Читать книгу The Infinite Mind: The Mind/Brain Phenomenon - Betty Shine - Страница 15

The final story for this section is from the wife of another footballing personality, Toots Venables.

After the death of my grandmother I decided to go with a friend to visit a Spiritualist church. Neither of us had any kind of previous experience so we did not know what to expect.

We chose seats at the back, and listened as some of the congregation received messages from their loved ones. I was amazed because the recipients seemed to accept the evidence as though it was an everyday occurrence – so laid back and relaxed. Then the medium pointed to me and said, ‘I have your grandmother here.’

I must confess I was so shocked that I thought I would faint. I became very emotional, and my eyes filled with tears. The medium told me about things that I could relate to myself and family, but I felt that they could equally have applied to others. Then he told me that my grandmother was saying, ‘Ask her about the tomatoes.’ When I told him that I had no idea what she was talking about, the medium continued, ‘She is saying that she used to do something to her tomatoes that made people laugh.’ This was becoming embarrassing because I had to tell him again that I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about. He replied, ‘Your grandmother is telling me that your mum will know. Ask her.’

After the service, I rushed home to give the message to Mum. When I had finished, she looked at me in amazement, and said, ‘Nan used to sprinkle sugar all over her tomatoes – and people did laugh when they saw she did this.’

I knew immediately that the spur of the moment decision to visit the Spiritualist church had changed my whole conception of spirituality, and encouraged me to have a more open mind.

I have also received many messages from my father since he passed away two and a half years ago. These messages are always comforting. The most recent message was given to me by a medium in church. He told me that my dad had worked for London Transport as a bus driver, we came from East Ham, and that he had had an accident in his bus but never told anyone about it. He also told me that my grandad Tom was there, and that he used to work in the docks when they were full of big ships, a real working dock. The medium was absolutely accurate in every detail but one, or so I thought. Yes, we did live in East Ham, and my dad had worked for London Transport for twenty-five years, but neither my mother nor I knew anything about an accident. However, my brother Paul later told me that when he was fourteen he had found Dad’s driving licence and had noticed that there was an endorsement on it for an accident that had occurred. My brother had never mentioned this to anyone.

Another message I had from Dad was very funny. We had a wonderful dog called Oscar, and my father really loved him. Every day whilst preparing Oscar’s food he would add grated carrot to the meal. During a visit to a medium, she told me, ‘I’m getting a message which makes no sense to me at all, but I must give it to you. Your father is telling you not to forget the carrots.’ What more proof does one need?

However, my husband Terry was very sceptical about mediums – even though his great-grandmother was a medium herself. His mother Eileen would often tell me stories about her.

When our best friend Bobby Keetch died suddenly, it was not only a great shock to us but to everyone who knew him. He was always so full of life, and was one of the nicest and funniest people we have ever known. On the day after his funeral, Terry and I were going on holiday, but before we left I arranged for Jan and Nicky (Bobby’s wife and daughter) to have a sitting with a medium. It was arranged for twelve noon on the following Tuesday.

During our holiday in Bali, I told Terry that I would ring Jan to find out how she had got on. I worked out when to call as there is a six-hour time difference. We had our usual siesta and I woke, feeling slightly disorientated, at about 6.00 p.m. I was amazed to find that not only did we not have a light in the room but the main supply was not working either – and yet on looking out of the window I could see that all the other villas had light. We rang reception, and they were as puzzled about the power cut as we were. Terry then asked me for the time. It was seven o’clock, and with the time difference was exactly when Jan and Nicky were due to visit the medium. I turned to Terry and said, ‘I bet that’s a sign from Bobby.’ Of course, Terry laughed.

Later that evening I rang Jan to find out how she had got on. Her sister-in-law answered the phone and explained that Jan still hadn’t returned. I told her about the lights. When Jan got home she told her sister-in-law that the medium had told her Bobby was saying, ‘I did the lights, it was me.’ But Jan hadn’t known what the medium was talking about. We were all amazed by this evidence. And when Bobby contacted Betty whilst she was having a telephone conversation with Anne McMenemy, we knew that he would always be with us.

Many years after the death of Terry’s mum, we arranged to have dinner with Betty, Jan and her daughter Nicolette. But whilst we were waiting to be seated at the table, Betty began to give Terry survival evidence that took him back to his childhood. Then she said, ‘This lady is cooking something for you. I don’t know what it is, but I’m being given a picture of something that is neither a cake or a pancake, it’s a “thing” and it’s about this big.’ Betty then made a size with her hands about four inches in diameter. We were amazed because it was something his mum would always cook with Terry’s bacon and eggs for breakfast. It was just flour and water mixed together and fried. There was no name for it, and it was always referred to as ‘one of those things’. The evidence went on for some time, and was so accurate that Terry changed his opinion about mediums.

One day, whilst I was talking to Betty over the phone, she told me that my dad wanted to speak with me. He gave me wonderful evidence of his survival, and even described the flooding that had taken place that very morning whilst I was using the washing machine.

I do not find mediumship weird or spooky, but comforting. I find the fact that our loved ones are still around and able to communicate with us a bonus, and one that I would miss if it were not available.

The important thing in this life is to have an open mind.

It is important to remember that even though you may not yet have had any evidence of survival, someone is always with you. Love is the greatest link that we have with those who have temporarily left us.