I thought I'd jot down a few that have happened to me in my adult life. Most of mine have been family, a couple friends.
To begin, my father has been my most frequent visitor. After his passing my mom and I were all the family that was left. She was diagnosed with dementia 1 yr after his death. So I watched her quite closely and eventually she needed 24 hr care and she wanted to go into assisted living to remain "independent". Everytime she was about to get seriously ill needing hospitalization, my father would show up. Once I saw him out on the property walking up from the stock tank. He looked about 45, healthy and strong and he was walking toward the house with purpose as they say.
Two weeks later mom had a stroke and was hospitalized and needed 90 days of physical therapy to get back to her little apartment. The second time he showed up at the side of my bed. Once he had my attention, he faded away, but I knew he was warming me. She had a second stroke.
The third time she became seriously ill, he did not come to me. She was quite ill and required surgery. She had a stroke on the table, ICU, then hospice. I knew she would not go home when he did not come to me. I believe in my heart he intended to come for her. She died on the full moon, 1 day after her mothers birthday. Curiously, my dad died 1 day after the anniversary of my sisters death. Family was everything to my dad and he never liked the family being separated. I think he stays around me because he doesn't want me to be apart from him or the family. I am the last of the line and have no other living family at all.
Before my dad's passing (6 months) my late sister showed up in my bedroom and scared the dickens out of me in the middle of the night. She put her hand on my hip and I felt the pressure. She also put one hand on the bed and the mattress dipped. I worked up the courage to turn my head and look as I thought it was an intruder, and it was her. She bent over and gently blew in to my face. My hair moved. It was no dream I am sure of it. Then she just faded. I read later that in India this is considered the "breath of hope". Dad died in my arms. After that I understood, she was giving me the gift of hope - hope that life does not end when we end. I get it.
My father's brother appeared to me the night he died. He stood at the foot of the bed with an incredible landscape behind him and a distant city. He told me to hold my arm out and I did, an amethyst bracelet appeared with a purple heart on it. He smiled and said, "You earned it kid" meaning the purple heart. He and my sister have never returned, but I know my dad is around. I've never seen my mom.
I have heard other stories from relatives now gone, that had extraordinary visits connected to family tragedies, so perhaps this runs in the family. I don't know. I had a college friend commit suicide. His father was a prominent doctor and they tried to keep it quiet and out of the news. They could not find Bill's body for 6 months, but in April I was sitting in my bedroom watching Upstairs ,Downstairs on PBS. The picture kept fading out and Bill's face would appear and he was laughing his fanny off. This happened about 3 times in short succession. I finally got up and called his sister. She panicked and asked me if I had heard anything on TV or the radio. I assured her I hadn't and she told me they had found a skull and a few bones out near a lake where he liked to go. Bill had a contentious relationship with his dad and did not want to be a dr. This was his revenge on his dad for pushing him to the edge. A week later when they buried the bones when I went to bed and the house got quiet, Bill came back. He was standing at the foot of my bed laughing this big belly laugh. He never said anything, just laughed and sent me a thought of love and goodbye. He has never come back. I just hope he is at peace.
Anyway, lot's of this stuff in my family and with me. Thought I'd start a thread on visitations. I'll add more as I recall them. But wanted to get started. How about you ? Any visits ?