All In The Family

Sitting here in my studio, I am surrounded by pictures of family. Both my grandmothers especially catch my eye today. I can feel them both present and excited about my post today. People often ask me where my abilities come from. I don’t usually have a good answer for that, but as I really think about my grandmothers today, I realize that it comes from both sides of my family.

My Mother’s mother, Annie Ellen who went by Ellen, often told a story about an experience she had while visiting the south of France. She was on a bus tour to a tourist site she had never been to before. When they arrived at the site, another visitor asked her in French if she knew where the washrooms were. She said that for the next few minutes she was a young woman from France and was exactly able to tell the visitor the correct directions, in French, to a place she (Ellen) had never been to before. My grandmother also did not speak French. During her experience, which I believe was a past life experience, Ellen knew her French name, her age and where she lived which was near by the site. She said it was like watching herself in a film. As quickly as the experience happened, it ended. Past lives since that story was told to me have been a fascination of mine.

My Father’s mother passed over when I was about three years old. For most of her life she was known as Mildred (Millie). Because her mother had passed away when she was only seven years old, it wasn’t until she was 65 years old that she learned that her name was actually Amelia Emma. Sadly, we did not get to know each other well in this life, but since she passed, she has spent much of her time visiting with me. I feel connected to her in a way I never was with my Mother’s mother. I know from family stories I have heard, that her side of the family knew things they should not have be able to know. One example of this is the year my grandmother set sail for Canada to join her sister in LaTuque, Quebec. Her uncle was to accompany her on her trip as far as the port in Liverpool. It was 1915 and she was booked on the RMS Lusitania. When her uncle heard that this was the ship she was to travel on, he said she will not travel on the Lusitania. We must change her ticket. After much ado, she was rebooked to sail on another ship. As the RMS Lusitania was on course from New York to Liverpool where she would have boarded for the return trip, the boat was sunk by a torpedo from a German U-boat on May 7, 1915. The ship sunk in less than 20 minutes and 1,197 people on the boat drowned off the coast of Ireland. In the end, my grandmother thankfully made it safely to Quebec, where her sister anxiously awaited her arrival.

Family stories are important, to tell about where you come from and how you have the gifts that make you uniquely you. As a side note, my grandmother Ellen and I have become much closer since she passed over.  I am blessed to know both my grandmother so well, whether in this life or on the other side.

Peace and Happiness

Dagaz 💕