The following two accounts have been contributed by Jean Keegan and her mother, Molly.
My dear friend Anne McMenemy had spoken to me on several occasions about the fascinating evening she had spent with Betty Shine. She had also told me about Betty’s incredible healing gifts. I reminded Anne of these conversations when she was suffering severe pain during an illness and told her to ring Betty for help. She was reluctant to do so because she knew that Betty was already inundated with work, so I asked for Betty’s telephone number and decided to ring her myself. My thoughts were for Anne. My friend was in trouble, and she needed someone to help her.
When Betty answered the phone, I heard this warm and cheerful voice and felt so relaxed that I just chatted away. I felt as if I had known her all my life. It was incredible how this one action completely changed my life.
It was towards the end of our conversation that Betty suddenly stated that someone was coming through and wanted to speak to me. I went cold from head to foot and began trembling as she described my recently departed father. She gave me evidence that no one on this earth could have known, except Mum, Dad and myself. So many mixed feelings rushed through my body, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I missed Dad so much, and here was this wonderful lady – to whom I had spoken for the first time only ten minutes ago – passing on private messages to me and my family, proving that he had survived the trauma of the physical death and was now living ‘somewhere else’.
I have always had an open mind about life after death, wanting to believe that we do survive, and that we will eventually meet up with our loved ones again. But without proof it is difficult to believe. I cannot begin to explain how comforting this was. Dad always used to say, when someone passed away, that ‘life goes on’. How true those words were proving to be! Now we could all go on, knowing that he was looking after us, as he had done when he was alive.
Towards the end of the messages, Betty asked me if I had any questions for Dad. My mind went a complete blank. All I really wanted to know was if he was happy. There was a short pause, and then Betty said that he was laughing and smiling and holding hands with an older lady, who was looking up at him lovingly. I believe that was my grandmother. As a young boy Dad took care of his mother as she used to have epileptic fits and I know how happy he must feel knowing that she was also at peace. He was home with his long lost family.
I realised then that I had to stop wishing he was back with us. He was, and always will be, a very important part of our lives. He was a wonderful father, and never a day goes by that I do not think of him. Now, through Betty’s gifts, I know that I can speak to him. At every family event, special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, we can feel his presence.
Some weeks later, Betty rang me and told me that Dad was worried about a horse. At this time she did not know we kept horses. She gave me the message, and Dad was, once again, spot on. Her accurate diagnosis and healing of several of our horses showed yet another facet of her talents.
We are now very good friends and often enjoy a good chat.
Molly’s story
Whilst Betty and I were talking one day, my husband came through and gave me a whole host of messages. Because of my grief at his death I really did not take it all in, but she gave me one particular message that I have never forgotten, because the minute details she described about a certain situation only my husband and I could have known about. He ended the message with such caring words of wisdom that I was reduced to tears. I have endeavoured to live up to them.
Since then I have read every one of Betty’s books, and never go to sleep without reading from them. They have given me such comfort, there is no way I can repay her.
The only sadness in my life is the fact that the power of healing and the comfort of mediumship was unknown to me during my husband’s lifetime. It would have helped ease his suffering and pain. At least now he is at peace.
Jean’s family and her mother have more than repaid me with their constant and loving friendship.
Toots’s story
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