March 5, 2010

Encounters With My Grandfather

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Sheri - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - Spring 1992

All my life I have encountered many paranormal and unexplained experiences since I was three-years-old. I am a true sensitive but still at times skeptical even after many experiences. These two experiences I will share is dear to my heart and inspirational. This is about my late grandfather who passed away when I was eight. He was a tall, strong, quiet and powerful man. He would walk in a room and his presence would fill it. He never gave me much attention unless I was bad, so I would be bad to get his attention! He would chastise me by saying my name in a certain way... quick and gruff.

I remember just before he died it was Christmas. I was dancing and putting on a show for my family. Everyone watching but him, my heart sank. There he was in the corner of the living room smoking his unfiltered cigarettes reading the paper like he always did. Paper high covering his face. All of the sudden a corner of that paper turned down and I caught his eye. He was very intent and seemed to be really into what I was doing. I was elated and thought... "He's really watching me... and sees something special in me." I was always enraptured by him and fascinated. This one moment in time... him watching me... made me feel good for years to come. The night he died I had no idea it was coming. I remember I was sleeping in my parents' room and was awakened by loud voices from my parents who were downstairs. Then I heard my name being called... my dad came into the room... I thought it was him calling my name. My dad asked if I was okay, I said yes. He said something has happened and that we are going on a trip, to hang tight. My dad left the room and I heard my name being called out twice more... see, I knew it wasn't my dad for I saw him going down the stairs looking straight ahead and his mouth was not moving. I kept hearing the voice again, louder... I recognized it for no one says my name like that, quick and gruff. I called out to him..."Grandpa?" He called out to me again. "Grandpa where are you? I can't see you?" I asked getting up and looking under the bed. He kept calling out to me and I kept looking. Then he stopped, I remember thinking it was strange that I could hear him but not see him.

When they told me grandpa died, I didn't believe it and I told my parents that he was in their bedroom with me the night before but I couldn't see him only hear him. Their faces went white.

Many years later in my early twenties I had another encounter with my grandfather. This particular experience baffles me to this day. It was the early nineties and I was in my first apartment. I was barely making ends meet. I was working at a restaurant at the time. One night at the end of my shift counting my tips I realized I short changed myself $70. That was a lot of money for me at that time and I cried, oh how I cried. It was the recession and we didn't have many busy nights or days and I was behind in my bills. I went home and called my dad. At the time we hadn't been in touch for a few years. Our relationship was strained. I asked for help, he said he didn't have any money, I said even $25 would help...even $5, I was so desperate. At the end of the call I cried again, thinking he wouldn't come through and what am I going to do? I put it out of my mind and went to bed. I finally went to sleep and I will never forget this dream I had. I was at work in my dream, it was the lunch rush. I was rushing around getting drinks when my boss called me over. He said there was a man here to see me and not to take too long for we are busy. All of sudden I felt a big hand on my shoulder from behind. I turned around and saw my grandfather in the true physical sense that I knew him when he was alive. I have had many dreams of my grandfather but never in the physical sense I knew. He was always an eagle or an Indian chief with no face with a big beautiful chief's headdress (grandpa was of Cree Metis descent), or as a big booming voice telling me he is always watching over me that I am safe. Years later I found out that grandpa would always put his hand on your shoulder, his way of letting you know everything would be okay. Facing my grandpa he then spoke. He said, "Why are you worried?" He reached out his arm and handed me an envelope. He then said (I have tears running down my face writing this), "You're dad pulled through...look." I took the envelope and looked at it. It had pastel colored balloons on it and there was my name and address. I turned it over and saw at the top left my dad's name and address. I opened the envelope and there inside was a small rectangular piece of paper wrapped in a restaurant paper napkin. It was wrapped around the middle of the piece of paper. I removed the napkin and saw a money order made out to me. My eyes fixated to the middle and saw printed in red $200.

Wow! The relief I felt I can't put into words... I put a hand to my mouth and gasped then woke up. Needless to say I was very disappointed to the point of depression to realize it was all a dream. Life went on... I worked, made no money, and continued to avoid my mailbox not wanting to face the bills. Then one day I told myself it was time to face the music. I went to the dreaded mailbox. I opened it up, it was full of course. Going through the mail one envelope caught my eye. I pulled it up free from the other envelopes and lost my breath. I sat right there on the stairs and stared at the pastel colored balloons just above my name and address in disbelief. With shaky hands and hasty anticipation I turned it over to see my dad's name and address. With sweaty shaky hands I opened the envelope. Inside a small piece of paper with a paper restaurant napkin wrapped around the middle. I removed the napkin and saw a money order made out to me in red $200. I called my dad and thanked him. I shared my dream that I had with him. This experience brought us closer together. It baffles me that I saw all this in a dream. How could I dream in such detail what was on its way to me without any knowledge of it whatsoever? But now I don't let myself be bothered by that so much and see it as a miracle. It made me feel that I was watched over and everything will always be ok. Thanks grandpa, I love you. I still have the envelope as a reminder.