A visit from Aunt Clara

Now before I get into the paranormal experience that I had with Aunt Clara, let me just give you a little background. Aunt Clara was my grandfather's sister, and she was an aunt that we regularly visited as children. A true southern lady, Aunt Clara enjoyed the finer things in life, was ever so gracious, and when she and my grandfather were getting along, their favorite thing was to talk about everyone they knew behind their back.

As children we had to sit on the sofa and listen to these long winded stories and the family members they spoke of. We never really knew any of the people that they chatted about as many were dead. The odd part is, it was always the same chat. Same people, same stories told over and over. I guess that is an old folks thing. I am sure I am slipping into that mode in my own kids eyes.

Aunt Clara lived a long time. I believe she was in her 80's at the time she passed away. After I was grown and had one child of my own we'd often go visit my Aunt Clara, who always mentioned in passing that she'd like a bottle of wine before we left. So my husband would go purchase it before we made the 2 hour trip back home. I now wonder, if that wasn't the reason she wanted to see us so frequently as we have been told in recent times that she was in fact an alcoholic, and secretly commissioned people to secure her drink of choice.

The betrayal
I went through a rough time with my parents during these days and we weren't speaking, and I went to my Aunt Clara for support and comfort, and while she seemed to be very interested and helping, she was a crafty lady and was actually feeding off of my misery. I don't really hold that against her though. However, it wasn't long after this that she betrayed my confidence and I could not forgive her for it at the time. She wrote to me many times begging for me to come and visit but I just couldn't bring myself to return to her home. I truly regret that now, as we should always try to forgive. Holding onto grudges is the best way to becoming a sour person and the guilt you get after they are gone is lifelong and just not worth it.

The presence
One night I was in the kitchen washing dishes as was my habit to clean my house before going to bed each night. Something about waking up to a messy house doesn't agree with me. That being said on this particular night, I was alone at the sink washing each dish left from supper when I had the most eerie sensation. It's a sensation we've all had when you feel someone has come up from behind and are watching you. I tried to ignore it as I knew everyone in the house was sleeping.

Unfortunately, the feeling only intensified and became such that I had to turn around. In my mind I thought it was my young daughter that had entered the kitchen to ask me for something. I turned fully expecting to see her standing there, messy haired and rubbing sleep from her eyes. But there was no one there. It was an extremely powerful "I'm being watched and someone is right by me" type of sensation. Overwhelming, to the point I left what I was doing and went into the rest of the home to see if anyone had stirred. It was hard to accept that no one was there in the kitchen moments earlier. My search came up empty. Each person was snuggled in their bed, breathing deeply and motionless. The deep sort of sleep we all fall into when we are oblivious to our surroundings.

I even considered someone had come into the house, so I checked the doors to make sure they were locked. Now, I am not by any stretch of the imagination an alarmist,so for me to take these sorts of steps to rule out something is unusual and can only be brought about by something equally unusual. When I forced myself to rule out all logical possibilities, I finished my dishes and went to bed.

The Next day

I received a phone call from my mother the very next day telling me that Aunt Clara had passed away in the night. I knew instinctively, in my heart that Aunt Clara had come to visit me one final time. My mother told me she had dream of Aunt Clara that night, and that Aunt Clara and her husband Uncle Bob visited her in her dream. Aunt Clara was told by a fellow church member that she would not be reunited with her beloved Uncle Bob that she had lost many years prior to her own death. This concerned my Aunt Clara greatly and she spoke of this to my mother. 

My mother assured her that was not her belief, that she and Uncle Bob would be reunited on the other side. The dream, to my mother was my Aunt Clara letting her know she was indeed reunited with Uncle Bob. This was who visited me that night in my kitchen as well. On a final note: Turns out Aunt Clara passed away right around the time I was doing the dishes....