My Great Grandmother

by Kimberly Grijalva
(Selah, WA USA)

I was about 10 years old and I saw a ghost when I was visiting my father in Arizona for the summer.

He had just purchased my great grandmother's house for his mother (my grandmother) to live in, actually, my grandmother had grown up there. I was sleeping one night and smelled the most wonderful cooking smells coming from the kitchen. I walked in the kitchen to get a glass of water. My dog followed me and laid down on the rug by the sink. There was a woman standing at the stove, stirring a big pot full of pazole (hominy & pork soup).

The smells were heavenly. She looked at me and smiled. I felt warm and happy to be with her. I finished my glass of water and put it on the counter. She patted me on the head and said, "Good night meja" and off to bed I went. I climbed into bed and snuggled in the covers when it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't know that lady and she shouldn't be in our kitchen. My dog had followed me back into my room and was calm and climbing into the bed, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I turned the light on and sat on my bed for a few minutes before I got the nerve to walk back into the kitchen. (Yes, just like the movies, I went back to the room where the scary ghost was!).

I crept around the corner and looked into the kitchen. No one was there. I could still smell the soup. I slowly walked back into the kitchen, flipping every light on as I passed. I looked around the kitchen and everything was as it should be except the glass that I had left on the counter was now in the sink.

The next morning I was telling my grandmother about my encounter and she didn't know who the lady might have been. Later as we were sorting through old photographs for a slide show for a celebration we were having, I saw the lady. She was dressed differently but it was definitely the lady! It was my grandmother's mother. She had originally owned the house where we were staying and had died there, before I was born. My family is Spanish and very strong believers in the supernatural and ghosts (which is why she hadn't batted an eye when I told her about the lady). My grandmother told me that she believed I had a special gift and that I could see those who had passed on. She was right. I saw my great grandmother on many occasions that summer. She was around the house and outside, always watching after me and my brothers & cousins. Also, after my grandfather died, I had many occasions to speak with him not only in Arizona, but also in Idaho where I lived with my mom and again when I was at college.