Quite a few years ago I remember attending the visitation of an older friend - and I'd gone along with one of their best friends.. I remember the lady I was with saying, kinda matter of factly "the last of my very best friends."
Age, time can be a bastard.
Our local high school has an "All School Reunion" (for "the old HS") on The Square of our downtown, once every three years. Our old high school became a Junior High in 1975 (or thereabouts) - so, to have graduated from "The Old High School" you would have had to have been Class of '74 or prior. It's kinda cool how they do it - each of our individual classes has a cardboard Bluejay (our mascot) with the graduating year in big #'s on it and that's where your class gathers. You go from the most recent graduating class (1974, with oodles of attendees) - all around the Square - and as the years go on, the numbers in attendance get smaller and smaller... Finally, in the last corner of the Square, in a very small space there are all the Bluejay cutouts from the 30's and 40's.
Attrition happens. Sucks.
We all have been touched by loss. If you are anywheres close to me in age (69), it's for certain we're noticing more and more and more "Oh damn, really?" as we lose yet another friend, loved one.
I saw an article that listed "7 key signs that a deceased loved one is with you." It's for certain there is much discourse on belief (or not) here - just as our land has discourse on politics, race, LGBT, religion, much.
That said - the seven this article suggested are:
Scents, fragrances and aromas. Not sure your take, but this one hits home with me. This could be something like a cigarette (or a pipe, my father was a pipe smoker), a fresh loaf of bread, fried chicken, coffee, a baked apple pie within sensory distance - and many other aromas associated with a loved one. I think we generally keep these feelings, recollections within, but man is it a feel good.
Dreams of conversations with the deceased. Again, this is probably a "nuh uh, never happens" or an "oh yeah, often." There are times I find myself awakening wanting ever so badly to fall back asleep to visit more and more and more.
Butterflies. Or course, many will scoff - while others will nod in agreement that maybe the spirit of a loved one is taking on this temporary physical form.
Electrical interference. I'll admit I've never thought of this - but understand many will attest to a flickering lamp or a light bulb going out as a spirit tapping into this energy.
Pet reactions. It is written pets will often 'perk alert' when a spirit is present, or whine for no reason. Many report having these furry companions sensing the presence of a loved one.
Objects out of place. Keys appearing where a deceased loved one used to place them. A coin in our shoe - or on your laptop. Inexplicable and unreasonable, but maybe?
Music as a messenger of hope. Hearing their favorite song while you're at a restaurant - or, at the grocery store and someone starts humming that song.. in traffic - it comes on on the radio. I dated a widow - and quite often, tears would fall from her face when similar happens. It was a 'hurt good' feeling for her - and while I felt for her, I remained silent for her to have that feeling and was happy for her she did. Of course it's said, if we didn't/don't hurt, then there was never any feel. BLESS FEEL. I believe in this.
To me, it feels so damn good to have a welcome jolt of a reminder of one now gone. We cannot keep them alive in the flesh - but we dadgum sure can keep them alive in the heart and in the mind.
This morning I had a feel good. Crazy? Probably. A lady I was quite smitten with - gone now, but we had dated for some time. She always had wanted to play pickle ball. So, I Amazon Primed a couple racquets and a ball - twas our first date - and we played. As I was enroute this morning from the laptop to the coffee pot - I was forced to go by an entire wall of 'stuff' that I really need to downsize, clear out, toss - much. As I walked by, I saw the racquets amongst. Crazy maybe, but I grabbed one, held it for a short.
The day will come I will go to that wall where much of nothing is stored and thin it out. I'll be damned if i will toss anything that gives me a feel good reminder of a loved one from yesterday.
Love, Victurd
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