Just Checking In

When I was six year old my mother died, she was 39 years old. She passed away only a few days after my aunt.

A couple days after my mom's funeral my other aunt stayed with my dad and I at our house, just to keep an eye on us and to help us out. I was sitting on our living room floor, watching TV when out of the corner of my eye I saw a sort of, glowing light. I looked into the hallway and saw two figures walking hand-in-hand down it. I made out just a second later that it was my aunt and my mother. They were both wearing long white gowns and they were coming toward me. I was little at the time and didn't know what was going on. Obviously, I was terrified. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen, shouting what happened as fast as my little mouth could make out. My aunt looked at me and smiled after she heard what happened in a calmer version. Then she said, "Sweetie, they're just checking in."

I will never forget that day. I am fourteen years old now and I can still make out what they were wearing.

I found out that wasn't the last time my mom was 'checking in' on our family. One night when my aunt was in bed she was thinking about my mom and how she forgot what her voice sounded like. She felt so guilty, it bothered her very much. She missed it. She felt something touch her feet at the end of the bed and looked. There she saw my mom smiling at her; she said, "Hi Emily." and then disappeared. My aunt said she never forgot how her voice sounded after that.

I still often smell the perfume my mother used to wear at random times. I smell it on my friends and ask if they're wearing it, they say no. I can smell it when I'm doing something, or if I'm alone. It doesn't scare me at all. I know, if it is my mom, she isn't a ghost. She's something way better than that.

By Jen, Copyright 2010