Cover of my book "Be Still, My Love"
As I move closer to publishing my first book, which happens to be a ghost story, I am encountering some really odd happenings. I can’t help but wonder if it’s the spirit world all in a dither for my pending publication? More specifically, supportive family members, now presiding in spirit, letting me know that they are with me still and sharing in the excitement of this long-awaited dream!
A couple days ago, I was in the kitchen making myself a morning cup of coffee when one of the toy trains in the playroom suddenly came on. In order for this train to activate, the smokestack must be pushed down. Once this is done, it begins singing a silly “all aboard” song and starts chugalugging across the floor. I walked over to the toy room doorway and looked in to see if maybe one of my cats had inadvertently activated it. No cats. The train finished its “track” and then went still. I found it interesting but did nothing more than go take a sip of my coffee. And then it came on again. This time I went into the toy room, picked up the train and turned the switch to the “off” position. This position allows the kids to play with it without the singing and they can push it around without it trying to move on its own. I thought nothing more of the incident. Then later in the day, I was standing in the kitchen talking to my son when all of a sudden the train came on again. “No way!” I thought, “I KNOW I turned that thing off.” So I go in the toy room, pick up the train and look at the switch. It is in the “on” position. How? How was that possible when no one has been at the house all day except for me?
During that same day, while reading through my formatted manuscript to ensure all was done properly, the phone rang. The caller ID said it was my husband. I answered the phone and heard the car radio airing an advertisement. Since my husband did not answer my repeated greetings, I figured he’d dialed me by mistake. Then my husband finally comes on the line. “Hello?” When I answer him, he says, “I didn’t hear you call me.” I said, “You called me!” And he wonders how he could have done that for he didn’t recall touching the phone. So we laugh it off and hang up. Not a minute later, the phone rings again. I look at the caller ID. It says that it is my husband’s sister. Since I couldn’t even remember the last time she called us (and never on the house phone), I wondered if something were wrong and quickly answered the phone. “Hello?” All I get in response is what sounds like a television ad. Looking back on it, I’m wishing I’d paid better attention to those ads! But anyway, I stay on the phone until a voice comes on, “Hello?” Once again I received a call from a caller that was not intentional. What are the odds of that happening within the span of seconds and both calls having ads going on when I answer the phone? To me, these odd occurrences, the things that make you go “hmmm”, are messages from spirit. At the very least an attention getter, the equivalent to a spirit tap on the shoulder. Not one to ignore these special messages, I’ve been pondering on them and the conclusion I’ve come to is that my family in spirit are as excited for me during this time as I am for me!! Though they are not here in the physical world to share in my joy, they are still here with me and sharing my joy! And I find that quite comforting.
Last week I attended church. I don’t go often enough and I really should remedy that because I do so love the atmosphere there and the people. It’s a Spiritualist church and it is where I feel the most comfortable of all the churches I’ve attended. I’ve received some wonderful messages from loved ones during the part of the service where messages from “beyond” are passed on. My message on this day (not everyone gets a message so it’s quite special when you do get one!) was from three of my uncles. I knew right away who they must be. My dear uncle Paul who always supported me in my writing, who encouraged me to keep on with my dream “no matter what”, my uncle Lafayette who contacted us soon after his passing to let us know he was well and happy and my great-uncle Norman who always loved my writing (knowing this, I wrote to him as often as I could manage). They told me that a new phase of my life was about to begin (10-4 on that one!!) and they want me to make the best of it. They also wanted to remind me to watch how I presented myself, that I needed to put myself out there and let everyone see me for who I am but to be at my best while doing it!
You see, I’ve written a book which centers around a haunted resort. There’s a lot of stuff in that book about spirit contact and life after death. Now that I’m about to share a story concerning such matters, I best conduct myself properly. Who is going to take my writing seriously if I’m coming across as some weirdo freakazoid? I am not out to make enemies but there are people who are not going to like a story like mine. And really, that’s fine. There are lots of stories out there that I don’t like either but I certainly don’t begrudge their existence. We all must follow our life paths, after all.
Speaking of which, I have found that when we are indeed following our life path, we encounter more and more “hmmm” moments for they are a form of spirit messages telling us we are following the path we intended when entering into this particular life journey. I’ve also found that the universe (God) helps us along in the realization of our dreams and hopes, especially when we are in harmony with our life purpose!
So I take these strange little happenings and the messages from spirit as encouragement. I’m following the path in life I was meant to follow and the dream of being an author that came into being at the tender age of eight, is finally coming into fruition. How exciting. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Are you following your dreams? Do you get strange “hmmm” moments? Truly, I wish you all the best as you travel down your own life path.
Blessings to all and peace out.
Related articles
- What’s the Fascination With Ghosts? (deborahjhughes.com)
Strange that you just posted a new article about seeing or hearing messages from kin-spirits. I just posted an article about the same thing. About a photo taken of my mother’s deceased grandfather. Good luck with your book. I have published two ghost books and yes, some people get nervous reading about spirits.
Strange that you just posted a new article about seeing or hearing messages from kin-spirits. I just posted an article about the same thing. About a photo taken of my mother’s deceased grandfather. Good luck with your book. I have published two ghost books and yes, some people get nervous reading about spirits.
I had the same thing happen to me as I got closer to publishing ‘Growing Up Weird: Confessions of a Closet Medium’. The strangest was that my portable air conditioner came alive! It makes a dinging sound ( a different note for each function on the remote) every time a button on the remote is pressed. Someone (unseen) figured out how to use the remote to communicate. My cats who were sitting on my bed were staring at the remote across the room from the dinging unit. You would think that they would stare at the unit making the noise but they were very interested in the remote instead. When I would walk into the room, the unit would ding twice like it was saying “Hello”. Two dings were to mean yes. When I commented, “I see you have learned how to use the air conditioner remote”, it dinged twice. “That’s interesting.” Ding, ding, ding, ding…….on and on in different notes like a symphony! I never could figure out what it was saying of course. It was a bit like the scientists communicating with the aliens on Encounters of the Third Kind. I finally spoke to the air and said that I could not understand but that I would pray. That seemed to satisfy it. It woke me up one night dinging wildly until I got out of bed and prayed. It turned the unit on and off and drove my husband out of the room to go sleep on the couch for the night. The unit is now unplugged. If it dings now I will be really impressed. The whole story is in the book.
I had the same thing happen to me as I got closer to publishing ‘Growing Up Weird: Confessions of a Closet Medium’. The strangest was that my portable air conditioner came alive! It makes a dinging sound ( a different note for each function on the remote) every time a button on the remote is pressed. Someone (unseen) figured out how to use the remote to communicate. My cats who were sitting on my bed were staring at the remote across the room from the dinging unit. You would think that they would stare at the unit making the noise but they were very interested in the remote instead. When I would walk into the room, the unit would ding twice like it was saying “Hello”. Two dings were to mean yes. When I commented, “I see you have learned how to use the air conditioner remote”, it dinged twice. “That’s interesting.” Ding, ding, ding, ding…….on and on in different notes like a symphony! I never could figure out what it was saying of course. It was a bit like the scientists communicating with the aliens on Encounters of the Third Kind. I finally spoke to the air and said that I could not understand but that I would pray. That seemed to satisfy it. It woke me up one night dinging wildly until I got out of bed and prayed. It turned the unit on and off and drove my husband out of the room to go sleep on the couch for the night. The unit is now unplugged. If it dings now I will be really impressed. The whole story is in the book.
How bizarre, Karen! A cool story to be sure. I’ve always agreed with the adage that life is stranger than fiction! Too bad you haven’t figured out the air conditioner’s language! (smile), can you imagine the conversations?!! It’s nice to know that strange things happen to most of us. Too bad more people didn’t share their experiences. Some people don’t even notice them! That is sad indeed. Thanks for sharing that story.
It sits in the room we used to sleep in before the remodel was done a month ago. It is now a guest room. When it gets warm again (over 100 degrees 50 days in a row around here) we will have to plug it back in for any guests (my kids and their families). It should be interesting to see if it talks then. However, my son and his family came for Thanksgiving and stayed in that room. My daughter-in-law came out of the room after sleeping there one night and told me about a dream she had. It turned out to be a warning message from my mother who died in July. Maybe I should just leave it plugged in.
You should plug it in and then keep a running blog about all the bizarre experiences you have with it! That would be interesting! Where are you that it’s that hot so often? (just curious) Here in Maine, our heat waves, if we have one, are temps in the 90s (rare) and only last a few days at best. I did some time in Kuwait where the temps stayed over 110 every day. It was like having a hair dryer in your face every day! Do you have an active website?
We are in Central Texas and the heat this summer was intense! It killed trees that have been here for centuries. This spring I was so irritated at a small leak we had in the outside faucet, but it turned out that God knew what was coming and allowed the leak because it absolutely saved the huge oaks around our house.
How bizarre, Karen! A cool story to be sure. I’ve always agreed with the adage that life is stranger than fiction! Too bad you haven’t figured out the air conditioner’s language! (smile), can you imagine the conversations?!! It’s nice to know that strange things happen to most of us. Too bad more people didn’t share their experiences. Some people don’t even notice them! That is sad indeed. Thanks for sharing that story.
It sits in the room we used to sleep in before the remodel was done a month ago. It is now a guest room. When it gets warm again (over 100 degrees 50 days in a row around here) we will have to plug it back in for any guests (my kids and their families). It should be interesting to see if it talks then. However, my son and his family came for Thanksgiving and stayed in that room. My daughter-in-law came out of the room after sleeping there one night and told me about a dream she had. It turned out to be a warning message from my mother who died in July. Maybe I should just leave it plugged in.
You should plug it in and then keep a running blog about all the bizarre experiences you have with it! That would be interesting! Where are you that it’s that hot so often? (just curious) Here in Maine, our heat waves, if we have one, are temps in the 90s (rare) and only last a few days at best. I did some time in Kuwait where the temps stayed over 110 every day. It was like having a hair dryer in your face every day! Do you have an active website?
We are in Central Texas and the heat this summer was intense! It killed trees that have been here for centuries. This spring I was so irritated at a small leak we had in the outside faucet, but it turned out that God knew what was coming and allowed the leak because it absolutely saved the huge oaks around our house.
I had a camera that started taking pictures on its own, but would stop when I stepped in front of it. I don’t know what it was trying to do or say other than play with me. My smart phone woke me up when I realize something I was supposed to do. It was scrolling through pictures I had taken of a concert full of people clapping.
I know how I am supposed to present myself.
What did it take pictures of? Maybe there’s some significance to what was being photographed? How bizarre! I love it.
My husband’s iphone began buzzing last night several times even though it was nowhere near a computer( two rooms away). It sounded like our computer just before a phone call. It has never done that before. We live out in the country way back away from any roads so it was not a matter of something driving by us. Then I had the strangest dreams. Scary dreams. Like something is going to happen. I still haven’t figured it out yet.
Gee, Karen! I hope these dreams can be helpful to you somehow so you can avert the scaryness. You have no ideas (however vague) on what it could mean? Have you looked up the symbols in your dream? They might give you a better idea. Someone is trying to warn you of something! Good luck and blessings!
The dream is a total mystery to me. It started at a party in some building when the building started shaking and things were falling. We all went outside only to find abandoned vehicles and dead people. We wanted to drive this army truck but it did not have any gas. The problem was that there were these leach like creatures about two feet long attached to the pumps. I tried to remove it and it suddenly turned around to reveal its rows of teeth. It began to fight with me. About this time a loose horse came walking up and all the creatures started going towards it. I did not want to see this so I forced myself to wake up. Any ideas?
Dreams about houses usually are a depiction of our life…the house represents your life. If it’s shaking, I wonder if it means that your beliefs are a little shaky right now? Maybe concerning a particular matter? Since there was a party…which denotes celebration of something…so maybe your belief in whatever you have to celebrate in your life is a little shaky? You then run outside and see abandoned vehicles and dead people. Well, cars represent your life path (journey). So, do you see things right now as not going anywhere? Maybe some of the people in your life are holding you back or preventing you from moving on in some way (since they are dead in your dream…this just could mean they are a “dead” weight). You then mention wanting to drive an Army truck…you are looking for fortification…something you feel safe enough to travel with (move on in your life). But it’s out of gas…you don’t know how to get passed whatever is holding you back. The leeches sucking the gas pumps are representative of people sucking the energy from you. At least that’s what it seems to me. It bared it’s teeth when you tried to remove it because that is how people who leech on others react…they attack, they hold on, they make you feel afraid in some way…they make you feel guilty if you don’t cater to their needs or they attack you and make life hell until you give them what they want. As for the horse…not sure what that symbology is. I’d have to look it up. A rescuer? One you aren’t quite ready to believe in yet? I don’t know. What are your thoughts now that I’ve thrown these ideas out at you?
Very interesting! The building was not my house. It was a tall building like in New York. The party was a gathering I had been called to by my ex students who are now famous (though I don’t know of any except a young singer in Nashville). One of them was Gene Wilder whom I have never taught, of course.
There are some things that I do not see as going anywhere right now. My book sales are steady but low and I am looking everywhere for ideas to do more publicity. There are those companies that do that but I am a retired teacher, not a retired CEO and therefore I cannot afford them. I admit that it has been frustrating in the fact that every thing I am starting requires starting something else that I have never done before. I am loving that I am learning enormous amounts of skills but I admit that I do not know what I am doing. Also, it seems that there are not enough hours to accomplish all that I want to do. I would much rather just write, not do marketing.
The people dragging me down may be about the holidays, basically. I am the one who has to host everything and we have a huge family. They come and stay for 3 or 4 days. I am very happy to see everyone but I exhaust myself getting everything ready. We had 27 for Thanksgiving! As soon as that was over, I began to prepare for Christmas which is much more time intense because of all the decorating and baking. I usually see all of this as fun, but this year I am a little irritated that it takes so much time away from what I am trying to do.
I do it to myself, I suppose. I have even put a new deadline on my calendar and it will be a difficult one to accomplish. I am going to write a YA novel and have it ready for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. I am excited to do it because I love the plot, but it is going to require that people leave me alone. That will happen immediately after Christmas so I have about a month to write a novel of at least 50,000 words. Maybe that is the horse….if it does well, it can carry me to more success. I’ll probably have all kinds of nightmares now.
Anyway, what you have said has helped me to sort all of this out and it makes complete sense. Thanks Deborah!
I had a camera that started taking pictures on its own, but would stop when I stepped in front of it. I don’t know what it was trying to do or say other than play with me. My smart phone woke me up when I realize something I was supposed to do. It was scrolling through pictures I had taken of a concert full of people clapping.
I know how I am supposed to present myself.
What did it take pictures of? Maybe there’s some significance to what was being photographed? How bizarre! I love it.
My husband’s iphone began buzzing last night several times even though it was nowhere near a computer( two rooms away). It sounded like our computer just before a phone call. It has never done that before. We live out in the country way back away from any roads so it was not a matter of something driving by us. Then I had the strangest dreams. Scary dreams. Like something is going to happen. I still haven’t figured it out yet.
Gee, Karen! I hope these dreams can be helpful to you somehow so you can avert the scaryness. You have no ideas (however vague) on what it could mean? Have you looked up the symbols in your dream? They might give you a better idea. Someone is trying to warn you of something! Good luck and blessings!
The dream is a total mystery to me. It started at a party in some building when the building started shaking and things were falling. We all went outside only to find abandoned vehicles and dead people. We wanted to drive this army truck but it did not have any gas. The problem was that there were these leach like creatures about two feet long attached to the pumps. I tried to remove it and it suddenly turned around to reveal its rows of teeth. It began to fight with me. About this time a loose horse came walking up and all the creatures started going towards it. I did not want to see this so I forced myself to wake up. Any ideas?
Dreams about houses usually are a depiction of our life…the house represents your life. If it’s shaking, I wonder if it means that your beliefs are a little shaky right now? Maybe concerning a particular matter? Since there was a party…which denotes celebration of something…so maybe your belief in whatever you have to celebrate in your life is a little shaky? You then run outside and see abandoned vehicles and dead people. Well, cars represent your life path (journey). So, do you see things right now as not going anywhere? Maybe some of the people in your life are holding you back or preventing you from moving on in some way (since they are dead in your dream…this just could mean they are a “dead” weight). You then mention wanting to drive an Army truck…you are looking for fortification…something you feel safe enough to travel with (move on in your life). But it’s out of gas…you don’t know how to get passed whatever is holding you back. The leeches sucking the gas pumps are representative of people sucking the energy from you. At least that’s what it seems to me. It bared it’s teeth when you tried to remove it because that is how people who leech on others react…they attack, they hold on, they make you feel afraid in some way…they make you feel guilty if you don’t cater to their needs or they attack you and make life hell until you give them what they want. As for the horse…not sure what that symbology is. I’d have to look it up. A rescuer? One you aren’t quite ready to believe in yet? I don’t know. What are your thoughts now that I’ve thrown these ideas out at you?
Very interesting! The building was not my house. It was a tall building like in New York. The party was a gathering I had been called to by my ex students who are now famous (though I don’t know of any except a young singer in Nashville). One of them was Gene Wilder whom I have never taught, of course.
There are some things that I do not see as going anywhere right now. My book sales are steady but low and I am looking everywhere for ideas to do more publicity. There are those companies that do that but I am a retired teacher, not a retired CEO and therefore I cannot afford them. I admit that it has been frustrating in the fact that every thing I am starting requires starting something else that I have never done before. I am loving that I am learning enormous amounts of skills but I admit that I do not know what I am doing. Also, it seems that there are not enough hours to accomplish all that I want to do. I would much rather just write, not do marketing.
The people dragging me down may be about the holidays, basically. I am the one who has to host everything and we have a huge family. They come and stay for 3 or 4 days. I am very happy to see everyone but I exhaust myself getting everything ready. We had 27 for Thanksgiving! As soon as that was over, I began to prepare for Christmas which is much more time intense because of all the decorating and baking. I usually see all of this as fun, but this year I am a little irritated that it takes so much time away from what I am trying to do.
I do it to myself, I suppose. I have even put a new deadline on my calendar and it will be a difficult one to accomplish. I am going to write a YA novel and have it ready for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. I am excited to do it because I love the plot, but it is going to require that people leave me alone. That will happen immediately after Christmas so I have about a month to write a novel of at least 50,000 words. Maybe that is the horse….if it does well, it can carry me to more success. I’ll probably have all kinds of nightmares now.
Anyway, what you have said has helped me to sort all of this out and it makes complete sense. Thanks Deborah!
Congratulations on the book by the way! Very cool news!!!
Congratulations on the book by the way! Very cool news!!!
Hello, I love your blog!! I am happy that I was able to read it. I have a hard time finding blogs like this on this site for some reason, I guess I’m not accustomed to it yet. I have been looking into going to a Spiritual Church, but I am having a hard time finding one that is close to me. I would love to hear more of your experiences. I will be picking up your book!
~Hugs,Tara
So glad you found my blog! Spriritualist Churches are hard to find. There is a database on their official web site that lists where all the churches are located. That’s how I found the one I go to. I really enjoy the church. There are no judgments passed on anyone or other religions. It’s a very accepting environment! not to mention its great when loved ones who have passed on come through to let you know they are still around! I’ve written about a lot of my experiences in other posts on my blog and will continue to do so! I also love hearing other people’s experiences. If you do end up reading my book, I’ll be curious to know what you thought of it! Blessings to you and good luck finding a church!
Hello, I love your blog!! I am happy that I was able to read it. I have a hard time finding blogs like this on this site for some reason, I guess I’m not accustomed to it yet. I have been looking into going to a Spiritual Church, but I am having a hard time finding one that is close to me. I would love to hear more of your experiences. I will be picking up your book!
~Hugs,Tara
So glad you found my blog! Spriritualist Churches are hard to find. There is a database on their official web site that lists where all the churches are located. That’s how I found the one I go to. I really enjoy the church. There are no judgments passed on anyone or other religions. It’s a very accepting environment! not to mention its great when loved ones who have passed on come through to let you know they are still around! I’ve written about a lot of my experiences in other posts on my blog and will continue to do so! I also love hearing other people’s experiences. If you do end up reading my book, I’ll be curious to know what you thought of it! Blessings to you and good luck finding a church!