Thanksgiving Day Ghosts

by | Nov 19, 2014

 

Thanksgiving At Grammas House - house, thanksgiving, people, cooking

Grandma’s house was always a busy place for the holidays.

I remember seeing more than the relatives that were busy in the kitchen preparing our Thanksgiving Day dinner. I knew to keep still and quiet or I’d be rushed out of the kitchen and maybe out of the house. Sometimes that wasn’t so bad when the wind wasn’t blowing or it wasn’t raining. 

I did like going to the train depot to see people coming and going. It was much busier than Grandma’s kitchen.

With my dad in charge of us, he’d always find something for us to eat to keep us happy and the hunger pains away.

Sometimes we’d go to pick up a relative or just go for the activity of the place.

My dad’s brother, John, and his Uncle Al would sometimes join us. Uncle Al always had stories to tell. The problem with Uncle Al’s stories was that you never knew when the truth spun off into fantasy. Nevertheless, they were entertaining.

In those days, the stores were closed on Thanksgiving Day.

You had to be prepared. And you had to be prepared in case a relative didn’t bring what they promised. There was, however, a corner market that was run by an elderly couple who took pity on the forgetful Thanksgiving Day non-planners and were opened from 6 AM to noon. Of course, we paid them a visit.

Uncle John had Grandma’s list. We were getting ready to check out when I saw my Great-Grandma. I knew Grandma forgot something on the list she gave Uncle John. I told my dad we needed more yams, butter, coffee, brown sugar and some spices. My father didn’t hesitate to follow me as I followed Great-Grandma to collect some necessary items. Uncle John soon discovered that I had a second sense about such things. This saved us a second trip to the little market. He’d sometimes add a few items for good measure.

While we were waiting for the turkey to be done, Uncle Al told us a story about the year he decided to get the family turkey.

“Well, being the youngest, I had to come up with something special to outdo my older brothers,” Uncle Al began. “I listened very carefully to their Thanksgiving plans and those of my sisters. Not one of them mentioned the turkey. So I announced one day at breakfast that I’d provide the turkey for Thanksgiving Day.

“There were doubts that I could do such a thing, but no one stopped me from my grand gesture.

“I had worked out a deal months before with my friend Leo and this guy we met at the train station. He had turkeys coming in and needed them delivered to the various butcher shops in town.

“Leo’s father had a wagon we could use. We were excited and met the man after school at the depot. The only problem we had was that Leo’s father met us there and started haggling about the price we’d be paid. 

“I stood back. I told the guy I’d deliver the turkeys at the agreed upon price. Before I knew what was happening, one of the cages with the live turkeys inside opened. There were turkeys running all over the place. Then another cage opened and then a third. The man yelled, ‘Catch ’em!’

“I took off at a dead run after one, then one came behind me and I thought I’d be able to catch it. I was running all over the place. I finally caught one and held on for dear life. I got pecked a time or two, but I kept my grip. This was going to be our Thanksgiving dinner.

“I was walking down the dirt road for home. I was getting tired. That turkey was heavy.

“‘What do you have there, Al?'” my eldest brother Fred asked.

“‘Our Thanksgiving turkey,'” I answered proudly.

“My brothers helped me up in the old truck with the turkey. They tied up the turkey so I could rest my arms. 

“When we got home, my brothers made a pen for the turkey.

“Well, the closer we got to Thanksgiving, I got attached to that old turkey. First mistake, don’t name your food. Second mistake, don’t get attached to your food. Third mistake, have a plan as to how to make a turkey dinner. I’d never killed and plucked a turkey before. I was sure Mom or one of my brothers would volunteer.

“As it turned out, with all the turkeys that were let loose at the train depot, some were still running loose. Fred brought one home. He did the deed and we had turkey for Thanksgiving. But my sisters were eyeing Tom in the cage and thinking he would be just right for Christmas dinner.”

I saw Great-Grandma smiling at her youngest son. I got the impression this was the first time Uncle Al told a story as it actually happened, but I did wonder and had to ask, “Did you eat Tom for Christmas?”

Everyone laughed. 

I had to wait until Christmas for Uncle Al to continue his story.

 

©Sharon Harvey    11/2014
https://oldhauntedstuff.com

The Ghost That Follows Me Around

by | Aug 18, 2014

ghosts_edited-1

Some people seem to be plagued by a ghost that follows them around for years.

Why is this?

I usually think it could be a relative, but I’ve found it has more to do with the positive or negative energy one gives off that attracts spirits to them.

I feel very fortunate to have family spirits around me. I also have some who just like my energy and stop by from time to time to see what’s going on. They’ll play with the lights by turning them on and off, just to let me know they are there.  Sometimes a door will open and close. Nothing creepy or weird about it, at least not in my house.

Linda had the spirit of her best friend’s father visiting her regularly.

“My friend, Susan, and I were inseparable growing up. When her father died suddenly from a ruptured brain aneurysm he would visit in spirit form regularly at my house.”

Susan lived with her mother, but she didn’t have the same experiences at home as she did at Linda’s house.

Linda’s parents didn’t like the lights, television, computers, microwave, etc. turning on and off at odd hours of the day and night. They consults ghost hunters to assist them in solving their problem.

Yes, it was Susan’s father. They never did figure out why he would be at their house rather than their own.

Linda’s family moved several times, but Susan’s father followed them each time.

When Linda’s father got a promotion to move to another state, he thought this would sever the tie, his daughter had with Susan and her father, but it didn’t.

They consulted a psychic to find out what was going on with Linda’s connection to Susan’s father.

All the polite things were discussed between the psychic and Susan’s father. After that was exhausted and the psychic pressed him for an explanation, he admitted he was in love with Linda’s mother.

This didn’t set well with Linda’s parents. They were both kind to Susan and her father, but Linda’s mother never encouraged him in any way.

The psychic encouraged him to move on and leave Linda and her parents alone.

This worked out well for many years, until Linda went to college. There he was again, messing with electronic devices.

Linda lost touch with Susan after they moved out-of-state and found out her father’s love for Linda’s mother.

It seemed he continued to play out his fantasy of Linda, not Susan being his daughter. It may have been the confusion from his brain aneurysm.

Linda wanted to be kind to the confused ghost, but she also didn’t want to encourage him. She consulted a psychic to get him to move on. This worked for several years until she was expecting her first child.

Linda was afraid that Susan’s father’s spirit would go into her unborn child.

Linda’s husband thought she was crazy, but went along with his wife’s wishes. They had the house blessed and the unborn child blessed. Linda wanted to have a barrier between her family and that of Susan’s father’s spirit.

The birth of Linda’s son, was a spiritual experience.

Priests were present as was a psychic and family members. They were to be a barrier against Susan’s father’s spirit and Linda’s son.

Linda’s fears were proved accurate when the lights flickered in the delivery room. Doors rattled. The prayer group held fast to their task of keeping the unwanted spirit at bay. Many were pushed, hit and kicked, but they continued praying.

When they heard Linda’s son crying, they didn’t stop praying.

“My mother and father heard a loud pop, so did the psychic,” Linda said. “Then they saw a white light that almost blinded them. As they squinted, they saw the silhouette of a man walk into the light.”

Susan’s father finally gave up and went into the light.

Linda and her new family have had no paranormal experiences in their home. She is now the proud mother of three healthy sons.

It’s always nice to have a happy ending to a paranormal experience and it’s fortunate for Linda that it didn’t pass on to another generation.

©Sharon Harvey   8/2014

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