Introducing Mr. Comfort!

I have a new best friend. His name is Mr. Comfort.

I have not met him in person yet, but I might call him up one of these days. He is the mascot of a new company. The old company was called ARS.

Yes, I think I may need to give him a call. I won't have any trouble remembering his phone number. You see, the number is 222-2222.

If all this sounds a bit cryptic to you, you can read the whole "Miracle or Coincidence" story here: http://okwildlady.blogspot.com/2002/04/miracle-or-coincidence.html


It's nice to have friends in high places. :)

Orb photos from our album

Many people believe that photo "orbs" are spirits caught on film. Although I'm a believer in "signs" from beyond, I've always been a bit skeptical about the orb business.

These pictures from our album are a bit startling, however.

The first one was taken of me with Arthur's son Dominic on his wedding day. I was unsettled that entire day, because I kept feeling pangs of guilt and sorrow that I was there but my friend Sue, his mother, was not. To honor her memory, Dominic and his bride Jen had chosen her birthday for their wedding day.

From the looks of this photo, perhaps Sue WAS there after all, giving her son a hug through me. There is an unmistakable orb right above us.



Here is a photo of Shelby on the first Christmas after Andy died. There are at least two orbs in this one, although not as clear. (Probably just reflection off the ornaments, but still...!)




This next one isn't as personal, but is very interesting. This is a photo Arthur snapped in 2003 on the 6th floor of the courthouse where he used to work. These are boxes of old traffic tickets. Are the spirits of the people involved in those traffic incidents haunting that room?




I'm still a skeptic, but it is an interesting subject to think about.

Robin the Ghost on 27th Street

This post is a bit of a departure from my usual posts about my family, but I guess my own personal ghost story is part of the fabric of my life, right?

Annie is asking for ghost stories, and I thought that sounded like fun. So here it is!

When my ex-husband (YES ex, not late... I don't talk about Steve very often) moved into a vintage house back in 1980, I was very excited. I had always wanted to live in a house from around the turn of the century.

We had a friend staying with us who had helped us move.

It all began the very first night when we turned off the light and went to bed. Suddenly we heard some weird music for a few seconds, and it sounded like it was coming from somewhere in the house.

I sat up in bed and said, “Steve! Did you hear that???”

He said, “It’s nothing. Go to sleep.”

I was just beginning to drift off when suddenly the curtains blew straight out.

“Steve! The windows are closed! I think we have ghosts!”

He replied, “Are you crazy? I don’t believe in that garbage. There is probably a hole in the window somewhere. Go to sleep.”

We had barely settled back down when suddenly the overhead light turned on by itself.

Me: “Screeeeeam!”

Steve didn’t say a word at first, but sat bolt upright, reached over for a cigarette, and could barely light it because he was shaking so hard. As scared as I was, I couldn’t help falling out with laughter at Mr. “I Don’t Believe in Ghosts.”

Now, this was a standard light switch that had to be clicked down to turn it off, and up to turn it on. We both examined it, and could find no logical explanation of how it would have flipped up by itself.

Finally, whatever was going on settled down. We had no more strange episodes that night.

The next morning I was serving breakfast when our friend who was staying with us sat down at the table. He didn’t look like he had much sleep, either.

“Gary? How was your night?” I asked.

He moaned, “I couldn’t rest. The weirdest thing happened. I had my door opened to the hall and suddenly I saw this white thing floating in the air! It scared the heck out of me!”

Steve and Gary had to work that day, so I was left alone with my three-year-old Jimmy. He had heard all the talk at the breakfast table and was pretty scared himself. So I decided to get proactive with the situation. I told Jimmy that if there was a ghost, he was probably a friendly ghost. We named the ghost “Robin,” which would be appropriate for a boy or girl. Then we talked to the ghost and said that we were going to be living there with him (or her) and wanted to be friends.

Robin the Ghost was there with us for the two years we lived there. He would play pranks on us all the time like hide stuff that would later reappear, but never did anything really scary. We invited Robin to go with us when we moved. But he stayed behind, maybe because he had to. All the cute little pranks stopped after we went to the new house. We actually missed him.

You can call me nuts. But that’s how it really happened!!! :)

"The Journey" home from Chicago

Something awesome happened to me on the way home from Chicago.

Shelby and I spent the weekend in Chicago with a bunch of my friends from the young widow online group. One of my good online buddies is Carol S. Carol just recently had a book published about her love and life with her husband Joe.

You all know that I am a believer of "signs," and I have received several that I can't explain other than to say "Andy must have sent them!" However, this time I think I received a sign from Carol's husband, Joe!

Before we left Chicago, Carol presented me a copy of her book of Joe's journal "The Journey," beautifully inscribed for me and Arthur. I was thrilled, touched, and couldn't wait to read it!

It was a great way to spend several hours on the train. I was moved to tears many times, but I am used to weeping in public since Andy's death, so I was not embarrassed in the least. I especially enjoyed the passage where Joe tells Carol "Whenever you see a butterfly, think of me."

I read the book from cover to cover, and finished it about an hour before we arrived at Union Station in Fort Worth. When we arrived, Shelby and I toted our luggage into the station, and sat near a door where there was an outlet for me to recharge my cell phone. Just after we sat down, a huge, beautiful brown and orange butterfly flew right by us, and landed on the door to the outside. He beat on the door with his wings several times, so I told Shelby "I think he wants out." She opened the door, and he flew away!

About two hours later, we boarded the train to Oklahoma City, joyful that our trip was almost over. When we we passed over the highway as we left the station, I looked down, and there, flying along I-35 heading to Oklahoma City, was a huge brown and orange butterfly! Was he the same one we saw earlier???

I believe Joe was happy that I read and was touched by his story, and was guiding us home. I also think he wanted me to tell Carol what happened (which I did)... as another message to her about how pleased he is how beautifully the book turned out.

Thank you Carol and Joe.

Another Message!

My latest feeling of contact was just the other day.

I was cleaning out the pantry, and I came across a bottle of wine that had been given to us for our wedding. I read the label, and noticed it was from "The Vineyards of Sonoma County." I was not really torn up, just mildly sad and reflecting. I held the cool bottle to my face and thought to myself "I wonder if Andy even thinks of little trivial things like this wine now?"

I put the bottle back, and went into the living room and turned on the radio. Just then the song "You're still Here" came on. That song always makes me cry. But the strangest thing was right after the song the DJ came on and said, and I quote:

"...and that was Faith Hill. Now for the latest sports news... There is probably plenty of Sonoma Whining going on today, get it?? SONOMA WINE? Ha ha!..." (end quote.)

Those were her exact words. She was talking about some sporting event in Sonoma, but I knew the true message!

Anniversary Flowers

I wanted to share another sweet coincidence. Our anniversary would have been last week, on August 14. Naturally, I was feeling a bit down. I was at work that day, staying busy. I hadn't told anybody that it was my anniversary, because I was afraid sympathy would make me cry. Anyway, I was checking my in-house mail, and there was a packet of flower seeds. I thanked my secretary... but she said she didn't put them there. I asked every teacher and employee, but nobody knew how they got there. I am sure somebody put them in my box by accident. The sweet thing was the type of flower that they were.....
...................................
..Forget-Me-Not's!

(What a neat coincidence. It was like he gave me flowers for our anniversary!)

Yellow Roses for Me

There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of after a loved one dies, but I had one that my career was dependent upon.

Kathy and I began taking classes toward a BSN degree in October of 1998. I still had 6 credit hours left to complete for my BSN when Andy fell ill in the spring of 2000. I had already gone through the commencement ceremonies. (Thank God, because Andy was there with me.)

I had to drop the summer classes I was enrolled in, and was unable to complete my degree before his death. He died in February, and I HAD to complete my Bachelors degree by May, in order to renew my teaching certificate and keep my job. (A school nurse in Oklahoma is required to carry a teaching certificate. I was working under a provisional certificate that was only valid for 2 years.)

After much discussion with the University, I decided to try to take 3 CLEP exams. I took them 6 weeks after I buried my sweetheart, and passed all 3!

I felt Andy with me on May 7... the day I found out I passed the exams. That day the sickly yellow rose bush in my yard that barely ever bloomed was covered from to to bottom with yellow roses!

Miracle or coincidence??????

Everybody might think I am crazy after this post, but I have to let everybody see this. First, here is the original page from my phone book with our "pager codes." When we both were working, we each had pagers. We worked out this code system to make life easier. After he took his medical leave we still used to page each other 222-2222 to say we were thinking of each other. He paged them to me frequently... sometimes 5 times a day...even up to 3 days before he died (coincidentally 2/22/2002) which was the last hour we were apart 'til the end.

One day about 2 weeks ago, I hit a very low point. I was at work, and had to spend much of my day in the restroom, sobbing and crying. I prayed "I need to know he is still thinking of me. Does he miss me? Does he still love me?? A few 2's would be nice." Then I told myself to stop being so silly!!

I finally was able to go on with my day, and by the time I left I had almost forgotten my crying jag in the bathroom. THEN... on my way to the freeway home, I saw this billboard. The picture on the left is how I first saw it...!

When I arrived home I tried to look up the phone number in the yellow pages, but the listing was so new that it wasn't even in the phone book yet! It is for a heating and cooling company called ARS. (hmmmm... "Andy Reaching Stephanie?" lol)

I went back to the billboard and took pics of it so folks wouldn't think I am a few slices short of a loaf. (Well, I might be, but not about this! )

Coincidence? Or is God and/or my Honey letting me know he is OK?