Enduring Love

Mr. and Mrs. S were residents of the Nursing Care Unit in a Retirement Center in Hawaii.They had lined there several years and both were in their middle 80's.

Apparently their family were all on the Mainland as no one had visited them in several years.The administrator remembered that about two years previously they had receieved two visits from a member of The Unitarian Church which they had attended for many years.Those were the only visitors anyone knew of for the past five years since the couple moved from their apartment down to the Unit.
They were the only couple on the Nursing Unit and a favorite of rhe staff.The two were very close and seldom talked about their past.

Mr.S had a severe stroke early one morning and died within hours.All arrangements had been previously made, leaving Mrs S no details to have to deal with in her devastated grieving.Only the staff and other residents joined the Minister for the Memorial Service.


As is often true in such situations, within a few months of her husband"s death,Mrs.S became critically ill.

A temporary nurse "new" to the staff was the night Charge nurse who along with a female and male LPN staff "regulars" comprised ths Night Shift staff..The nurse was preparing IV fluids and meds to be administered to Mrs.S when the elderly gentleman who had been at her bedside came into the hall amd said "That will not be necessary.We are leaving now."

"What do you mean?"said the nurse."She is a very sick woman." as she started toward the room.
The man disapeared.

Al , one of the LPN's had entered the hall from another room where he had been working.He said "I just saw Mr.and Mrs.S in the hall with a bright light around them and they vanished!"


When they entered Mrs.S's room they found she had died. No one else had seen the man at her bedside that night.

We considered it a wonderful love story.The temp RN however never worked there again.

(Pictures from Dreamtime)

Do Invisible Agents Control The World?

This interesting article is in Scientific American

"Why People Believe Invisible Agents Control the World
A Skeptic's take on souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens and other invisible powers that be

By Michael Shermer
Souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens, intelligent designers, government conspirators, and all manner of invisible agents with power and intention are believed to haunt our world and control our lives. Why?

The answer has two parts, starting with the concept of “patternicity,” which I defined in my December 2008 column as the human tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise. Consider the face on Mars, the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich, satanic messages in rock music. Of course, some patterns are real. Finding predictive patterns
in changing weather, fruiting trees, migrating prey animals and hungry predators was central to the survival of Paleolithic hominids.

The problem is that we did not evolve a baloney-detection device in our brains to discriminate between true and false patterns. So we make two types of errors: a type I error, or false positive, is believing a pattern is real when it is not; a type II error, or false negative, is not believing a pattern is real when it is. If you believe that the rustle in the grass is a dangerous predator when it is just the wind (a type I error), you are more likely to survive than if you believe that the rustle in the grass is just the wind when it is a dangerous predator (a type II error). Because the cost of making a type I error is less than the cost of making a type II error and because there is no time for careful deliberation between patternicities in the split-second world of predator-prey interactions, natural selection would have favored those animals most likely to assume that all patterns are real....

There is now substantial evidence from cognitive neuroscience that humans readily find patterns and impart agency to them, well documented in the new book SuperSense (HarperOne, 2009) by University of Bristol psychologist Bruce Hood. Examples: children believe that the sun can think and follows them around; because of such beliefs, they often add smiley faces on sketched suns. Adults typically refuse to wear a mass murderer’s sweater, believing that “evil” is a supernatural force that imparts its negative agency to the wearer (and, alternatively, that donning Mr. Rogers’s cardigan will make you a better person). A third of transplant patients believe that the donor’s personality is transplanted with the organ. Genital-shaped foods (bananas, oysters) are often believed to enhance sexual potency. Subjects watching geometric shapes with eye spots interacting on a computer screen conclude that they represent agents with moral intentions.


Many highly educated and intelligent individuals experience a powerful sense that there are patterns, forces, energies and entities operating in the world,” Hood explains. “More important, such experiences are not substantiated by a body of reliable evidence, which is why they are supernatural and unscientific. The inclination or sense that they may be real is our supersense.”

We are natural-born supernaturalists."

Source
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=skeptic-agenticity
Picture from Dreamtime

My baloney detector a "Gift?" went off just now. Interesting though.

An Unknown Soldier;s Story

The Unknown Soldier's Tomb has always touched my heart.Long ago when I was an Undergraduate at Emory an enterprising friend made extra money selling sandwiches and coffee in the dorm.Once she approached me seeking donations for "The Unknown Soldier's Mother." I did not realize until later that I had been taken..Anyway, here is a bit from Wikepedia about the Unknown Soldier and a true story of a soldier;s experience.A tribute to Memorial Day...

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Throughout history, many soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified. In modern times, nations have developed the practice of having a symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that represents the war grave of those unidentified soldiers. They usually contain the remains of a dead soldier who is unidentified (or "known but to God" as the stone is sometimes inscribed) and thought to be impossible ever to identify, so that he might serve as a symbol for all of the unknown dead wherever they fell. The anonymity of the entombed soldier is key to the symbolism of the monument: since his or her identity is unknown, it could theoretically be the tomb of anyone who fell in service of the nation in question, and therefore serves as a monument to all of their sacrifices. Much work goes into trying to find a certain soldier, and to verify that it is indeed one of the relevant nation's soldiers.

Perhaps the first memorial of this kind in the world is the 1858 Landsoldaten ("The Foot Soldiers") monument of the First War of Schleswig in Fredericia, Denmark. Another early memorial of this kind is the 1866 memorial to the unknown dead of the American Civil War.

The modern trend was started after First World War when both France and the United Kingdom erected a tomb for unknown soldiers in 1920. The French tomb was installed under the Arc de Triomphe, and the decision to erect it was confirmed by Parliament before a similar idea had even been publicised in the United Kingdom. In the case of the United Kingdom, an Unknown Warrior was chosen on behalf of all First World War British Empire forces in Westminster Abbey. The coffin was followed into the abbey by the King-Emperor, George V and escorted by a guard of honour formed of one hundred recipients of the Victoria Cross[1]. Part of the inscription on the stone reads:

They buried him among the kings Because he Had done good toward God and Toward His house[2]

These tombs are also used to commemorate the unidentified fallen of later wars. Monuments have been built as recently as 1982 in the case of Iraq, 1993 in the case of Australia, and 2004 in the case of New Zealand."


Here is an experience of an unknown soldier posted elsewhere that is so suitable for today.

"It first started when I entered the army. I was sent to Afghanistan to help fight in the war. During the war, there was this battle. The date was January 23, 2005 and then there was this nasty sandstorm! Nobody could see anything! I opened my eyes hastily and found something that I never thought I would see in my life!

It was actually ghosts! And, they were wearing the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy clothes. The only reason I think I could've seen them was because of the sand. They were helping us with the sandstorm fight off the people of Afghanistan! While the sandstorm was going, they were saluting us. That was the first time that I had ever seen spirits!

Then the next time, I was taking a vacation with my family, (I had been sent back to America to stay.) And we were on the beach of Jamaica and the wind picked up and the sand blew for about 5 to 7 seconds. Just then, I was the only one I think that had just seen the spirits and just then they said to me...

"Thank you for serving our country..."
http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=696

Mamacitabeadworks Has A Spirit Visit

A very charming shop and artist at Etsy,mamacitabeasworks,sharea an experience.
About her work,"All my artwork has been designed and cast by my own two hands. I sculpt, mold, cast, grind and polish each piece. All my little beads and buttons are well loved. Due to the handcrafted nature of my work, there will be slight variations on each piece. That's what I call the good stuff. The lovin'.
Many of my works have my fingerprints visible. I absolutely love the personal "touch" this gives my beads and buttons and intentionally leave them on. I also sign all of my work (excepting a few that slipped through when I was first designing). If this is important to you as a collector, I can recommend the pieces with signature and date."
A samp;e is in the video,but you will probably want to see more at the shop:
http://mamacitabeadworks.etsy.com


here is the story in her own words.

"My gram died this fall. I was very close to her and she died a bit unexpectedly. We thought she would have more time. Anyway, the night she died I put my son to bed and while I was reading to him, trying to contain my grief, I swiftly got a vision of my grandma happy and dancing and I felt a huge relief and my grief lifted. I actually laughed a bit. I think I felt her joy. She couldn't dance in her later years.
That night I was crying pretty hard in the kitchen after everyone was asleep. I wanted her to give me a sign that she was somewhere, anywhere. I wanted another connection.
As I passed through the dark dining room something stroked my hair enough to make me think I had brushed up against something hanging down or something. It felt like a wind. I turned on the light and there was nothing.
I think my grandma was there with me one last time.

Later that month my son, who is two, stopped in my kitchen and looked up above my head at the ceiling. He wouldn't stop looking and I was a bit unnerved. I asked him what he was looking at and he said "Biiiiig Nana".

Last month he was down the hall playing and I heard him say. "oh Hi grandma! Hi grandpa! What you doing?" I know that they are here with us"

CynfullyCreative Has A Visit,,,Story

If you admire the recycle and upcycle process and products, CynfullyCreative has a shop you will want to see.This mother of two does some outstanding work.She says od herself:
"Although I have been sewing and crafting for as long as I can remember, I have only been selling my creations for about a year. I came from a family where my grandmother taught my mom and then me how to sew, do needlepoint, knit, crochet, etc. I stumbled across a market for reconstructed clothing items and thought, "Hey, I can do that!" Made a couple of items for myself and the rest, I put up for sale. The rest, as they say, is . I also hope to someday keep my grandmother's memory alive by teaching my kids to sew and craft. history!"
To visit http:CynfullyCreative.etsy.com


Here is an unexpected encounter she had as a child, in her own words.
"This happened around 1988. I was 13. My grandpa had passed away two weeks before Christmas that year. He was cremated, so we just had a memorial service for him. Fast forward to Christmas morning. All the presents had been opened. I was playing under the Christmas tree. My daddy was in his room, watching a football game. My mom and grandma were in the kitchen getting dinner ready.

All of a sudden the whole atmosphere changed in the living room. The parade that had been on the TV changed to a football game. At first, I thought my daddy had come into the room, but he hadn't. And I know neither my mom nor grandmas would watch the game. I look over to the recliner and there sat my grandpa! I saw him clear as day, could hear the game and everything.

My grandpa looked over at my, raised his hand as if to say good bye. And that was it. Everything went back to the way it was not 5 seconds prior. And, I went on with my day, as if nothing had happened."

~Cyndi
Thank you, Cindi

Grandmothers Love

Several people have told of their grandmother's loving visit.Some of you have heard this one,also since it is a personal story of A Visit From Beyond
http://www.squidoo.com/supernatural1 A visit From Beyond

A Nurse Has A Visit

A nurse who would like to not have her name or crafts used shared this story with permission it might be used here.In her own words:

".I'm an RN and used to work with the elderly. I know you're not supposed to have "favorites", but this one man was such a sweetheart. He was so patient and kind, and was always so grateful for any help he received. I had only been working on this unit a short while, but he always remembered my name. He had a stroke a while back and had his one arm in a sling and was not able to walk.

Anyways, I had a dream one night that I was talking with this same sweet elderly man, only he was standing tall and didn't have his arm in a sling. He addressed me by my name and said he just wanted to say thank-you for all I had done for him. He then shook my hand and disappeared.

Well the next day I received a call from work saying this man had passed away in his sleep and they wanted to let me know when the funeral was in case I had wanted to attend."

Thank you.A touching reminder of loving care.

A Haunting Or A Happening?

Mr. J was a very big man,over six feet tall and about 220 pounds.He was a retired fireman.Two of his most prized possessions were a handmade leather belt with a large silver buckle,and a battered well worn Stetson hat.These he wore every day at the Assisted Living facility where he spent his last two years.He was a favorite of the staff and others there.Loud ,funny,and always with a good word or compliment.He was though, preoccupied with the possibility of a fire.Often he roamed the halls and rooms" just checking,darlin' don' need a far,gotch lots of old folk hyear."He never found one.
He was missed and mourned after his death at age 90.


Almost four months after his death,Myra was preparing the medicines to distribute when she ran out of the Med Room and said"Come here and look,quick..."There in the locked medicine room was Mr.J's old hat set in the middle of the counter.To the disbelief of the two nurses watching,the hat disappeared.

They did not mention it for several days until Al,reporting for the night shift, said the staff had been finding Mr.J's belt in Mrs.T's room twice a night the last two nights even though they would bring it out and put it in the Med room.

They were beginning to get spooked.Myra told them of the hat incident.Al pondered "What the Hell is going on?"That night they found out.

Around 3AM the hat appeared at the Nurses desk while two staff were making rounds.It began to float down the hall.Al yelled "Hey" and chased it.One of the staff members watched with open mouth...The hat, with Al close behind, went into Mrs.T's room.The hat went right through the closed door.When Al got into the room, he found the trash container and one curtain blazing.The room had been checked less than five minutes before.

A quick blast from the extinguisher put out the fire.An unconscious Mrs T was brought out and revived.It seems she was a secret smoker and threw her cigarette in the trash when she heard the staff coming to check her room.She pretended to be asleep.The trash flamed up and caught the curtain on fire.Apparently she fainted as the fire caught and a hat floated through the door.

So was it a haunting?Was it a kindly protective spirit happening to warn the staff?What are your thoughts?
Now, the staff are alerted if the belt and/or hat is sighted to be on the look out for a fire...

More About Orbs

Here are some thoughts about orbs and pictures of orbs from two different sources.
Orbs are usually circular balls of light. Most are usually white orbs though often orbs are red and many other colours. Some orbs appear to have images and faces within them. The orb can be a paranormal phenomenon but most of the orbs caught on cameras may have an earthly explanation.


What is the cause of real Orbs?

"One popular orbs theory is that the orb is the energy being transferred from a source such as power lines, heat, batteries and so on. Energy like a globule of water in zero gravity is drawn together to form a sphere. Orbs may also have something to do with human bio energy and may be an effect of the energy of the aura. I have certainly seen orbs around people's heads when I am making a spirit link. There is one instance that I have described in detail in my book "Protecting the Soul" in which Jane and me saw a brilliant ball of light -an orb about the size of a football- appear in the middle of the room. It was astonishing and in this instance we believe that it may have been a protective spirit. The difference between this spirit light phenomena and orbs caught on camera is that spirit lights can be seen with the naked aye and by everyone present.
ORBS in graveyardWhat are the Orbs we see in ghost photos?
a strange ball seems to float across the picture. Now it is quite possible that this is a paranormal phenomenon but it is probably more likely to be dust. Similarly if someone is smoking nearby then the smoke may well appear to look like spooks. I have spoken in the past to a camera man from the programme Most Haunted who claimed that the supposed phenomena on the programme simply mislead people and took advantage of camera effects known to most cameramen.
Is there such a thing as a real orb?
In some rare instances the orbs that appear on camera are hard to explain. For example why do orbs appear when a healer extends their powers but are absent when they stop healing. Why too do photographs of mediums working also result in photographs of orbs. And why do large numbers of orbs appear at spiritually significant events under conditions that would normally not allow for orbs to be created by dust, moisture or faulty cameras?"

http://www.psychics.co.uk/ghosts/what-are-orbs.html


"When we coined the term "orb" back in 1994, it was to explain the shape of any anomalies including dust and pollen orbs, as well as the supernatural anomalies that we were capturing with film and digital format. We never thought that our coined term "orb" would translate to mean all orbs are ghostly.

We created the Orb Theory based on the findings of our field investigations and through our research. We discovered that a spiritual orb represented the soul of a departed person. The soul being the essence of who they were in life, complete with their intelligence, their emotions and their personality. The orb or sphere is common in our every day lives. The earth and moon are spheres. Our blood cells are sphere shaped. The vision of Black Elk describes hoops within hoops. We use the symbol of the circle to represent eternal existence, with no beginning nor end.

We teach that a spirit is represented in an orb configuration pattern. When the spirit is moving about, its shape is an orb with a contrail, but when it comes to rest, meaning that it is no longer in motion, the spirit energy that is compressed within the orb is released and this spirit energy expands into what we call Ecto-Vapor or Ectoplasm. Often an orb will contain more than one soul and when its spirit energy is released, multiple orbs flow forth from the single orb. The orb may be observed as a small white ball of light shooting through a room and through a wall. When recorded on film, the orb size is often confused because the photo is only 2D and its size is dependent on how far from the lens the orb is when captured by the camera.
Spirit orbs are most often confused with similar shaped anomalies that occur in nature, such as dust particles, grass, tree, or weed pollen, moisture, ice crystals, snow flakes, rain drops and other weather related anomalies. Since each area of our world produces different anomalies, it is prudent and necessary that a base line be established prior to any investigations. For example, I use a Sony DSC-T70 digital camera (8.1 megapixel) that treats dust particles as a diamond shaped anomaly whileSharon's Kodak Z650 digital camera (6.0 megapixel) will show that same anomaly in a hexagon shape. Learn how your own camera treats dust or pollen. Ghosts are everywhere, but not captured as clusters of orbs found in most photographs submitted to us. Common sense is very important in ghost research. Conduct investigations sampling natural non-spirit anomalies and see how your camera displays these anomalies."

http://www.ghostweb.com/orb_theory.html

The Winchester Mansion..Haunted?

The tale of the very strange Winchester Mansion is a well known story.There are, however two or three versions of the origin of the mystery.

Sarah Winchester endured the unexpected deaths of her only son and her husband.This was a devastating experience for her.In late 1884, the heiress of the Winchester Rifle business began the construction of one of the most bizarre houses known.It is said she moved to that location to begin a new life.Some reports say she was directed to move there by a Native American Shaman who said this was the area for building the house.So many people had been killed by the guns there was a curse on her.The only way her death with the curse could be avoided was to continually use the money and constantly build on the never to be finished house.


Another version says that the spirits she communicated with nightly told her she must fool the spirits haunting her by confusing them with the house so she could not be found for their revenge.

It is said that there was a special structured seance room with no windows and one entrance only, where she conducted a seance nightly at midnight.It is also said she slept in a different room each night until her death at age 85.

Apparently construction, often including tearing out and reconstructing, continued day and night until her death.The result was a very strange structure in San Jose,CA with some 750 rooms,halls and spaces being built then torn down.One author says 160 rooms remain.Stairs lead to nowhere,doors open into walls and small and varied spaces are sandwiched in between.

It is commonly stated that the fortune grew for decades as the building and spirit communication continued.In later years,some say the funds began to dwindle.Sarah Winchester although famous refused all social contact except for servants (and perhaps a few others ?) Teddy Roosevelt wanted to visit and came to the house,but was not allowed to enter,it is said.

Be that as it may, she died of natural causes amidst servants and construction workers as the only mourners.In the large safe, there was only a lock of her husband's hair and a small picture of her son.

Some say she haunts the home, others say a particular couple who faithfully served her does while some mediums report seeing a Native American circle within the seance room...

I have never visited although it is a popular place on the "Haunted" tours.Would like to.I find her a sad tragic figure whether she is there or not...

One Expert Discusses Spirits Vs. Ghosts

Recently in reading Visits From The Afterlife by Sylvia Browne, I thought her differences between Spirits and Ghosts fit the other experts I had read rather well. Here are some points mentioned:

Ghosts are typically more visible distinct than spirits.(Although both may have a misty type or semi transparent appearance in my experience.)


Because they have not yet experienced the love and light of the other side, Ghosts may show visible signs of injuries,deformities,or illness.(Like Headless Nick in Harry Potter?)

Whatever the ghost's purpose for rejecting their death (as discussed the other day.) they are among us from a distorted sense of reality."The world through the ghost's eyes is locked in a time warp of their own disturbed creation.From their point of view we are the intruders in their workd..."(p20)

Spirits among us are here to express love.Their attempts to get our attention are from that motivation.Ghosts on the other hand are much more complicated and varied in their reasons.

By not transcending to the other side, ghosts are not able to bi-locate"There are no simultaneous appearences of a single ghost as there can be with a single spirit."(p21)

Ghosts tend to remain in or near the same location.

Spirits tend to appear in a form that we may recognize whereas ghosts do not care if we recognize them or not.They may appear as balls of heavy mist.The appearance of ghosts is one other way in which they may be unpredictable.

Two things not mentioned that are commonly referred to is the familiar scent often associated with a spirit and the ice cold sensation often surrounding a ghost appearance.
To my knowledge these are the main things different in the appearances of ghosts and of spirits...

The Difference Between Spiirits and Ghosts...Beginning Thoughts

A study several years ago which I saw but can not reference, said that three of every five people believe in or have seen ghosts in the US alone.Spirits and ghosts are reported in all countries of the world within all cultures and religions.

It is generally accepted that the ghost is an earthbound spirit.Most feel that the ghost has not "gone to the light" or "gone on to the other side" but is bound to a particular locale for whatever reasons..Some of the reasons may include a strong attraction to or investment in a particular place;a desire for revenge;seeking a lost love or a sudden unexpected and unrecognized death.

Now, it is not uncommon to see several programs on TV where mediums communicate with the dead.Many are quite moving and seem real to any observer.Usually the receiver of the messages, whether previously a believer or not, ends up because of the specific nature of the mediums message as a believer.This exposes thousands of persons who might not otherwise have had such contact with this process.No studies yet indicate what difference this makes in the number of believers in communication with the dead.It remains a process highly criticized by skeptics as the exchange with BW and JP on The View last week demonstrates.

Anyway, it is possible to believe in spirits and life after death without believing in communication with the spirits of the dead.I think it is possible to believe in ghosts without believing in communication with the dead.I do not know what those who do not believe in God think about spirit communication or ghosts.
Neither do I know whether they might believe in Reincarnation but guess that it would be more likely than believing in spirit communication.
However,I wonder how they explain Past Life Regressions or if that is a write off in their book.... What about place memories?

I would like to know and hope some might share their views about it.What do you think?Can you believe in Ghosts and not believe in God?Can you believe in Past Lives and not believe in God?What happens when a person who does not believe in God sees a spirit or a ghost?...Tell me.

Any way, these thoughts stopped me going on about the differences between spiiirits and ghosts that I read recently.Will do that next time....

Place Memories or Imprints

Some time ago an example of a place haunting was mentioned.Someone asked about it,and thought they had experienced it at a Gettysburg Battlefield.I have read about one man a former Army Officer now retired who had experienced a similar occurrence there.

Briefly the terms to explain these are called Place Hauntings,Place Memories,oe Imprints.It is thought that events transpired in the specific area that were so profoundly strong in emotion evoked that the energy remains.An extremely intense concentration of dramatic events and feelings are generated within this area which may affect anyone passing through the area.Those who in this way see the visions and /or experience the emotions contribute this to the situation thus strengthening it.

One area in Northern California,Pacheco Pass is noted for this imprint..A variety of images,sounds and smells have been reported when crossing through this area.Covered wagons burning,Indians being beaten when chained or circling wildly on horseback;Spanish soldiers gathered around a hanging corpse and sometimes Mexicans and Americans in bloody mortal hand to hand combat.
Not a fun place to visit...

Jailed Inside A Struggle With A Dead Father

Kate had been drinking her way through a bottle of whiskey for the better part of two hours now, and her apartment getting blurry. She supposed that wasn’t surprising. She hadn’t turned on a light when she’d come home, and the room was lit only by the grainy picture on the television screen. Still, even in the faint, grayish light, the badge sitting on the coffee table stood out like a beacon, at least to her.

It wasn’t her badge. That had been taken from her. No, this one had belonged to her father. It should have been turned in, but his sudden death had brought out a sympathetic streak in one of the bureau officers, and she’d been able to secure it as a memento.

The badge glinted at her. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to will it into focus or not. But whether or not her eyes could see it, it was etched on her mind’s eye. It wasn’t a comforting sight. The badge was accusing her, screaming at her, telling her what a disappointment she was, that she hadn’t managed to save her own father, that she’d befriended one of those
things that murdered him, that she’d been kicked off the Force for her stupidity, her recklessness, her idiocy.
And it said it in her father’s voice.

Deciding it was pointless to pretend she wasn’t haunted by it, at least not while she was alone, and she was always alone, Kate picked it up. The weight of it was surprising for something so relatively small.

“Weighs the whole damn world, doesn’t it, Dad?” she said out loud. “That’s what it is, isn’t it? The world sitting right here, or at least the responsibility to protect everyone in it.”

She’d been a good cop, and she knew it on some level deep underneath the booze and the pain. She knew that she wasn’t responsible for her father’s death, and she even knew Angel wasn’t. But she didn’t care. She wanted, needed, had to blame someone or she would go insane, if sitting in her apartment and talking to a dead man’s police badge wasn’t crazy already.

“It was the world to you, anyway,” she said, “so I made it mine, too. I don’t even know if I ever wanted to be a cop or if I just wanted to be part of your world. But now it’s gone, and you’re gone, and what’s that leave me with?”

The badge shone back at her, unrelenting, and she closed a fist around it, feeling the metal branding its shape on her palm. A scream built in the pit of her stomach, and she raised her arm to hurl against the far wall the symbol of everything she’d ever lost, but she stopped her arm, and the sound died before it reached her lips. With an exhausted groan, she put the badge back on the table, then collapsed against the couch cushions, sleeping in a twisted, spine-defying position.

I do not know the author of this story.A friend sent it to me.She thinks it was an entry,probably fiction,in a short story contest.
As Bridget herself is following her father in Law Enforcement, she found it particularly interesting.She lives in a haunted house...

A Crying Baby 's Horror Story

Nothing seems more difficult for a parent to manage than the death of a child.It is very difficult for the Health Care Professionals to deal with as well.To imagine the death of a child at the parents own hand is even a worse double tragedy.
A friend of mine who works in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is an exceptionally sensitive and good nurse.Recently her sensitivity made life even more difficult for her and her family.

She and her husband adopted a toddler.They were quite delighted with the tiny dark haired,brown eyed beauty of the 18 month old daughter.They were told her name was Abigale.She was the middle child of three whose parents could not take care of properly.She "suffered some minor abuse but was now healthy."

Abigale did not yet speak but had begun to walk.She was a happy and loving child during the day but appeared cowering while crying and whimpering during the night.Nothing B or R would do seemed to calm her.She was somewhat more comfortable out of her room.No one was getting much sleep.B had taken a leave from work for a few months so the family could get settled.She was quite thankful she had done so."I could not have managed the stress at work especially without sleep"she said.

One night as they were in the master bedroom, all three together,they heard noises from the baby's room.R went to investigate and found a window open.Toys had been flung from the shelf.The musical mobile on the crib was spinning.He called B and she with the baby came to see.No one could figure out what was happening.They straightened up as Abigale cried frantically and returned to the other room.Abigale was looking frightened and whimpering.Within an hour they again heard noises but this time there was a loud wailing.It sounded like an infant.
Puzzled, they went to a cousin's house near by for the rest of the night.Abigale was quiet and went to sleep.

The cousin was a medium and said he thought the house had spirits present.He returned with B the next day.Abigale was so upset in her room that B took her back to stay with the cousin's wife and children.When she returned, she found the cousin sitting on the floor and apparently playing with a child.When she came in they both heard the loud wailing of an unseen baby.The medium talked to the baby and told it that they understood that he and his sister were safe now and could go to the light.Abigale was safe they need not watch her.

He told B and R that the parents of the three children had killed the older and the younger children and were about to go after Abigale when the police arrived.That the two bodies had been put in the freezer at their old house.A neighbor heard the noise and called the police.It was thought that Abigale was the only child.The other two were supposedly in foster care.

The medium had worked with two of the detectives a few times so he called one of them.When they checked the home,the bodies were discovered.It seemed that although the parents had been arrested for abusing Abigale,the house had not been searched.The parents had told neighbors that the others were in foster care.There was no record of that.They told the police that the others were staying with a Brother In Law who said they were there and identified two of the children in his home as the ones of the couple and he intended to care for them but could not manage all three.He said the infant "cried all the time."He also agreed to do the paper work with Social Service to keep the two he said were in his home.

The parents were convicted for the murders about a year later.The lying Brother in law testified against them and was not sentenced.
Such a tragic story.But B and R had no further difficulties in the home.Abigale began to thrive and talk.They believe the spirits of the two siblings were watching over her and now are at peace.

What About Demons?

Ed and Lorraine gained fame as investigating The Amityville Horror which brought controversial recogniation as a Paranormal event.Some are convinced it was a fraud others that it was an actual occurrence.If you have watched the programs Paranormal State or A Haunting you know that the investigators there often believe in demon possession.
The story shared about "after effects of the ouija board" and that of FigurativeHarmony make me seriously think of that as possible.Do you think these were more related to demons than to ghosts?

A recent true experience of a well in the backyard of a rental house is a case in point.The well was considered a portal.The demons were more interested in the children ages 8 and 14 than the adults.When the father challenged the spirit to attack him instead, he was seized with shortness of breath and shaking.The priest who later performed an exorcism om the home said he should not challenge a demonic presence.
Before the exorcism, the son attacked the father with a knife but was wrestled down.The father started toward the mother stopped only by a flash from the crucifix the mother was holding..The Warrens assisted with this family.(It was before Ed Warren's death.)
On entering the house for the first time,Lorraine Warren felt several presences including one who she described as being angry ,standing inches from her face staring with pure evil..It ended with a lengthy service which included several attacks,involved several demons within the son, but was eventually resolved.

Spooky stuff that I would not want to endure.What are your thoughts?Do you believe in Demons?Do you believe that if you encounter demons and move, they will follow you?

Gracie Bird Has Spirit Guesrs

Cheryl has a shop selling Handmade products on Etsy.Her various talents in creating are shown there.Some are in the video. She says she can not remember when she was not creating."I come from a long line of amazingly talented craftswomwn she says."
See her shop
http:// graciebird.etsy.com


I asked how she came to be at Etsy, and what she most enjoys making.
"I discovered Etsy about 18 months ago while doing a Google search for a tutorial on duct tape wallets. I never made the wallet but I signed on with Etsy and put up my first listing that day.
Making jewelry is my primary passion and the one I always come back to. That said, I dabble at everything else from flameworked glass to my current obsession with toddler clothing."

When asked her thoughts about the supernatural,she said
"Other than a deep conviction that the spirit or essence of those who've gone before us remain close, I don't think much about otherworldly matters. If you were able to read the little memorial poem from my wedding pics, it kind of sums up my feelings."
I did not,but it was the story of her wedding that drew me to her along with her charmand talent,of course.Here is the wedding in her own words.

" I never thought much one way or another about such things until recently. I'm sure you are familiar with the phenomena of spirits orbs in photographs. I was married last September and when I got my wedding pics, several have what my sister swears are spirit orbs.My wedding was Sept. 15, 07 an almanac will confirm there was no full moon.
My wedding was in the courtyard or a 100+ year old church. Part of the prelude to the ceremony was my mother lighting a candle in memory of my father, my groom's mother, his God-father, his stepbrother, and a dear friend.

One photo shows three orbs- one near my mother and another near a young widowed friend of mine whose husband's memorial service was held at the same church. I have goose bumps telling you this!

I'll let you see what you think before I point out what I believe I see. On the second photo, if you are viewing on an LCD screen you may have to sort of look down on the screen. There are many more."


Thank you for telling your story.Cheryl.It is nice to know your loved ones attended your wedding.
You will enjoy visiting her shop.Nothing supernatural there just supertalented.

Ouija Wonderings?

As the plachette goes to goodbye on the ouija board just wanted to add a few more reports and thoughts from the Etsy forum on the subject.

So what might the future hold for the Ouija Board? It would appear that even in the fast pace of the twenty first century the board has managed to keep up. It now has a computerized counterpart! David Kelly from the Department of Mathematics at New Hampshire University developed it and is amazed by the success.Hr did have to change the name.He says, "The previous name, the World Wide Web Ouija, made use of a trademark, ouija, which is owned by Hasbro Inc. Their lawyers did not like the use of the word and asked me to change the name."

Some interesting points from history and trivia include:As early as 1924, Harry Houdini wrote that five people from Carrito, California were driven insane by using a "board.[15]

The late Roman Catholic priest Malachi Martin believed talking boards are dangerous and claimed that by using these devices a person opens themselves to demonic oppression or possession, topics upon which Martin spoke and wrote extensively for many years.
The American demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, stated that "Ouija boards are just as dangerous as drugs."

Thr trivia include a number of singers using it in their music albums including KMorrisey and Cheryl Crowe.More is listed in Wikipedia.

On the subject reviewed by skeptics is the curious ending with "As a final note about this enigmatic subject; the Ouija Board, whether it be deemed apparatus to communicate with the dead or simply something to help demonstrate harmless psychological behaviour, it is probably best avoided


Here are some comments from Etsy artists in their own words:
"it's definately not a game!!!!!.....we had a heck of an experience in high school!!!!......haven't touched one since!!!!....dh still doesn't like to talk about it!.....we both still get goose bumps just thinking about it!!!!"

fascinating thread - i wouldn't get within 10 feet of one of those boards. creepy and definately not something i want to invite in my life"

"ome doors should be left closed."

"A properly made Ouija board is a portal. And messing with portals is just stupid -- especially if you don't know what you're doing.


So, er, confused. Do you mean Parker Brothers is churning out properly made boards? I just have a hard time believing anything mass produced like that is problematic in and of itself. Doesn't mean I don't necessarily believe in portals, or in supernatural events (or that I do), just that I doubt the ability of PB to produce anything more inherently supernatural in nature than Candy Land."

"someone mentioned and I forgot to add...they made it into a game because of the $$$$!"

"power of belief, that's about it. I'd love to think there was something more and perhaps, sometimes there is. I also don't really belive in the idea of "evil." I think it's something conjured up to keep people in their places. However, I also think that it is possible that since we have believed and feared "evil" for so long that we have created it, thus sometimes things like Ouija boards might acctually be more then the phsycosomatic. But I think the majority of supernatural things are only our desperate desire to see something more. Ultimatly I say the only thing I know for sure is that I know absolutely nothing and neither does anyone else."

bad things always happen when i have used one"

So, What do you Think?
Join me tomorrow for Ghost Ships if you are interested.

Rudy's Story Of The Haunting Doll

When Dr Warren was home the summer between his second and third years at UVA Medical School a very peculiar thing happened to his Sister.
She collected dolls and had since they both were small children.She brought home with her a "new" addition to her collection.It was an antique doll with a china head and kid leather body dressed in a long white Christening gown with a matching bonnet.The dress and cap were trimmed with handmade lace,a bit of white ribbon was tucked around the edges.She had little black leather boots. All the stitching had been done by hand.
His Sister was quite delighted with her.She had bought the doll at an Estate sale in the Georgetown area near the University where she was a junior.

Rudy who later turned out to be a sensitive, had a gut reaction of intense dislike for the doll."It was a terrible feeling.",he said.."I didn't know what to say.I just could not stand to look at the thing."His mother and sister ignored his comments about the bad feelings and continued to talk about what the doll's life must have been like, the beauty of the stitching and where in the room for the collection she would look best.

Two nights later, the family was awakened by a series of loud thumping sounds coming from the room where the collection was on display.All of the family rushed to the room and saw nothing.This happened twice more that night and for the next three nights.Then the lights started flickering on and off as well.By the end of the week the door was slamming.They were all edgy by this time even the older Dr.Warren.
Rudy's claim that it must be the doll did not seem so amusing.By the middle of the next week as the hall lights were now flicking and the thumping was even louder,hid father said"Damm it I have a case in the morning.Get rid of that doll."
His sister gave it to a cousin.
Within a week, the cousin's husband had burned the beautiful little doll because of all the thumps and flickering lights in their house.Their rocking chair was also rocking wildly.
We will never know what was involved but it sounds as if the doll was haunting both houses.