Ghosts, like ladies, never speak till spoke to.

I’m open to the possibility of the supernatural.  I don’t know the why’s or how’s or what-for’s but I’ve had enough weirdness happen to me in my life to know better than to close my mind to it.

I’m not talking about unicorns and fairies . . . although I’m fairly certain that we have a house gnome, brownie or domovoi sharing our home with us . . . like I said . . . weirdness.

What I’m referring to are ghosts.  I don’t know what happens when we die; whether there’s heaven or reincarnation, but I don’t think it’s just nothingness.  I believe that the essence of who we are . . . a spirit . . . does exist beyond our physical death.

I’ve been in houses that from the very moment I step foot over the threshold that I want nothing more than to get out.  It’s primal and it’s undeniable . . . something screaming for me to leave.  I’ve been places where I would spy a shape or movement in my peripheral vision when nothing was there.

When I was younger I worked in a restaurant that had been once been the home and workplace for a blacksmith.  I had no issues working on the main floor although I would often spy a man out of the corner of my eye that wouldn’t be there when I turned to look.  However, going to the second floor was an act of sheer will.  I’m sure that whoever was there didn’t want me there and made it clear by expressing an unmistakable message with negative energy.    Thankfully I didn’t have to go up there as a regular part of my job but that’s where the bathroom was . . . sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go.

 

The strongest and most vivid experience was when I was dating my first husband and continued on after we were married.  It was ongoing and lasted for years.  It wasn’t an everyday thing but it happened often enough that I knew I wasn’t imagining things.   My now ex-husband’s family lives in one of the oldest houses in our town which was settled in 1630.  It used to be a farmhouse on a rather large expanse of land.  Now it’s just a nice old Colonial on a quiet residential street.  

I started experiencing things when I spent the night there.  I would wake up in the middle of the night with a huge . . . for the lack of a better word . . . orb hovering above or very near me.  It was dark, menacing and run through with deep colors like purples and reds.  It was extremely disquieting.  This didn’t happen once or twice it happened a lot.  It got to the point that if I woke up and it was still dark that I would lie still with my eyes tightly closed because I was so scared . . .

My husband grew up in that house and but I think the spirit was somehow attached to him because when we had our own home the same sort of things happened there too.  Not as often but usually when I was in bed alone and it intensified when I was pregnant with our son.  Again, I would lie still with my eyes closed until I fell back to sleep.  It wasn’t just a visual thing . . . I could feel it . . . and it was unhappy.

I don’t know how I know this but I know the ghost was a she and I got the distinct feeling she was very jealous.  I also somehow know her name was Sarah, had long blonde hair and in Colonial dress.

Interestingly, after I separated from him I never again had those encounters.  So either it really was a ghost or just a dark cloud looming over our doomed relationship.  Maybe I should have taken it as an omen run screaming while I had the chance.

Anyhoo, occasionally I still get the feeling of something near or catch movement out of the corner of my eye, but never anything malevolent.  Just something going about doing whatever it is that spirits do.

Italian BBQ Pork Chops

3/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Cup Ketchup

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 (6 Ounce) Pork Loin Chops

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste

Stir the balsamic vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper together in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook the sauce at a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes.


Preheat oven to 350°.


Brown pork chops and place  in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Pour sauce over pork chops. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until chops are tender.