Friday, December 23, 2005
The cats and ghosts
Kobi and Georgina have not left my grandfather's side, except for the occasional visit to the litter box and to much. Kobi especially. He's taken up residence on my grandfather's feet, or under the coffee table. At night Kobi took to perching on the sofa top, watching my grandfather. A few times he would look towards the other living room chair and not take his eyes off it, all-the-while purring like made. I think my grandmother was probably there keeping vigil.
Some people believe in ghosts, some don't. I happen to. A few mornings, coming out of the bedroom and heading down the hall, I saw my grandmother, sitting on the edge of the couch, quietly watching my grandfather sleep. He asked me if I had seen her as well, so I know he was seeing her as well.
Georgina was a bit skittish, but she'd go sit under the coffee table and look up at where my grandmother was. Kobi, on the other hand, liked to follow her around apparently. We'd hear my grandmother's footsteps at night and Kobi's little paws would soon follow.
On December 23rd, a new nurse, filling in for Juanita and Sourpuss came by to check on things and bring a supply of lotions, pills and hard candy. Near the end of his visit (I can't remember his name - I think it was Manny) looked over towards the kitchen and said "Hmm. Who's the lady next to the fridge. Naturally this time we didn't see her, but Manny had some sort of gift going on, and described my grandmother exactly.
In talking with him, he said he'd been with hospice for about four years, and prior to that had been a complete non-believer in anything supernatural. Then, one night after one of his patients had died he was filling out the usual paperwork when he heard his name called. He didn't see anybody at the desk but when he looked down the hall he saw a man walk into the room of his recently deceased patient. Thinking it was a relative, he went down to the room, but the only person in it was the dead patient; he went back to the nurses station, but didn't say anything to the other nurses on duty.
About a half hour later he heard his name called again. This time he looked up, saw no one, but decided to look down the hallway. There at the end of the hallway was the recently deceased, dressed in a golfing outfit, just standing in front of his (former) room, and looking at Manny and smiling. The guy just sort of faded out from the feet first. From that point on Manny was a believer. When he told the other nurses and the volunteer what he had just seen, all they could say, "Yeah, you'll get used to it." Apparently, you hang around the dying enough and you get the hang of seeing them.
Anyway, back to Manny's home visit. Bamps was running a low grade fever, but didn't seem to have any other symptoms other than a poor appetite. Manny was totally amazed about my grandfather recovered vision. It was a first for him. Georgina, normally a little shy around strangers, had decided Manny was good people and spent most of the curled up in his lap. When I walked Manny out to his truck, he said "You know, he's going soon, don't you?" I think we all knew the answer to that.
Then Manny said that he usually doesn't mention things like this, but he had some psychic abilities (like we hadn't figured that out already!) and he said when he looked at my grandfather, he didn't see an elderly, very ill man. He saw a thirtyish, very handsome man with a bright, glowing aura around him and lots of orbs, which were other spirits. And then of course my grandmother was there. Over the course of his visit she changed from the elderly woman in the kitchen to her twenty-something look. He said they made a great couple and he'd never seen two people so connected between the two worlds. He also thought that at night, or whenever my grandfather was sleeping, he was already visiting "the other side". He was ready to go!
Manny made me feel a lot less depressed about all that had been going on lately, to put it mildly. That afternoon my grandfather made a very strange request. For Christmas dessert, he wanted orange sherbet, which was my grandmother's and my favorite. He never really cared for it. But, if he wanted orange sherbet, he'd get it. Who knows - maybe even the dead get food cravings!
It was also interesting at this time, that while his body was failing, his spirit was thriving. He said he was looking forward to death, because he missed my grandmother, and knew death wasn't the end anymore.
Well, what more can I say?
Some people believe in ghosts, some don't. I happen to. A few mornings, coming out of the bedroom and heading down the hall, I saw my grandmother, sitting on the edge of the couch, quietly watching my grandfather sleep. He asked me if I had seen her as well, so I know he was seeing her as well.
Georgina was a bit skittish, but she'd go sit under the coffee table and look up at where my grandmother was. Kobi, on the other hand, liked to follow her around apparently. We'd hear my grandmother's footsteps at night and Kobi's little paws would soon follow.
On December 23rd, a new nurse, filling in for Juanita and Sourpuss came by to check on things and bring a supply of lotions, pills and hard candy. Near the end of his visit (I can't remember his name - I think it was Manny) looked over towards the kitchen and said "Hmm. Who's the lady next to the fridge. Naturally this time we didn't see her, but Manny had some sort of gift going on, and described my grandmother exactly.
In talking with him, he said he'd been with hospice for about four years, and prior to that had been a complete non-believer in anything supernatural. Then, one night after one of his patients had died he was filling out the usual paperwork when he heard his name called. He didn't see anybody at the desk but when he looked down the hall he saw a man walk into the room of his recently deceased patient. Thinking it was a relative, he went down to the room, but the only person in it was the dead patient; he went back to the nurses station, but didn't say anything to the other nurses on duty.
About a half hour later he heard his name called again. This time he looked up, saw no one, but decided to look down the hallway. There at the end of the hallway was the recently deceased, dressed in a golfing outfit, just standing in front of his (former) room, and looking at Manny and smiling. The guy just sort of faded out from the feet first. From that point on Manny was a believer. When he told the other nurses and the volunteer what he had just seen, all they could say, "Yeah, you'll get used to it." Apparently, you hang around the dying enough and you get the hang of seeing them.
Anyway, back to Manny's home visit. Bamps was running a low grade fever, but didn't seem to have any other symptoms other than a poor appetite. Manny was totally amazed about my grandfather recovered vision. It was a first for him. Georgina, normally a little shy around strangers, had decided Manny was good people and spent most of the curled up in his lap. When I walked Manny out to his truck, he said "You know, he's going soon, don't you?" I think we all knew the answer to that.
Then Manny said that he usually doesn't mention things like this, but he had some psychic abilities (like we hadn't figured that out already!) and he said when he looked at my grandfather, he didn't see an elderly, very ill man. He saw a thirtyish, very handsome man with a bright, glowing aura around him and lots of orbs, which were other spirits. And then of course my grandmother was there. Over the course of his visit she changed from the elderly woman in the kitchen to her twenty-something look. He said they made a great couple and he'd never seen two people so connected between the two worlds. He also thought that at night, or whenever my grandfather was sleeping, he was already visiting "the other side". He was ready to go!
Manny made me feel a lot less depressed about all that had been going on lately, to put it mildly. That afternoon my grandfather made a very strange request. For Christmas dessert, he wanted orange sherbet, which was my grandmother's and my favorite. He never really cared for it. But, if he wanted orange sherbet, he'd get it. Who knows - maybe even the dead get food cravings!
It was also interesting at this time, that while his body was failing, his spirit was thriving. He said he was looking forward to death, because he missed my grandmother, and knew death wasn't the end anymore.
Well, what more can I say?
