My haunted handbag
Saturday 28th November 2009
You'll enjoy it when you're there,' my husband, Michael, smiled. 'Honest.' I sighed. 'I really don't think I will,' I said. 'But it's all booked so we might as well give it a go, I suppose.' 'Why not?' Michael, 38, smiled, giving me a reassuring hug. It was September 2008 and I was feeling lower than I'd ever felt before. The world was empty and grey for me, and I was always crying. It was because, three weeks earlier, in August, I'd lost my mum, Sandra, 65, to cancer.
Mum and I had been so close, saw each other every day without fail. And when we weren't together, we were chatting on the phone up to five times a day. 'Is that your mum on the phone again?' Michael would say. 'You two are always talking.' But now, she was gone, and I felt like I'd lost my right arm. I'd made all the arrangements for her funeral, deciding to throw roses on top of her coffin rather than dirt and I visited her grave in All Saint's cemetery twice a day. Anything to feel close to her again. 'I wish I could help you to feel more like your old self again,' Michael would tell me.
Now, three weeks on, we were getting ready for a night out that I'd organised with my friend, Natalie. We'd arranged to see a psychic, Tony Stockwell, at a local hotel. The way I was feeling, I'd have much rather not have gone. But I decided to put a brave face on it, as I didn't want Michael to miss out. At the hotel, we took our seats in the conference room, I watched as Tony spoke with spirirts and ghosts, and moved a table by channelling his mind.
'Impressive,' I said as the lights went up and we got to our feet. To be honest, I couldn't wait to get home, but on the way out, Michael went over to speak to Tony. 'Do you do private readings?' he said. 'My wife lost her mum recently.' Tony smiled and then looked over to me. 'Is that your wife in the black?' I heard him say. 'Her mum's with her.' I felt my heart starting to beat faster. Tony looked me steadily in the eye. 'Your mum died of cancer, didn't she?' he said. 'She was in a lot of pain around her pelvis.' I stood there in shock, unable to believe what I was hearing. It's probably just a lucky coincidence, I thought. There must be no end of people who die of cancer.
'She loved the fact you threw roses on her coffin at the funeral,' Tony went on. 'It touched her very much.' 'Thank you,' I replied. 'I just want to confirm for you that she's here and I'm not making this up,' Tony carried on. 'Your handbag used to belong to her, didn't it? She's telling me there's a keyring inside that you're using. That also used to be hers. It's in the shape of an S.' To say I was stunned doesn't even come close. 'She has a message for you,' Tony continued. 'She says you need to stop visiting her grave twice a day and get on with your life. Enjoy it.' Suddenly, I felt as if a weight was being lifted from my heart. Mum was OK.
And she wanted me to move on. That night, I lay in bed, thinking. I know I'll always love Mum and I'll never get over losing her. But she's right. I have a life to live. From that day on, I've only visited the grave once a week and now, over a year on, I am a different woman. So thanks, Tony. Truth was, I didn't even want to go to your show that night. But not a moment goes by when I'm not thankful that I did.
Tony says: 'Connecting with the other world on Dee's behalf was a real privilege as her mother seemed a wonderful woman as she came through. I hope Dee feels lighter and happier knowing her mother lives on in the spirit world