Ghosting It Forward

Eeni-meenie-jelly-beanie- The Spirits are about to speak! I’ve been tagged for a game of “Ghost It Forward” by my voodoo sister, Callie, at MidWest Horse. I’m really touched by her choosing me, since I often wish that she lived down the road so I could drop by and hang out with her. Here are the rules of this fun new blog-tivity:

1) Have a Ghostly Image to pass along.
2) Tag three people on your blog, with links to their blogs. Tell about what great folks they are, or offer to send them a Ghostly Treat.
3) Include a link to Ghosting It Forward in your blog.

But first, here’s my ghostly picture and story:

As you know, my mother is 94 years old, and her eyesight and hearing are failing. Over the past year, she has been seeing animals and people on our property where no one else does. Increasingly, she has gotten more adamant and annoyed at me when I tell her that there’s no one there. One of my friends, who writes horror novels, thinks that because she is closer to the “other side” than all of us, the spirits of the dead reveal themselves to her. Now, ordinarily, this would freak me out. Weirdly, living in this particular place, it doesn’t. It’s actually kind of soothing to think that we are being “watched over”.

Mom keeps telling me that there’s an old man out in the back by the barn and on the hill. This hill has a grove of cedar trees with an altar or maybe a grave on it. While I’m out there doing my chores, my mother will often stand in the window or outside by the back door and sort of spy on me. It used to drive me crazy to have her lurking around all the time. Recently, she’s been insisting that the old man is there with me. I suggested that if she sees him, she should go talk to him. That’s made her think that I can see him too, and she gets even more upset when I tell her that I can’t.

I was talking to my next door neighbor about heirloom apples last week. She said that when she moved here 15 years ago, she was in her kitchen one day when this old man appeared with all these branches and started doing something to her apple trees. She went out and asked him what he was doing. Very matter-of-fact, he said that he was grafting the old trees onto the younger ones. She learned that he was Mr. Goldberg, the man who had owned this land and built her house, ours and the one next to us. For as long as he lived, he would come over and take care of the trees because to him, this was always his land and he was its steward. He died several years ago.

So, I’m thinking that maybe my mom really is seeing Mr. Goldberg. I asked her more details and she told me that one day, she saw a whole group of people standing on the hill looking at our house. Maybe he assembled all the other spirits of this neighborhood to stop by and meet us. Every morning when I go out to the barn, I say, “Good morning, Mr. Goldberg - how are you doing?”

Okay, so now to pass these ghostly vibes forward:

First to Linda at the 7msn, who makes me laugh and jumps in to help out with such talent and enthusiasm, and who must have some good New Mexico ghost tales (and tails) for all of us.

Next, to Billie at Camera Obscura, who lives a life of grace and kindness that I much admire. Billie is always there for me with insight and great advice. I know she’s in sync with this kind of thing and I look forward to seeing where she will take us.

Third, to Ewa in her garden in Poland, my friend who connects me with my mother’s roots. Ewa has already taken us on some great spiritual adventures, so I hope that she has fun with this one.

Callie already tagged Arlene at Grey Horse Matters, but if she hadn’t, I would have because I’m so lucky to have her as my friend nearby.

Okay, you go girls - Ghost It Forward!