Encounters with Ghosts
The Art of Living and the Art of Dying
To prepare ourselves for death, many people believe we will travel through of tunnel of white light and be greeted “on the other side” by those dearest to us who have already made the journey. But suppose some of those ghosts or disembodied souls pay you a visit prior to death, just to let you know what to expect. Many stories tell of the Angel of Death coming to escort frm the land of the living, but maybe it’s your best friend from high school.
BOOK REVIEW
Alexandra Grabbe has written a memoir about being the care-giver for her ninety-six-year-old mother during the last seven months of her mother’s life. The name of the book is Seeing Joy ; subtitled A Story of Life, Death, and What Comes Next.
Grabbe explains in her introduction, the title was chosen in response to the visits from the spirits of deceased family and friends who gathered in her mother Bea’s bedroom. “This memoir is the story of Bea, her “visitors,” and the lessons they taught me,” Grabbe writes, “death is not something to fear. In the end, we may even see joy.”
Is the deceased person who visits you at the foot of your bed an extension of your imagination or are they a real ghost? Grabbe wonders whether her mother is hallucinating. She initially doesn’t know what to think of her mother’s reports of visitations. But eventually she grows to accept the validity of what her mother hears and sees.
Interspersed with accounts of the challenges of dealing with a bed-ridden parent in their nineties are excerpts from Bea’s unpublished novel. The author finds the semi-autobiographical manuscript when sorting through her mother’s belongings. iI found Bea’s novel to be captivating and wanted to read it in its entirety, rather than in bits and pieces. However, I’m not certain if it was completely finished and ready for publication; but it added a nice respite from the accounts of elder care-giving.
Anyone who is contemplating becoming a care-giver will appreciate the honesty with which this book is penned and I would recommend this book to them. Grabbe’s mother warns her that old age is not for sissies. Neither is care-giving. It’s comforting to know that through the network of hospice care, it is possible to find supportive healthcare options that enable dying patients to stay in their own homes.
How many of us reading this have had interactions with ghosts? I cannot resist the opportunity to use this thought as a jump off point for a WRITING PROMPT.
If you remember your dreams, as I do, you may recall talking to friends and relatives who appear alive in your dream state, but have been dead for years. Or maybe you’ve seen a spirit late at night walking through your house, or heard a noise or watched objects move without anyone or anything visibly touching them.
Write about a ghost. Your poem or prose can be fact or fiction.
Throughout history, humanity has been fascinated by the dead. Is this particular ghost a restless spirit seeking justice or an old friend wishing to offer advice? Instead of setting your story in a haunted house or graveyard, maybe you see a ghost in the supermarket. Try a little humor. Have fun and try different situations.
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