This story is something that I have not personally experienced, but my mother has told me the story so many times that it feels as though I have. When my mother and father had my older sister, "Kaity", they were thrilled. This was their first child and she was healthy and beautiful. The first few months with Kaity was like with every other baby: she would cry in the middle of the night and my father or mother would go to the baby room and try to comfort and quiet her.
When Kaity was about six months old, my mother was woken up, (my father was on a business trip) yet again, by her screaming and crying. As usual, my mother climbed out of bed and pulled on her robe. All of a sudden, the crying stopped. Puzzled and a bit alarmed, she ran down the hall to see if anything was wrong. When she got to the doorway, she saw the most amazing sight: an old woman was sitting in a rocking chair and humming softly to the baby, my sister, in her arms. The moonlight from the window shone right through her and my mother could see the dresser behind her head.
Instead of feeling alarmed, my mother felt warm and happy. She watched the old woman until the woman finally noticed that eyes were on her. She looked up and smiled at my mother, then put a finger to her lips. My mother returned the smile, nodded, and walked quietly back to her room.
The next night, my mother was woken again by Kaity, but instead of crawling slowly out of bed, she jumped up, grabbed her robe and almost ran to the baby room. There, the same old woman was standing next to the cradle and was rocking it gently back and forth, soothing my crying sister. She again smiled at my mother and turned back to Kaity.
This odd phenomenon occurred a few more times before my mother said anything to the old woman. She had been standing in the doorway looking at the woman calm my sister for a few minutes and she finally asked, "Who are you?" The old woman did not even turn toward my mother, it was as though she could not hear. My mother asked the same thing, but again, the woman did not reply or show any sign that she had heard my mother at all.
My mother only saw the old woman a few times after that. She guesses that once my sister started to walk and talk, the old woman felt she was not needed anymore. Although she did not actually see the old woman when my older brother or myself was crying as babies, she says she always felt a motherly presence in the room. No matter where we live (my family has moved several times since my sister was a baby) she says she always feels that the woman is always there watching over us.
Sometimes, when I am sad and crying over a death of a friend or family member, I feel as though someone is standing over me, trying to comfort me. This always leaves me with a warm feeling inside and it helps me overcome my grief. My brother says this has happened to him too.
My family has never been able to find out exactly who the old woman is. Maybe she is a relation, or someone like a guardian angel. All we know is that we always have a friend with us; and no matter what happens in our lives, she will never leave us.
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