Spirit Story: Part 1

 

As promised, here’s a spirit story from our past year. There are many, so I’m going to start with the first one.

(Some context: Dudley had already had the small stroke with no aftereffects in July 2016, but had not yet had the severe stroke, which happened in October.)

One night in September 2016, I had a strong feeling that Leon wanted to communicate with Dudley. (I’ve never had this impression before, even though Dudley and Leon respect one another and Dudley did see Leon once, right after we started going out.)

Dudley was on his way to bed but I convinced him to sit down in the living room with me while I lit a candle and let Leon know we were listening. After about 10 minutes of waiting, we heard nothing (thought I felt Leon’s presence) so I thanked Leon for his help with the house and Dudley went up to bed.

The next morning, Dudley, who always got up before me, came upstairs as soon as I got out of bed. He asked if I had heard anything the night before. I told him I had not. He said that his mom, who had passed away a year or two earlier, had called his name in the night, and that her voice had the strength and volume that it did when she was young. Her voice was so clear and strong that he sat up in bed, fully expecting to see his mom in the hallway. But he saw nothing.

The other really cool aspect of the experience was that for the first time in many years, Dudley woke up with no aches and pains. We hoped that the healing effect was permanent ~ it wasn’t ~ but it did last for several days after his mom’s visit.

Later that day, we realized that it was either his mom’s birthday or his sister’s birthday. (Their birthdays are one day apart.) I wrote a note to myself about the visit, but didn’t write the date ~ I wish I had done so, but maybe it doesn’t matter, as the help and support we’ve gotten over the past year from both Dudley’s mom and his sister ~ foreshadowed in dreams and confirmed in spirit visits ~ have been invaluable.

I’ll continue this story in another post.

(Posted October 2018.)

Unexpected Turn in the Path

I have been absent from this blog and most of social media since mid-October when the path of my life took an unexpected turn ~ my love and mate Dudley suffered a stroke that nearly ended his life. Dudley and I (and our tribe of family and friends) have spent the past three months focusing on his well-being and healing.

I had alluded in a Facebook post last August 14 to a health crisis that Dudley experienced that we considered a gift ~ because it made us aware of how precious our time together was. It also inspired us to re-commit to slowing down, savoring life, and enjoying one another’s company.

Out of respect for Dudley’s privacy, I didn’t share the details of last summer’s health crisis. Now, it seems fitting to do so, as the impact of both strokes on our lives is significant. Dudley had a small stroke last July. He had just passed the critical 90-day mark from the July stroke, complete with scans and tests and a thumbs-up from his neurologist, the day before he had the really severe stroke in October. He has been in hospitals and rehab centers ever since, working on regaining strength and mobility. He is not yet back home, but that is the next milestone that we’re working on.

An unexpected and powerful gift of this experience has been the incredible outpouring of love, support, and practical help from family, friends, neighbors and even strangers ~ people with whom I’ve dealt to take care of Dudley’s many business concerns. The kindness and goodness of people has added a transformative element to an otherwise hard experience.

I have decided to take a sabbatical in 2017 from offering events, tours, and investigations in order to focus on Dudley and his healing. 

I hope and expect to be back with a full schedule of Annie Wilder’s Haunted Tea Parties and Spirited Schoolhouse events in 2018.

This was a difficult decision to make in many ways, as I love hosting events and I am proud of both my haunted tea parties and the Spirited Schoolhouse events.  (And, want to say, it feels really good to be connecting energetically with friends of my blog and Facebook page again.) 

I decided last year to close the door on Inkswiggler, my editing and publishing consulting business, and am happy to refer all editing and ghostwriting inquiries to my mega-talented friend Sally McGraw.

I am keeping the Annie Wilder Literary Agency in place.

And, I am continuing to work on my next book, a follow-up to House of Spirit and Whispers.

And in case you’re wondering about the spirits ~ I alluded earlier to the kindness of people in our lives. The spirits gathered round, too, after Dudley’s stroke; I felt their presence nearly constantly in the first weeks especially, when Dudley’s health was most precarious. Dudley came to see me in a dream on his first night in the ICU. We both remember this. (He was not often conscious for more than a few moments at a time in the first few weeks in ICU.) Dudley’s energy or spirit also visited our house in the first week or after the stroke to offer some familiar help. I will write about these experiences and other powerful and comforting mystical experiences that occurred during Dudley’s recovery in another post.

Watch for new posts around the time of the new moon each month, as a theme for our household this year is renewal and hope.

(Posted January 2017)