Little Gifts Out Of Nowhere

Those of you whom have read my accounts are aware of the fact that I am a widow that was married to a truly wonderful man. The love of my life. However, I realize that I'm not the first, nor will I be the last widow on this planet, but on with this account.

It was only a couple months after my dear husband's passing. My mother-in-law, Mary, had been departed for a few years at the time this happened. I'm mentioning Mary for a reason, as you'll soon see. John, and I were very fond of World War II documentaries that they would show on WVIZ, a special television channel with what we called intellectual programs to watch. They would, also, offer those programs on VHS tape/DVD that you could order. John, and I were considering ordering this one documentary on the war with Germany when his condition worsened, and he became extremely weak, and ill. From there he was in, and out of the hospital, and rehab. Nursing homes for over a year until he passed. I was extremely depressed, and distraught. It was all I could do to focus on day to day obligations. Such as going to work, and paying the bills.

As I said before, a couple months had gone by. One day I came home from work to find a box leaning up against the apartment door. It had my name on it, and was from WVIZ T.V. In Boston. What? I was perplexed, but I took it inside, and opened it to find the exact DVD documentary about the war that John, and I had 'wanted' to order, but I never did. I couldn't see ordering something that 'he' wasn't there to share with, and enjoy it with me. Why bother? I called the 800 number for the station the next day, and inquired as to 'who' ordered it, and when? All the woman could tell me was that it 'was' ordered about three weeks ago, and paid for. How could that be? I didn't order it. She could only say, "well, you have it now, and it's been paid for. Enjoy it!".

I did mention in my first story about the haunted house we lived in in Willoughby, how items would disappear into thin air only to turn up much later in the most unlikely places. They are called apports, but I wasn't sure about 'this'.

Now to Mary, my mother-in-law. Years before while they were both still around, John, and I went to visit Mary. She didn't live but a few minutes away up the road in a mobile home. John was outside mowing her lawn for her, and Mary, and I were inside. Mary was going through her jewelry box. If you're a woman you have one of those, too. She claimed that it was getting cluttered, and she was rearranging it while we were there. She took this lovely broach out, and laid it on the coffee table. It had tiny orange/gold/yellow/brown mosaic tiles that formed the picture of flowers against an orange background. I was admiring it. She noticed. She asked me if "I" liked it. I told her that I did. She, then, asked if I would wear it, to which I answered that I would. She said that when she passed that she wanted me to have it. However, I told her to stick around because I loved her, and I wasn't all that anxious to receive a piece of jewelry. She chuckled, and said she'd stick around as long as possible, but that she 'did' want me to have it.

Of course, she did pass at 82 years old, but I never gave the least bit of thought to that broach. Here is where it gets amazing. I got that movie disc first. Then a week later, whilst cleaning the place, and straightening out the slip-cover on my couch, I found that very broach laying on one of the couch cushions. Yikes! Where did 'that' come from?

I was overwhelmed. I just had to sit down, and start crying. I mean crying very hard. I was trying to find a reasonable explanation for these two items that just came out of nowhere. I had to talk to Beth, my sister-in-law. Her, and I were extremely close. We talked at great length about it. It was Beth who came to the conclusion that those items were, in fact, gifts from John, and Mary since they 'knew' how much I wanted, or liked them. I wanted to argue the point, but I couldn't. I just couldn't dispute it because it 'did' make some sense. Beth believes that they 'are' gifts from them, and "I", likewise, want to believe that, also.

My family never knew about the movie disc that we wanted to order, or the broach. No one knew. Only John, Mary, and myself knew about them. I don't know if you can call what happened apports because I'm not too sure they fit into that category. Therefore, I have more, or less, accepted the fact that they are gifts from John, and Mary. I'll treasure them forever as such. Let me know what you think!