it but only a few of us thought it was more interesting than scary.
We would often find his old rocking chair gently moving back and forth in the parlour, too, where he used to spend hours reading.
It was just a part of life then but, now, when I think about it, I guess it was a bit unusual.
Once, I had a dream about an old friend who, in the dream, was sleeping in our dining room and sat up to say “Hi” as I walked by (in the dream).
I hadn’t heard from or about this fellow in over 15 years but the morning after that dream, out of the blue, he called to tell me he had returned to live in town again. Things that make you go “hmmmmm.....”!
When I rolled my car on black ice some years ago, I came to an upright position, dazed, but sure that my mother and aunt (long since gone) were comforting me by gently stroking my cheeks.
The roof had been ripped off the car and big snowflakes were falling on me but I could distinctly feel the warm caresses of their fingers, not the coolness of the snowflakes, and I was sure they had come to help me stay calm. It worked!
I’ve had many occasions where some sort of sixth sense has prevented me from doing something — a strong feeling that almost physically stops me. I went for a drive, once, with a fellow I had just met. He drove directly to the top of a mountain “to see the view,” he said.
As we sat on a large pile of forested trees, I remembered I had forgotten my camera in the car and he just leaped up to get it for me.
Something made me quickly decline the offer and hurry to the car myself.
I felt strongly that I wanted to leave immediately but it took some fast talking to get him to go. I am pretty sure it was a good instinct because, when we got down the mountain and he opened the trunk of his car, I saw a large pile of assorted guns and knives. He said he was a collector — indeed!
Halloween is always a good time to experience unusual things — enjoy!
Colleen Crossley is a freelance columnist with the Tribune/Advisor.