Before Ruth died, we agreed on her ‘ghost’ sign. Experts say it’s a powerful tool for working through grief

I don’t believe in ghosts. But for the bereaved, receiving ‘messages’ from beyond the grave can help us feel connected to the departed

We all have ridiculous conversations with our mates, but negotiating a ghost pact with my friend as she lay on her deathbed was, without question, my most surreal.

The pact itself was simple. After my friend Ruth Francis departed this world, she was to give me a sign from beyond the grave.

It had to be obvious, and it had to be funny. A phallic symbol in the clouds, for example, some boobs in tea leaves or – if it was possible – kicking a can down the road.

Bowel cancer stole Ruth’s life in her 40s, leaving her husband to raise their two young children, but it never claimed her humour.