This story is a very old story. It is one that haunts me today as a reminder of my failure to use my gifts for what they were meant to be. I hadn’t gone through workshops to help me embrace my gifts. I hadn’t reintroduced myself to using rods or Tarot/Oracle cards. This was just a girl, home alone, and a spirit with a message delivered like something out of a horror movie. But if you know the man, you know it wasn’t ill-willed.
My neighbor, Jerry B., passed away in 2012 from a cardiac arrest while taking off in his plane. It never made it off the ground, which was a blessing for him and those around the small airport in Winneconne. Jerry and his wife, Kay, were lovely people. My mom enjoyed spending time with them and they were very kind and sweet people. I remember they offered to take us on their boat whenever they went out and they were tickled to mingle with my daughter, who had hardly been in this world when she first met them.
After his passing, Kay left the neighboring condo and rented it to a pilot and his boys. I remember he was so thankful to have a place to live during his off days that was also near where his ex-wife was living. It made custody easier. But sadly we lost him and his boys as neighbors, because our Home Owners Associations was busy passing new guidelines for the properties, which included no renting (or AirBnB or Verbo, etc.). The nextdoor condo then sat uninhabited until it sold a few years ago.
Sometime after Kay had started renting her condo property, I learned that she was staying at another property nearby. I’d occasionally run into her on walks with my daughter and dog. She had a dalmatian when Kay lived by us, but the dalmatian had passed away. Here at the new home, Kay had dalmation statues that she would position by the fire hydrant near the curb. She would move them around and my daughter loved playing with them. We’d stop and talk to Kay whenever she was around and it was nice. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her, though, when she left and that home was sold.
On a Sunday, sometime before Kay moved away for good, my husband went to meet up with my mom, who had been spending time with my daughter over the weekend. This was after 2012, but before 2015, I think… 2014 feels right. I don’t remember my mom having been diagnosed with cancer yet, which would have been 2015. I had opted to stay home so I could prep my work for the next day and enjoy the last remnants of peace in a truly quiet house. We had a wrap-around couch in the living room and I was sitting on the couch facing towards the rest of the room (we have an open floorplan downstairs). As I was sitting there, I noticed a balloon moving oddly. Why is a balloon in my house? I just remember it was my daughter’s balloon and no, it was not red. Otherwise, I can’t remember the reason for having it.
The balloon started out on the other side of the room, between the sunroom glass wall and rolling door and the kitchen table. A vent is there, so when it started moving, I didn’t think much of it. But the odd part was that it was moving up and down and with each jerk of the movement down, it started to move closer to me on the couch. I tried to debunk all of the things. Yes, it could have been the air from the vent, but what about when it moved away from being right over the vent? Maybe it was the ceiling fan in the middle of the room? Sure, but then why did it jerkingly move all the way to me, then stop and hover and then move backwards, as if giving me space? I honestly tried to debunk this thing myself, but also I was literally terrified of what I was witnessing.
I called my mom, who was using his hands-free-bluetooth-carphone. I explained everything to her as it was happening. I even took a video of it and pictures, which have mysteriously disappeared off of my phone. I have never been able to find them again. I was really concerned about this balloon and it’s behavior, which is why I wanted to try to document it.
After I got off the phone with my mom, which was a good 25-30 minutes later, I sat there staring at the balloon that was still hovering around my space in the room. Still too near me for comfort. I started asking questions.
- Is there someone moving this balloon? – yoink!
Holy crap… the balloon just dipped. Let’s ask some more questions.
- Is this someone I know? – yoink!
- Are you a neighbor? – yoink!
And all of a sudden I saw Jerry in my mind and I had an overwhelming sense that it was him. The thoughts were about it being Jerry there and he was trying to get my attention, because he wanted me to know he was there. Think of a person realizing no one seems them, but then finding this one person who can “see” them. They’re going to be excited and I kept seeing him making large gestures, as if trying to get my attention. So I kept asking questions.
- Do you want me to know that you’re here? – yoink!
- Can I do anything for you? – yoink!
Then in my mind was the message. He wanted me to tell Kay that he was still here with her. He wanted me to tell Kay that he is still thinking of her and he loves her.
I said some of this out into the room and promised him that I would try to tell her this. And with one final “yoink!” the balloon was taken by the wind of the ceiling fan and started moving around the house as it normally would, when caught by the natural flow of the air.
So I shared this story with everyone who wouldn’t cast dispersions my way. I showed the video to my husband. It was too big to upload anywhere besides YouTube and I didn’t want to face the pain of internet judgement. I figured I could keep it on my phone for when I wanted to show it to people.
It wasn’t until I was sharing this story with a coworker that I realized my photos and video were gone from my phone. I am not saying this was paranormal or even that my husband did it. I’m just saying one day they were there and the next they were gone. I was devastated that I no longer had proof that Jerry came to visit. Additionally, I hadn’t run into Kay yet to tell her anything. It being winter, I figured I wouldn’t see her until the Spring or Summer when people were outside more.
And sure enough, I ran into Kay the following Summer while my family was out for a walk. I was so overwhelmed by the presence of Jerry and this incredible urge to tell Kay all the things, but… I failed. I couldn’t seem to get myself to tell her that Jerry had come to me and he wanted her to know some things. I clammed up. I couldn’t do it.
We parted ways and continued on our walk, not realizing that this was the last time I’d be running into Kay. Not because of any dire reason, but because she was moving again. I feel like Florida was what she told me, but I instinctively think all older people move to Florida. But I never had the chance to share this message with her. My own “Ego” or “Insecurities” got in the way of sharing the message I was blessed to be able to share.
Since that day I have worked towards finding ways to pass along messages that come to me, regardless of how I, personally, feel about them. I’m not going to lie, I have a very damaged self-esteem, but through the work I’ve been doing, I am getting better and trying to be the message-bringing I was born to be… no matter how hard it is.
Whispers of the Departed 