Hmmm....which experience to talk about next?

I think one of the coolest stories I have about spirits was witnessed by pretty much my whole family and happened about 13 years ago.

My mom is very giving and often times over the years she has "taken people in" who have nowhere to live. These people are obviously her friends and one of them particularly became her best friend and a very close friend to the whole family. His name was Billy James. He was a DJ and mom and dad met him when they owned their first bar in 1996. They met him in Plattsburgh while my dad was there for work, and my mom used to go up frequently to visit. For one reason or another he decided to move to our town... I think perhaps he was getting more DJ jobs this way...Doesn't really matter. The point is that he lived with my parents and sister for quite a few months. He stayed in the room that used to be mine before I moved out and got married. In July of that year, while Billy James was home visiting family, he died. It was an accidental death and very tragic needless to say. My mom, sister and I all believe and have all experienced signs that he's still watching over us and with us, especially when we're sad it seems.

That Christmas time, mom and dad were hosting a party at the bar they owned. My sister, who still lived at home, was getting ready in her bathroom. Her bathroom was across from my old bedroom, where Billy James stayed. Out of nowhere, the t.v. In the vacant room turned on. My sister was taken aback, not afraid just surprised. She heard it was football and she immediately thought and then said out loud “If that's the Cowboys game on, I'm going to know it's you Billy James.” She walked to the room, opened the door, and indeed found the Cowboys playing on the television. Then she was emotional, happy to have a sign. She also knew mom really needed a friend at the time and basically invited him to come to the party and make himself known to my mother.

My sister never told anyone about what had just happened when she got to the party. We had been there a couple of hours when my mom came to sit with my sister and I. She looked visually shook up. I was really worried about something being wrong. This night for the party was the first time she'd had a DJ since Billy James and ironically his name was Bill too. Mom asked me if I had just heard the DJ announce for my mom and dad to come to the dance floor. It was very loud and extremely crowded though and I hadn't really heard it. She went on in a way that I could tell her heart was pounding in disbelief. She told us that this new DJ announced for my parents to come do a line dance they used to do together. He said that the person who requested it said he had to get them up there now before my dad had too much to drink. They didn't dance. Mom knew instinctively something was off with this. Nobody at this new bar knew about the dance they used to do. I don't believe my parents were talking to each other on this particular night either; so this is probably another reason they didn't dance. Mom went directly to the DJ and asked who had made this request. He looked around but didn't see the guy. Mom wouldn't let it go and the DJ was kind of perplexed by this. She literally made him look all around the bar and outside for who it was. It must have been instinct to make my mom cling to this thought that nobody would have said that other than Billy James. After not finding the guy and the DJ insisting that he was right here a few minutes ago. As my mom brought him back to the bar to buy him a drink, he began describing what the guy looked like. His height...wearing a cowboy hat...accent (it's all sounding like him)...

And then he happens to see a picture on the wall. Just a picture of a guy, no name or clue to the fact that this person had passed. But the DJ points in surprise and says “That's him! Right here! This is the guy who requested it.”


So after this, my sister adds to the story her conversation back at home a few hours back. Billy James was watching his favorite football team in his old room and then came to our holiday party and even did his thing DJ ing (calling mom and dad to the dance floor with his typical humor).

We couldn't believe it but of course we did believe. When our eyes are open for signs, our loved ones don't have to leave us completely.