Baseball, Catholicism, and Government Cheese: My Grandma's Message on Grief

In this deeply personal episode of the Eleven Intuitions Podcast, Melissa Ainslie shares how a last-minute fill-in for a student’s canceled sitter became an unforgettable gift. Spirit brought through her grandmother — a woman she always remembered for her Catholic faith, baseball games on TV, and even blocks of government cheese in her apartment.

Born in 1903, Melissa’s grandmother endured profound losses: both parents within 24 hours, her brother, and her firstborn son in WWII — all by the age of 40. She carried her grief in silence, with only her faith to lean on. Yet from the other side, she now offers Melissa powerful messages of liberation, encouragement, and guidance.

Her grandmother affirmed that Melissa is meant to help others move through grief without being consumed by it, and promised to bring people to her who need this work. This episode is a sacred testament to Spirit’s love, the generational threads of grief, and the reassurance that those we’ve lost are not only watching over us — they are actively helping us continue the work on this side.