Mother's Light
My sweet, Dutchgrandmother was not the superstitious type. She was very down-to-earth,to say the least. However, once she did tell me a ghost story,and the phantom was her own mother , who returned with a message:" I was seventeen when my mother died. We had only arrivedin America three years before and the fear of settling in a newplace had just worn away. We had a farm and worked very hard, myparents and the eleven children. At the time of my mother's deathI was the oldest girl at home.
One terribly hot July day Mother was brought in from the hayfields. She had suffered a sunstroke. Later that day she diedwithout gaining consciousness, leaving me in charge of sixyounger brothers and sisters.
The funeral was shortly over, and the heaviness of myresponsibility set in again. Mother was gone, and I felt I couldturn to no one for help. After the funeral guests had left thehouse and the children were all asleep, Dad was still talking tofamily members in the kitchen. I went upstairs only to cry myselfto sleep on Mother's bed in the dark. The next thing I knew I wasawakening to a bright light that filled the room. I thought itmust be morning, sat up, and rubbed my eyes. I soon saw that thelight was not coming from the sun, but from a large, radiant glowat the foot of the bed. Within that glow stood my mother, and shewas smiling at me.
I felt an enormous rush of love. I immediately jumped from thebed, trying to run into her arms. She stopped me suddenly saying,'No, do not touch me! I have come to tell you not to worry.Everything will be all right. Just watch over the twins carefully(these were my two-year old sisters).' She went on to say thatshe was in a beautiful place and that she was very happy. Thenshe told me that I would be with her someday, if I continued tolive a good life.
When she stopped speaking she again smiled at me. The wonderfullybright light in which she stood then wrapped around her like ahuge shawl and the whole scene moved backward, through the wall,and was gone. I was left in the dark, and only then did I becomeafraid. I turned on the light for comfort and went to sleep,wondering at all I had seen."
My grandmother lived to be 90 years-old. She was lucid to the endof her days. She died in a hospital, where she had been placedfor tests, had ended up having a heart attack, and lay in a comafor a day. One of my aunts was with Grandmother when she died.
My aunt said she was very frightened at Grandmother's passingbecause Grandmother, still not awake, suddenly threw back thecovers as if she were going to get out of bed. Then she died.
I have no doubt my aunt had nothing to fear. I sincerely believeGrandmother simply left with her mother, after waiting for herfor 73 years.