It’s time for another Global Writing Challenge prompt. Our current membership consists of MK’s Adventures in Style, Deb’s World, Women Over 50 Living Well, Suzy Turner, Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After, Rosie Amber, and me. Suzy chose this month’s theme. Suzy is truly the Queen of the Supernatural. If you’ve never visited her blog or YouTube channel, I encourage you to do so. She’s a beautiful writer as well as having a lovely style! I love the Global Writing Challenge because it’s always fun to see what others come up with…the responses rarely repeat. On top of the wonderfully different opinions and thoughts, the writing itself is wonderful! I hope you’ll visit all of these blogs because you are going to be amazed at, not only the diversity of ideas, but the stories of each person. There’s also a link party at the end of this post!
If you want to participate…
If you’d like to join in, we post on the second Thursday of the month. You can link up with me or any of the other bloggers. Here are the next few prompts of the year:
- July: Supernatural
- August: Accidents
A caveat of sorts…
When I started thinking about this topic, I decided I needed to first find out exactly what supernatural means. It actually means anything that can’t be explained by science or a force of nature. So, with that in mind, I tried to think of something supernatural that had happened to me. I couldn’t come up with a single thing. I think I’m so boring, even ghosts aren’t interested!
A little history…
But, again, referring back to that definition, I think religion falls into that category. A belief in God, Buddha, or any other entity related to a religion is neither explained by nature nor by forces of nature. I know I haven’t spoken much about my religious beliefs on the blog. I haven’t avoided it by any means. It just hasn’t seemed to be pertinent to most of my posts So, here goes! I was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Columbia City, Indiana. That was the church my mom was raised in, but it’s not the one I was raised in. For some reason, my Aunt Dorothy attended the United Methodist Church so my siblings and I went to Sunday School, were confirmed there, and attended church there. Once my dad got sick, Mom went back to church, and Nigel and I went with her. You can read more about my dad’s passing here. Nigel wasn’t sure if he’d ever been baptized (but he was raised a Baptist so probably). Anyway, he was baptized and joined the Lutheran Church while I was just confirmed as a member since I’d already gone through confirmation at the other church. We attended Grace for more than forty years. Now that we live in Brownsburg, we are members of Messiah Lutheran Church. One of the things I like about the Lutheran church is the liturgy. I don’t necessarily consider myself a creature of habit, but I do like the liturgical process. I like knowing what comes next. A certain friend of mine once told me he thought it was weird people sit in a large room and sing and talk to and about this entity that may or may not exist. I told him that’s why we call it faith! So, I do think being a member of a religion is a form of the supernatural.https://marshainthemiddle.com/grief-never-leaves/
Some supernatural happenings…
To be clear, while I have this deep faith, I also have never heard from Him very often. In fact, I can only think of one time that happened. It was earlier this year or late last year. One would think I would remember exactly what happened and all the details. Once would be wrong. All I know is something was going on in my life, and I heard this calm voice letting me know it was going to be OK. No, I don’t remember what the issue was, and I don’t remember what He said. I just remember understanding it had been God speaking to me. There was a gravitas about it that made it clear to me who was telling me something. And, whatever it was, it worked out fine! The other instance was a possibly fatal accident on 465 which is a “bypass” around Indianapolis. To make a long story short, I hit my brakes to avoid hitting someone, locked up the brakes, and lost control of my car. I know there were cars all around me. By the time I got my car under control and looked in the mirror, there were no cars anywhere near me. Let me be clear here. There had been at least one car right beside me when this started, and several in front of and behind me. I know a supernatural being, guardian angel or God himself, was with me that day. Oh, wait, there are two other instances of this supernatural feeling from Heaven. While there were two instances, it was, basically, the same thing. I was in the operating room…once for an endoscopy and the other for foot surgery. I had been prepped; everyone had their scrubs and masks on, and this nurse came up to me, put both hands (ungloved) on my face, and said, “I’ll be with you the entire time. Don’t worry.” Now, I’ve had two nurse friends tell me that would never happen because the surgical suite is a sterile environment. So, I’m pretty sure it was my guardian angel.
Spooky supernatural…
Now, on to the spooky side of supernatural. When we lived in our last house, there was a cemetery just north of our house. It hadn’t been used in centuries. The only time we saw any activity after dark was when Halloween fell on a Saturday one year. Some teenagers went in there (it is fenced off) and left without making much noise. The next day, Nigel went over to make sure there wasn’t any damage…there wasn’t any. I think they probably went in there, told a few ghost stories, scared themselves silly, and made a rapid exit. But, Nigel never had any problems with his health or breaking bones before we moved into that house. Within a few weeks of moving in, he’d broken his right arm in possibly the worst possible place. Two surgeries later, he’s left with limited range of motion. Two years later, he broke his right ankle when he fell off another ladder. He refused to go to the doctor for six weeks! When I finally made him go, we discovered he had, indeed, broken it. But, it had already begun to heal. The only recourse would be to go in, rebreak the bones and set them. He decided not to do that. During Covid, he fell down the steps and broke his left ankle. He didn’t put up one minute of fuss when I said we needed to go to the orthopedic emergency clinic. He did have surgery on that, but he complains about it all the time (yeah, life’s not always peaches and cream here). All of that makes me wonder if there wasn’t more to that cemetery, and our house was built right on top of it. I do hope, if that’s the case, the bad juju ceased when we moved. I’d hate to think the family who lives there now is dealing with that.
Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!
What others are saying…
Suzy “writes about ghostly visits, soul sightings, and spine-tingling moments that suggest this world isn’t quite as ordinary as it seems.”
Mary Katherine is still on hiatus as she wraps up her work life, takes a trip and just relaxes for a bit!
Sue “explores the power of intuition and the unseen, encouraging women to trust their inner voice through reflections and inspiring quotes.”
Debbie: “looks at what supernatural powers she would have and how she’d make them work for her in the real world. What powers would you choose?”
Leslie says “the word supernatural has several connotations that she explores for this month’s Tell Us About post.”
Rosie “tells us about the first time that she went to see a psychic medium’s live show.”
And, now, it’s your turn!
If you’d like to link up your Supernatural posts, you may link up here or at any of the other blogs!
Oooh, I love this topic! I am very in tune with the spiritual world and have had many experiences with supernatural things. All of my experiences have been positive which is good because the spooky stuff is just too spooky for me! I really enjoyed reading this, my friend!
Shelbee
Thank you, Shelbee! I wonder if things have happened around me, and I’ve just gone blithely on my way not noticing! I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
I think that you ‘ve got a few unexplained events here that certainly sound supernatural. Poor Nigel!
Thanks, Rosie! When I read back over my post, I would have to agree with you.
This is a fun and interesting topic (as if all of yours aren’t!). I’m always grateful for the truly unlikely “coincidences” that I refer to as “sock miracles,” when things should not remotely go your way, but do. They are named for those times back in the day when I was ridiculously behind in the family laundry, the drawers were empty, and while panic scrounging for two single uniform socks that would passably match–five minutes before the school bus was due–I would find a neatly folded pair in an unrelated place…
POOR NIGEL!!!
Thanks, Em! I love your “sock miracles!” I think I may have gotten a top of the line hosiery, best denier possible miracle when I was driving. There truly were several cars surrounding me. I even remember glancing in my mirror right before hitting the brakes to see how many were there. I was merging into the center lane, and a big old truck was merging from his lane. I wasn’t going to fight him. God or one of His guardian angels was definitely with me. I did forget to say he broke his arm falling off a ladder painting his garage with no one home…back in the days when he thought he was invincible. I wish he still thought that these days.
I don’t care if people think I’m crazy, but I’m sure I have had visits by my Rainbow Cats every, now, and then (not the only one to think that, I know others who felt the same way about theirs, but also people).
Nigel didn’t really get much of a break there, did he?
https://catswire.blogspot.com/
I love how you explained faith – it’s true, we sit in a room, sing, pray and speak of an unseen entity- yet I never doubt His existence! Great job on your post Marsha, you covered it all so well!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! I mean, when he said that, I did pause for a minute. Then, I realized we can’t see the wind, yet we believe it’s there. It’s what faith is. I’m glad you enjoyed my post.
Isn’t it funny that you assumed nothing ‘supernatural’ ever happened to you but when you started writing about it, you’ve had lots of things happen (you’ve clearly got lots of guardian angels all around you, Marsha)! I also really like the fact you wrote about religion, because you’re absolutely right, in a way it is supernatural because you’re talking to, and praying to, an entity that no-one really knows anything about! I’m quite intrigued about the graveyard but I doubt the accidents had anything to do with the actual graveyard, it’s more likely to do with negative energy that was somewhere in your area. When I was a child, we lived in a house with a graveyard in the garden—it was poor souls who had died in an epidemic a couple of hundred years before, I think. I forget what it was. But it never creeped me out!
Great post, my friend!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
Thanks, my friend! I am not sure where those guardian angels live, but they’re Johnny on the spot when I need them, that’s for sure! I think the way you put it about the graveyard is what I was getting at. I think we may have disturbed things and the negative energy just came out. Or, it could be that Mike is just a klutz! Honestly, though, I do think there was something weird about the energy there. I never felt anything and never ever felt afraid. If the neighborhood were safer, I think we’d still be living there. We would have had to put in one of those stair lift chairs (then I have visions of Gremlins going through my head), but I loved that house. I actually love being in graveyards during the nighttime. They are peaceful and beautiful all at the same time.
I chose to write about something that isn’t really supernatural at all – just in name. I am so glad to read your post and to be reminded of similar experiences I have had. Thank you. I believe that WAS God telling you that everything would be ok…to paraphrase!! He came to me once and said basically the same thing. Sadly, I don’t remember what crazy I was dealing with at the time either. Maybe that is part of the message. Whatever it was, in both of our cases, it wasn’t that crucial, that lifechanging that we would even remember it all these years later. And God did indeed see us through.
Love the idea of your guardian angel holding you through your surgery. Precious. Precious thought/experience.
I grew up with absolutely no religious training and only in later life I have become more spiritual. Paul was raised Baptist and we sampled the Baptist church together for awhile but it is really not for me. We are ‘doing’ the non-denominational thing now. When we go.
Thanks, Leslie! That’s a good point. Maybe, we aren’t meant to remember the exact details just knowing that He was there. I only remember this absolute positively sure feeling that it was God speaking to me. I honestly thought there was a nurse there both times. I didn’t think anything of it, but I happened to mention it to a nurse friend. She said there was no way that would have happened in the surgical suite since it’s a sterile environment. And, it was definitely before the anesthesiologist came in so no drugs were involved…hahaha!!! I’m not sure my childhood was particularly religious. We just went to church, but we never really discussed anything. We didn’t pray together. My spiritual life developed on its own. I went to a Baptist funeral once and was totally shocked! No one told me there would be that kind of preaching going on. I just find so much comfort in the traditional liturgy of the Lutheran church…when I go!
This comment from you cracked me up: I couldn’t come up with a single thing. I think I’m so boring, even ghosts aren’t interested!
That sounds like my life!
I’ve had a few situations or events in my life I would say were supernatural in nature. One was when I had COVID and was in the hospital. Another was when I had my daughter (similar situation to yours with a nurse being there with me). Another was when my aunt died and I had a very vivid vision of her being picked up and held by a pair of arms. When she turned to look up at the person holding her she looked confused but then suddenly smiled and was calm. I couldn’t see a face in the vision, but the vision came as I was driving to my parents’ to be with them after her passing in their dining room.
Hahaha!!! We have so much in common, Lisa! I am beginning to wonder if God isn’t looking down at us and thinking, “Hey, those people could use a little reassurance I’m still here, and I still love them.” I’d like to believe that. Your vision is beautiful. Was anyone with your aunt when she passed and witnessed the same thing?
Thanks, Lisa, for commenting!
Always love hearing your stories Marsha.
And that aI photo, it’s basically supernatural!
Xoxo
Jodie
Thanks, Jodie! I was surprised at how easy it is to use AI…which is really scary when you think about it!
Hi Marsha, this was a great take on the prompt and I really enjoyed learning more about your life! I must say Nigel really has been through the wars with all the broken bones. I always enjoy these Tell Us About prompts!
Thanks, Debbie! He was always so proud of never having been in a hospital except for when he was born! Boy, did that change! And, I really did (and kinda still do) wonder if there just wasn’t some bad juju from that cemetery. I really do like the Tell Us About prompts. Everyone comes at them from such different angles, usually.
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