Sunday, May 20, 2012

I'll Take A "Medium," Please: 5/20/12

As adults, we've all suffered loss in our lives. When death follows the natural order of the life cycle it seems to be more tolerable and acceptable. My grandfather on my mom's side of the family was the first close loss I experienced. I was 19 years-old. I was an adult when Pop Pop passed. He was sick... cancer. He suffered for a while before he died. His illness coincided with my parents' separation and that just complicated things emotionally. We had a very close relationship with all of our grandparents growing up, visiting them frequently, vacationing with them, having sleep-overs. So, I wasn't surprised when I had a very vivid dream about my Pop Pop a few months after he passed. He was very comforting in this dream. He repeated over and over again that he was okay, everything was okay. That same night, my mother felt that my grandfather was in our home, checking on us. She didn't know about my dream when she shared this information. To this day, I truly believe my Pop Pop spoke to me that evening. He was in our home, watching over us, protecting us.

In my experience, when someone my own age or younger dies, it's a much tougher pill to swallow. When I lost my sister 18 months ago. I had so many questions... why her, why now, why so young? I desperately wanted to communicate with her. Of course, butterfly sightings happened frequently, but I wanted more. I did not seek out a medium until the idea presented itself to me. In August of 2011, I had dinner with some of Andrea's closest friends to celebrate Andrea's birthday. During dinner, one of the girls mentioned that one of their friends sought out a psychic medium to connect with a passed relative and my sister. A little over a month later, I contacted this medium. My experience with the medium validated that there is life after death, but I received no clear message from my sister. I did, however, pass along messages to my co-worker from her mother. She passed away from breast cancer a year before Andrea. I couldn't wait to give my friend her mom's messages. I was so happy for her, but disappointed that no relevant messages came from my sister.

Fast-forward to December 2011. My mom, like me, has desperately wanted to communicate with Andrea as well. I mentioned that some of the more well-known psychic mediums tour throughout the country. If she wanted, she could buy tickets to one of these events. Her friend researched online and discovered that John Edward was coming to Philly in April 2012. They bought four tickets. One of my mom's friends had to back out, so I went in her place. My mom and I talked a bit before heading to the John Edward event. We knew it was a sold-out crowd. We knew it was a long shot to receive a reading. We decided... "let's just go and enjoy the experience with no expectations." That's what we did. As we sat in an audience of 300+ people, John Edward walked on stage, gave a short introduction and dove into random readings for eager audience members. Shortly after finishing a few emotional readings for audience members, he connected with George... "does someone know a George with an amputated leg?" The woman beside my mom jumps out of her seat. She says "I do!! That's my grandfather!" He talks to with the woman briefly about George. Then John asks... "Who is Linda?" The woman can't answer. She doesn't know a Linda. At this point, John Edward is very persistent. "I'm getting a Linda. It's definitely Linda." I raise my hand and say... "You want my mom. Her name is Linda." The woman next to my mom reluctantly hands her the microphone and the reading went as follows:

John Edward: "Are you Linda?"
Mom: "Yes."
JE: "Did you pass your namesake along to someone?"
Mom: "yes, my daughter, but it's spelled..."
JE: "That doesn't matter."
Mom: "Yes, my daughter's name was Andrea Lynn. The Lynn was after me."
JE: "Has she passed?"
Mom: "Yes."
JE: "Did she have cancer?"
Mom: "Yes."
JE: "Who is Bob?'
Mom: "Bob is an old neighbor and friend of ours."
JE: "Did he pass?"
Mom: "Yes."
JE:' "He is with her. Who is Clare?"
Mom: "Clare is my best friend's mother."
JE: "Has she passed?"
Mom: "Yes."
JE: "She is with her. Her grandfathers are also with her. Was one of the them in the Navy?"
Mom: "Yes. My father."
JE: "Did one of them fly alot?"
Mom: "Yes, that's my father-in-law. He traveled alot after he retired."
JE: "And there's a man up there throwing a party."
Me: "I think that's my Uncle Danny."
Mom: Nods in agreement
JE: "He is with her and he's having a party. Was there an adoption in your family? Did someone give a child up for adoption?"
Mom: "Yes, my sister-in-law."
JE: "Andrea is telling me that everyone was surprised when they found out."
Mom: "yes."
JE: "Now she's telling me you took her cat? Did she have a cat?"
Me: "We had a few cats growing up. When we were kids my mom told us she took one of them to a 'farm.'"
Audience: LAUGHS
JE: "She acknowledges this."
JE: "Andrea is also telling me you've kept her shoes?"
Mom: "I'm wearing her shoes right now!!"
Audience: GASP!

My mom nearly fell over at this point in the reading.

JE: Nods. "She's telling me somebody wants trees or shrubs moved at a property line?"
Mom: "My mother wants a tree moved in the front of the house."
JE: "Is it on the property line?"
Mom: "No."
JE: "She's telling me this is specifically about the property line"
Me: "My husband and I were in our backyard last night and we were arguing about the trees on our property line. He wants them gone I want them to stay."
JE: "She's telling me you're gonna lose this one. She said... let him golf more and maybe you'll get your way."
JE: "She's showing me a pink rose. A pink rose symbolizes an anniversary. Is there a significant anniversary near?"
Me: "Yes, her wedding anniversary is next week."
JE: "She's acknowledging that."

John Edward pauses for a moment. Asks my mom a question...

JE: "She's telling me that you don't like amusements much... rides?"
Mom: "No, not really."
JE: "But she did. And you never discouraged her from enjoying them. In fact, you encouraged her to go and enjoy herself...
In fact, I really appreciate her analogy. You raised an amazing person...
She says this was the way she viewed life. She appreciated the ups and the downs. Even when she was sick, she appreciated the highs and the lows."

He pauses again... addresses my mom.

JE: "She also wants you to know that when you would sit with her, and hold her hand, she knew what you were saying. You didn't say anything and you didn't have to. She knew what you were saying."

My mom thanked him and that was it... for us.

I don't know about you, but I thought that was a pretty amazing reading. We did not give our names to anyone, we did not fill out any paperwork. We just sat in the audience and he found us and gave us the gift of Andrea.

I wrote John Edward a few times on Facebook after the reading to thank him and tell him how grateful we were for the gift of his reading. He responded each time.

I also want to thank Andrea. Thank you for reaching out to us. Thank you for letting us know you're still with us. We miss you everyday.







3 comments:

  1. It takes my breath away reading this. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. This is amazing Christine - I used to watch his show and know how much it means to those he talks to. That you created this blog is also a very nice gift. I often visit the facebook account to stay connected and it helps a bit. I knew Andrea from work. She started there about 2 weeks after I did, and then I knew her through Cori McFadden. I hope this helps the family and friends to stay connected too.........

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  3. This made the hairs stand up on my arms and the back of my neck. Amazing. I've read every one of your posts. I think it'a amazing that you're sharing all of this with those who choose to read it. Thank you sincerely for sharing all of it. I'm finding it comforting with the events unfolding within my own family. I appreciate your insight, your candor, your humor and your ability to accentuate what's truly important in life. Terrific and special.

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