Advice to the Living from the Dead

                                                                           

My father, when he was alive, would often criticize me for always being in a rush. I worked four days a week and helped out with my grandkids, so I was always running here and there, trying to complete everything before the start of a new work week.

                                                                     

“Slow down, or you’ll make yourself sick.” He would often say as I zoomed in for a quick visit and back out of his house trying to get everything done in one day.

                                                                 

“Dad, I have to hurry or I won’t get done,” I would reply.

“Don’t rush to your grave any faster than you need to,” he would counter.

                                                                

My father was in no hurry to rush to his grave and there were many times when he was in the hospital, that my siblings and I would get a call from the doctors to come in immediately because my father was near death. I remember one particular day when I received such a call and I literally ran from the Academy of Natural Sciences on 19^th and the Parkway all the way to Jefferson Hospital on 11^th and Chestnut to see him one last time.

                                                                        

I arrived at his room expecting the worse only to find him sitting up in bed enjoying his meal. “Dad, why are you eating?”

                                                                    

He looked at me like I had two heads and replied, “I’m hungry, why?”

“The doctor called us and said that you were dying.”

                                                                   

“Not today, I’ll go when I’m good and ready,” he replied and then went back to eating his lunch.

After that incident, whenever the doctors would call us to say that my father was doing poorly and might die, I would always reply, “He’ll go when he’s good and ready and not before.” He lived to be 92.

So this past week, I almost lost my daughter and her husband to a serious accident with an all-terrain vehicle.

                                                    
                  And I lost a wonderful cousin who died way before her time.

                                                                                                       
                                             My wonderful cousin, Marie. Seen on far left.

               

My father’s words came back to me tonight after I visited her family. “Take it easy, enjoy your life and don’t rush around so much. The faster you rush, the faster you reach your grave.”

                                                                       

So for all my friends and family, I wish you a long, healthy, joyful life that is spent enjoying the little, silly, funny, fleeting, moments that make this journey worth the ride. Take the slow lane.     

                                                                                                                                    

Update on the Weekend from Hell

Last Monday I posted about my weekend of ghost hunting at Gettysburg and also about my daughter and her husband’s accident while riding an all-terrain vehicle.

        

                                                                                                    

                                I swiftly changed out of my ghost hunting mode

                                                              

                      and into my super granny for hire mode.

                                                             

While the parents were in the hospital, I moved in with the three boys whose ages are 17, 15 and 9. I’ve written about the boys before and you probably know them better as the Desperados.

                                                                        

The first thing I did was feed them and calm them down, especially the younger two who had witnessed the accident.

                                                    
 Then I laid down the rules, simple rules, like pick up their clothes from the floor and put their dirty dishes in the sink and to stop teasing each other, etc. etc.

                                                                     

I kept the two younger ones home from school on Monday which meant that I had to call the schools and explain what happened and then to make arrangements to pick up homework.

                                                                  

I knew my daughter was a busy bee with all the after school activities with the boys,

                                              
             but after walking in her shoes this past week, I’m ready for a vacation.

                                                                            

Tuesday, I had to take the two younger boys for braces, which meant I was at the dentist for over an hour or more and after that I had to run each boy back to school.

                                                             
That night I had to take the two boys to Aikido. The older boy had just started training for his new after school job, so I had to wait up for his return.

                                                                      

Late Tuesday night, my husband brought home the injured. Re had a broken collar bone and deep cuts, dark bruises and scratches all over her body. Jim has over 200 staples in his leg. They reminded me of another famous couple.

                                                                             

I had to take my daughter’s place as chaperone on Wednesday for a school trip to see the Historic section of Philly. It’s been years since I was on a school bus.

                                                                    

We had fun, but I was totally wiped out and we had another after school activity to go to that night.

                                                                      

Re and Jim are slowly healing, but he still needs to see the trauma orthopedic docs at Cooper. The most important part is that they are home and alive.

My daughter was impressed with the way the boys were helping me around the house. “How do you get them to listen and help without complaining?” she asked.

                                                                    

Nathan answered before I could reply. “She said she would turn into the Hulk, if we were bad.”

                                                                       

Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend. Have fun, but keep safe.

                                                                 
                                                             

Part Seventeen of Lilith's Escape

                                                        

Edward held the glass so tightly in his hand that he was surprised it didn’t break. Did he hear his partner right? James had met Lilith while dead?

“Do you want to hear the story?” James asked Edward.

“I need some more of the vodka, before you begin.”

                                                   

After James had filled both glasses, he began his tale. “I felt my soul leave my body, actually felt it tear away from my flesh. I was dead and not looking forward to what awaited me.”

                                                     

Edward understood what James feared the most. He and James had killed their share of public enemies in the name of national security for Queen and Country, but it was still the taking of a life. “So, what happened?” he asked James.

“This hellish nightmare entity came from nowhere and moved quickly towards me. It was horrible to look upon and if this wasn’t an emissary from hell then I don’t know what is.”

                                              
James emptied his glass and refilled it before continuing. “She appeared from out of the blue and blocked the demon from touching me.”

                                                  

“She, do you mean Lilith?” Edward asked.

James nodded.

“Go on,” Edward urged.

“The demon seemed to fear her. This wisp of a woman, dressed as a warrior, had a demon cowering in the corner.

                                                 
 After the demon disappeared, Lilith gave me her price for saving my soul. I had to obey or the creature would come back for me.”

Edward put out his glass for James to refill and after he took a sip, he asked, “What was her price?”

                                                          

“It was you.”

“What the hell are you saying?” Edward stood up, his fist clenched.

“Wait, I had to obey. If you would have seen the demon, you would understand the situation I was in.”

Edward wanted to hit James, hurt him, but his curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “Why me?”

“You’re the only one she’ll trust to help stop what’s coming,” James explained.

“What’s coming?” Edward really didn’t want to know.

“The apocalypse,” James replied and then poured more vodka into his glass.

                                                     

“Are you talking about the four horsemen? It’s only a tale made up by organized religion to control the masses,” Edward chided his friend.

“You mean like time travel is only possible in a science fiction book?” James retorted.

                                              
  Edward was torn between his need to punch something, anything and his need to see her again.

                                                  
 “When exactly is this apocalypse supposed to happen and what does it have to do with Lawrence Levi?”

                                                     

This Weekend, ghosts, new friends and a near tragedy

                                                                  

This past weekend my ghost hunter friends, Jean (Team leader), Rita and I headed to Gettysburg early Friday morning.

                                               
    We were all set to explore and investigate. My daughter, her husband and two of the grandsons headed to Altoona, Pa to stay at a friend’s farm house and to ride their all- terrain vehicles.

                                                          

Friday, after getting settled, we headed out to a few places on our own before going to the late evening ghost walk. We seem to pick up more interactions from spirits when not in a large group. There were several places where I felt nauseous, but when I walked away from the spot, I felt immediately better. I was definitely picking up something although I didn’t see or hear anything.

                                                                                      

Saturday we headed out to the Eisenhower National Historic Site. What a beautiful home.

                                                                     

They were having a formal tea party on the lawn and people were dressed in the period clothing of the 1950’s

                                                      

We had learned that there was some big event going on at Camp David, which wasn’t that far from the Eisenhower home, but the driver informed us that we would probably be shot on the spot if we tried to visit.

                                                              

I offered to drive the bus to Camp David, but my friends persuaded me to return the bus to the driver.

                                                                         

We had lunch at the Gettysburg Park and here I am taking a picture with a wonderful couple Ron and Linda Zanoni. He portrays Col. William “Buck” McCandless and his wife portrays Annie, the wife of McCandless.

                                                               

We had time to visit some of the sites of the National Park including Devil’s Den.

                                                                                                                            

We also met and became friends with Lloyd Smith and Resa Mallamo who are also Historic Portrayers.

                                                                      
Wonderful people and fellow ghost hunters who were kind enough to take my friends and me on a private ghost hunt at Sachs Bridge.

                                                            
 I had the same nauseous symptoms there, but I didn’t get to see the Confederate ghost from last year.

While ghost hunting I received the phone call from my grandson Joshua. He was riding in one of the ambulances, which was taking my critically injured daughter and son-in-law to the emergency room. They were riding their all-terrain vehicle when it flipped over several times. The boys were following behind them when this happened. Joshua and Nathan kept their cool and flagged down help. The wonderful group of people, who just happened to be at the right place and at the right time, helped with first aid until heavy rescue arrived.

                                                                   

Jim and ReRe sustained serious injury and our sharing a hospital room and getting needed surgery. I’m on Granny duty and will be caring for the boys until their parents are safely home again.

                                                              

What I plan to do with the all-terrain vehicles

                                                               
          Will keep you all posted!!!