My mother had 10 children with her first husband. A year after his death, I was born to my 45 year old mother, the result of a brief affair. When I was one year old, my mother met my step-dad who was 25 years younger than mom and younger than several of my half-siblings. Dad raised and loved me as his own, as he did not have children of his own.
I was first introduced to the concept of paranormal activity when I was around 12. My Dad was a firm believer and we discussed it often. When questioned on why he held the belief in the supernatural, his response was always “If you ever have the opportunity to read the book ‘The Reincarnation of Bridie Murphy’, read it and you’ll understand.” Over the years, I made half-hearted attempts to locate a copy, but never did.
I remember our last discussion on the subject when I was 17. Dad and I lamented about how frustrating it was to be unable to prove the existence of such things. We made a pact – whoever died first would return to the one remaining with the proof we both longed for.
The next year, in 1976, Dad fell from the roof of a 2 1/2 story house and died at the age of 40. I was too grief-stricken to even think about our pact for years, and when I did, it dawned on me that such things do not exist or Dad would have made contact with me to confirm it. After all, we had a pact.
April 2, 2006, would have been Dad’s 70th birthday. Early that Sunday morning, the phone rang, waking my husband and I. It was a woman neither of us knew who asked for me. At the time I owned an antique shop and she wanted to know if I wanted to buy her mother’s entire household estate. At breakfast, I jokingly told my husband, that maybe Dad had sent a sweet deal my way and off we went to look over the goods and make an offer, which was accepted.
I spent a week sorting the stuff and then hired a girl to help finish packing it up and moving it to my shop. Among the 3 trailer loads of boxes were 63 heavy boxes of books, which for the most part, I felt had little resale value. After all the boxes were removed, my helper and I started getting the furniture ready for moving. Under the last bed we were tearing down was another book. I told my helper to toss it in the trash bin – I had had it with all the books. When she tossed it she missed and it fell at my feet. I picked it up to toss it away and noticed the title – ‘The Search for Bridie Murphy’, the book Dad had wanted me to read all those years ago.
Maybe Dad made good on the pact after all.
What do you think? Any suggestions on how to nurture further contact?
Sent in by Sandi, Copyright 2009 TrueGhostTales.com
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absolutely fantastic!! of all the places that could have had that book!! what is it about briefly? caretaker can you tell us where we might be able to find it!! i’m so sorry for your loss sandi and your dad was just to young to die, you’ll see him again, i’m sure of it! thanks for telling us!!
okay i looked it up the reincarnation of bridey murphy, hope i got the spelling right. is the story of a woman born in the 20′s. she said she was reincarnated by a woman born many years before in ireland. i’d love to read this one!!
Honestly I wouldn’t try to contact him, you should let him pass to the otherside!
Hi Sandi
I liked your story very much, I beleive that your father made good for the pact, this is not happened by accident . the book was sent on the date of his Birthday , waooo , it looks like a gift from the other world. He tells you that I am here feeling & care about you.
To be honest I do not beleive in reincarnation , but I heared many stories about contacts from others whom passed out. I wish you can receive another sign from your father . I also wish you enjoy reading the gift book & if you do not mind to tell us shortly some details about it if you can. God bless you .thank you for sharing your wonderful story.
hossam Hamdy.
Trolldoll1681, you are correct, the book is about an amateur hypnotist in the 1950′s who stumbled onto age regression studies and a lady from Colorado who, when under hypnosis described her life as Bridey Murphy in Ireland, her death and the period after. Apparently, some of the information given while under hypnosis was confirmed and the lady, when speaking as Bridey Murphy, used dialect from the period (early to mid-1800′s I think). The lady never wanted to be identified, and refused money and fame and eventually refused any further sessions.
I devoured the book as soon as I got it home, expecting to find some hidden meaning just for me. Although interesting, there was no great revealation or message that I could find. Of course the book remains one of my treasured possessions, and as Hossam Hamdy says, I consider it a gift from Dad.
Thanks for your input, Karen M. But what if that silly pact we made keeps him from it? On the other hand, I have heard that synchronicity, where times and places cross with unbelievable coincidence, causes things like this to happen.
maybe it wasnt the book itself, that was the proof….it could have been, him letting you know where to find the book…..maybe, you have the proof!!! i think that he proved to you that he could contact you, and he did with the book…..
My dad contacts me very often, through clocks…. when he was a younger man, he made and fixed clocks and watches, as a hobby…. since he passed away, almost 6 years ago,, me, and my mom, also has one, and lives in a different house, (grandfather clock) just goes wild sometimes.. mom and i always compare notes about our clocks.. and he also plays with my other clocks,, thats his way of saying hello!!!!
, what an amazing story!! if you want to keep in touch with him,,, im sure he is close by.. just say hello, and take note of whats going on around you!!!
ktm
Oy I think I heard this story and didn’t she have brothers and sisters and she accidently met the one sister when they were older and her brother’s and sister’s couln’t believe how much this lady was like Birdie???????
I believe it must be his doings.
there must be a reason why he didn’t contact you by appear at you directly or why it took years for him to contact you, but he certainly trying to give you some proof and fulfill his promise with you.
Knowtomuch – Of course, why didn’t I think of that?!? I was so consumed with finding secret meaning in the BOOK that I overlooked the secret meaning is that the book was THERE in the first place. Perfect explanation. Re-examining the whole thing, I admit that I would not have placed much meaning in locating the book, but it was that it came to me on what would have been his 70th birthday in the 30th anniversary year of his death, at a time of desperation for my antique business and the purchase of that estate got me what I needed to continue long enough to pay my debts and get out with some dignity. So it is TRUE! I am so excited…
Mellisa, thanks. I have wondered if 30 years is just a blink of the eye in the afterlife and it took that long for him to gain his bearings and figure out how to do it, but then I’ve heard of others making contact right away.
Now I wonder if it has been ME all along – too analytical and rigid in my thinking. Expecting an apparition, I guess and now wonder how many “signs” I have missed or may still be missing. Any gentle instruction on how to “see” more would be most appreciated.
Can you tell about the book please?
I agree with ktm. And could you tell about the book please?
Here is an Amazon review of the book:
This book is based on recorded transcripts done by Morey Bernstein on a patient, Ruth Simmons back in 1952. Dr Bernstein hypnotised Ms Simmons to talk about her early childhood events. During the course of these hypnotist sessions, she started talking about earlier lives. According to her account, she had several lives.
In one life she came as a baby who lived only briefly. She talks about her life with this family and her brothers and sisters playing with her and being ill.
The biggest past life she talks about is Bridey Murphy, a woman who lived in Ireland in the 1800s. She talks about her childhood and family and her husband and how she died. Bridey was named after her grandmother Bridgette. She died in her late sixties after a bad fall. After Bridey died, she was worried about her husband and apparently decided to stay in the house with him until he died. She says he was totally unaware of her presence even though she tried to communicate with him.
The whole book is a very interesting series of transcripts taken from the tapes of the conversations with Dr Bernstein. I am not a big believer in reincarnation, but I still found it the sort of book hard to put down. For those people who believe in reincarnation, this book is a must-read. For those nonbelievers, it is still an interesting book.
The Search for Bridey Murphy
I remember seeing the film “The Reincarnation Of Bridey Murphy” on TV when i was in my very early teens nearly thirty years ago and although I have never seen it since, I’ve never forgotten it.
Although the following account is not about reincarnation, it does prove to me and my Family, that there most definately is, an afterlife.
When growing up, our Family home had a resident Spirit.
Out of all the Family, only my Mother, my older Sister and Myself, ever witnessed anything happening and there were many happenings !!!
My Father (who did not believe in such nonsense) would “hit the roof” if any of us mentioned it in front of him, claiming that we had “wild imaginations”.
Just before my Father died, he entered Hospital for the final time on the Sunday.
It was a cold, dark, January night, in North West England.
As he got into the Hospital bed, he was looking across the ward and asked;
“Who are all of those people looking through the window”?
None of the Family could see anyone.
The day after, on the Monday, he asked;
“Who are all those people stood against the wall, on the other side of the ward”?
None of the Family could see anyone.
The day after, on the Tuesday, he asked;
“Who are all those People stood in the middle of the ward”?
None of the Family could see anyone.
The day after, on the Wednesday, he told us;
“All of those People are now stood around the bed” and he named all of the people who where (supposedly) stood there.
They were all Family members and friends…..
And of course, they were no longer of this Earth !!!
Even the dead Family cat was curled up and purring at the bottom of the bed !!!
My Father then told us (quite calmly) that it was his time to go and that the others had come to help him on his way.
Within half an hour, he slipped into unconsciousness and never came back.
The day after, on the Thursday, my Father died in Hospital, at 09.05hrs.
Later, when the Family arrived back home at our Mothers house, we noticed that the carraige clock on the fireplace, had stopped at 09.05hrs, the time of my Fathers death.
This carraige clock had been one of my Fathers retirement gifts when he finished work (he was a great fan of all types of clocks and watches).
We changed the batteries, but no way would the clock start to work.
After the Funeral, we went back home to my Mothers house and…..
You guessed it, the clock was ticking away perfectly !!!
We have never been able to explain why this happened.
But that is not the end of the tale.
A couple of years later, after my Mother had also passed, we bought a holiday home.
We decided to take my Fathers carraige clock there, to put on top of the fireplace.
When we are there, the clock keeps perfect time.
We leave after a couple of days and we lock everything up, looking forward to our next visit.
When we arrive back at our holiday home, the clock has gone haywire, sometimes it has gone fast, sometimes it has gone slow.
We fix it to the correct time and it keeps perfect time while we are there, but when we leave…..
Our present home is only six years old, but phenomenon happens.
We have a genuine Art Deco wall clock, which goes haywire from time to time, for no apparent reason.
Pictures on the walls suddenly tilt to one side.
Doors open of their own accord.
On a number of occasions, both my Father and Mother (amongst others) have appeared in front of me since their deaths.
These are just a few of the things that confirm to us that there is life after death.
I cannot explain why this happens, or how, but I have certainly never been frightened.
As I have already told you, whilst he was alive, my Father was a non believer in the Paranormal, but here he is, in the after life, determined to let us know, that he is still with us.
He was always a torment !!!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing – eternal hope abounds!
sh4161, what a bittersweet experience. this brings back memories of my dad and his passing, and i wish he could have gone thru that. he was in a coma when he went and chance are he did see those who had gone before him come to his bedside. if this is what happens when we do go, it makes me feel so much better to know that we are never alone ever thank you so much
I read Bridey Murphy as a teenager and ever since have been a believer.
I have had similar incidents with finding books. One involved a book about UFO abduction. My husband is a non believer, but believes that I believe. We were out browsing some book stores, and we had just come from lunch where I was talking about a book call The Andreasson Affair by Raymond Fowler. It is about a woman who was abducted and became pregnant. We went into the book store and there on display was the very same book. I bought it.
Another stranger incident involved a book called “Appointment in Dallas:the final solution to the assassination of JFK”. I read the book back in the 70′s and felt it was so believable. Well, I loaned it out and never saw it again. I really wanted another copy, but never saw one.
We had gone to New Orleans on our 21st anniversary and were in the French Quarter and saw a very old bookstore. We wandered in and I mentioned to my husband that I was going to look for the book. At that moment I turned and there on the corner of a packing box was a paperback copy. I was stunned. There are truly forces around us that we cannot explain
Judy, now that you mention the mystery of the books that found you, reminded me….I had an antique shop called Tille’s. Worked my butt off the year I opened for business. Stopped at a little junk shop alongside the hwy on my way home from getting supplies in the city and right inside the door on a book rack was “Tillie the Toiler”. Needless to say, bought it ($4) and 8 years later it is still prominantly displayed at Tillie’s. You have me trying to recall how I found all the books that have personal significance …. Thanks for sharing!
A couple of months ago, I managed to get hold of “The Search for Bridey Murphy” in a first edition book from 1952, in perfect condition – I couldn’t put the book down !!!
I also Googled “The Search for Bridey Murphy” (1956) on DVD.
One of the results I came across was a firm going by the name “Rare Classic DVD’s”.
I purchased a copy from them and have enjoyed watching it on quite a few occasions since, it is just how I remember from all those years ago.
It is a typical 1950′s film – everyone stood around in suits and evening gowns, speaking in rather plummy tones, while sipping cocktails, but the story is extremely gripping !!!
The film is exactly as it is in the book (unlike most films) and well worth buying.
Either your description is so precise that it is giving me a visiual cinema image of the movie or I have seen it and forgotten until you refreshed my memory!! If you ever want to unload the 1952 version……..
Another great movie on reincarnation is “Yesterday’s Children” with Jane Seymore. If you all have not also read the account of the little boy who had terrible nightmares about flying a plane in WWII you will be enthralled. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. If I recall correctly, they got a name and traced it back to a young pilot who went down in the South Pacific.
Yes! I have seen this one…very interesting! I do believe in “past life” experiences, but are they lived or perhaps memories suggested to us by the “spirit world”……. or are they one and the same??
Has anyone had an experience with small children and a past life? My granddaughter who is now five and a half, used to tell me to be careful every time we crossed over a bridge with water. She could barely speak, and had not gone over this bridge with me before, but from the back seat, she said “Be careful Grandma”. Now she does not say it. I think she may have died that way in a former life.