Today’s Spooky October entry was written by Mary Shipman. Mary has a great blog called Oldentimes Blog. Check it out when you have time I know you’ll be glad you did.
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Once She Lived There…Lives There Still written by Mary Shipman
I do not ‘believe in ghosts’, but on a couple of occasions in my life I have had unusual things happen. What about you?
Twenty some years ago, we moved into an old farmhouse. We loved that farm, 70 some acres of fields and orchard, long left fallow.
We hadn’t been there long however when the children in the household mentioned something a bit odd going on in their room. They were being wakened on cool nights, by unseen hands moving their covers, tucking them in.
A few days later, no children in the house, we could her rhythmic rocking from the room. Investigation showed nothing, but the sound remained.
Another few days passed and one morning a ten year old came into the kitchen, asking “Who is in the bedroom?” No one was! This was the first sighting of ‘the lady who lived there’. More were to come!
I have seen her, in a straight backed rocker, her long dress flowing over her legs, a bonnet over her hair. Sometimes stroking a cat, sometimes shelling beans and sometimes knitting. Once brushing her long hair without the bonnet.
She never noticed us during the day, focused on what she was doing and looking out the window on the road.
Never visible in any other room, Only the front bed room. I asked around the community, but no one had any answers about who she might have been.
Two years later, we moved on, leaving the lady. I often wonder if she is there still, shelling beans and tucking up children late on chilly nights.
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Hope you enjoyed Mary’s spooky tale as much as I did!
Tipper
i,m not afraid of ghosts , i do believe that when we are worried and in despair we can feel the holy spirit who comforts us , whether it be a touch, a whisper or some other way
If you’re gonna have a ghost, this would be the best one to have. She seems to look after the place and the people who live there.
I would have had a hard time moving away from there (and her). Guess I would feel like I was abandoning her.
Great story Ms. Shipman!
I once saw a young woman in a homespun skirt, barefoot and holding a hoe, appear in our living room. Our house is built where there was once a tobacco field…
Tipper,
and Mary…for the life of me I can’t figure how in the world you cannot believe yourself that you actually saw her rocking with your own eyes!..I am afraid that I would have picked up the nearest bat, approached her and asked what the heck she was doing in my house…
Now then, this story is of a spiritual encounter of which I have only had two…
I had a child that had just come out of intensive care and moved to critical care…The doctor told my husband if I didn’t go home and rest at least for an hour or so, he would have to medicate me and put me in the hospital! As I hit the door all alone and by myself, my knees hit the floor in front of my sofa. I was praying like there would never be another tomorrow..as my child wasn’t diagnosed just the symptoms relieved…As I sat there praying with my hands folded and tears flowing for an answer to this mysterious illness…I felt a strong hand grasp my right shoulder..I was startled and turned around but no one was there, I was sure someone had followed me into the house. Just as quickly as I felt the hand lift, a peace and calmness came over me as I scrambled to my feet!…Of course there was only one explantation…the Holy Spirit..
I didn’t tell anyone except my husband after I got back to the hospital…The next morning a diagnosis was confirmed and a path of treatment was started…
Thanks Tipper and Mary
I’m not sure what ghosts are or if they really exist. Spirits, on the other hand, I do believe. They are a shadow, so to speak, that got misplaced during a transition from one form to another.
Thanks, Mary, for the story,and I bet she lives there still.
That house pic is spooky. I believe that people spirits stay where they are the most comfortable for many different reasons.
Tipper,
I got to say that was one of the most convincing ghost stories I’ve
heard. Thanks Mary. I don’t believe in ghosts either, but some
things just can’t be explained.
And thank you Tipper for letting
Mary tell her spooky October story…Ken
Both of my girls saw “the lady” at my house repeatedly when they were young and to this day pretty shiny things disappear and reappear at random. She also swings in the porch swing quite often.
Molly identified her in a picture at the across the street neighbors house (Mr. Tal grew up in our house and the lady is his mother – Miss Myrt – who died in the hall)
Correction: Just talked to sister who said the hand did not “rub” her knee, it just held her shin…and she know it wasn’t her hand because of the angle from which the hand came from!
Thanks for a great story Mary! I do believe in ghosts, but this is the sort one wouldn’t mind having around.
A sad spooky story…the ghost sounds nice and maybe lonely. Not sure how I feel about ghosts, but the part about the covers being tucked in around the children at night reminds me of something that happened to my sister when we lived in England (late 60’s early 70’s– about ages 8 and 10): On more than one occasion she woke up in the night and felt a hand (not her own) rubbing her knee… if it was a ghost, ours was a creepy ghost! It never happened to me, and I was the older one, but I always believed her. And sometimes the house would smell like bacon was cooking even when it wasn’t — our parents even noticed this. Apparently an older man lived there previously, don’t remember if he died there or not, but that was what we attributed those experiences to.
It’s beyond my understanding. i don’t believe in ghosts but do know the Bible talks about spirits. Enjoyed the story.
I have heard folks say you can’t be a Christian and believe in ghosts. Well, I do not know what somethings are, but sometimes there are things that there just is no explanation for. I know alot of such stories and have experienced some. So all I know is, I do not NOT believe. (does that make sense? haha!) There are more things in Heaven and earth than we will ever know.
Oh, I loved this story! Makes you wonder if she’s still there.
me to on the dont beleive in ghosts, but then I have heard many stories like this one, so who knows?
Mary,
I got a shiver up my back!
Thank you Tipper for the nice shout out.
I love the picture you included!