Lily Dale

I'm currently reading a book that has sparked my interest and has kept me nose first in it's pages. It's about Lily Dale, the oldest Spiritualist community in America that resides in Chautauqua County, in southwestern New York. Spiritualism became very popular in the late 1800's early 1900's. I'm sure ya'll all have heard of seances and table knocking. This is a town that is full of spiritualist, mediums, and people that not only talk, but seem to commune with the dead on a regular basis. I'm quite taken by Lily Dale, and I guess in a way I hold it close to my heart. My Aunt Susan who was my father's sister passed away in 2001 due to colon cancer that had relapsed and basically took over her body. She fought it for a very long time, and it still came back. I remember being told that she and her husband visited a community like this in Florida before she passed, searching for a cure and healing. Even though she didn't get either as far as the cancer goes, I sure do hope that she got peace of mind. I moved home right before she passed, and I remember my sister and I visiting her at the hospice center to say what we knew was going to be our goodbyes. Cancer is a horrible thing, heart wrenching and heart breaking. My aunt was a shell it seems before she passed. I remember her joy, love, and the fact that she was the biggest clown in the family. She would bend over backwards for you, and I spent many a summer with her, where she treated me like a princess. She gave me my nickname "Lady Em," that is what she called me. She was one of the most loving people I have ever met, and I know she is at peace now.

The author of the book Lily Dale The True Story of the town that talks to the dead, is one of my favorites. Christine Wicker is the ultimate skeptic, just like myself, but she has eyes to see, and ears to hear when the truth comes ringing through. It's a very interesting book that will have you thinking hard and then laughing hard the next minute. It's wonderfully written and reminds me that even though we may pass physically, our spirit lives on. And I know that my Aunt Susan is flitting around on angel wings, even though she had them while she was alive, making people laugh and doing what she did best here and I'm sure she does best there, love. Aunt Susan this one is for you!!

Love,

~Your Lady Em~