A reader writes:
Well, here is my 'ghost' story. I guess I was about 9 years old in the winter of 1971. We lived in a cinder block home with concrete floors, being we were poor and my mother did her best to raise four children by herself. We had been living in this house since the summer of 67', and saw or heard nothing unusual......that is until one cold winter night in 1971. At this time it was just my mother, myself and my 7 year old sister still residing in the home. My mother moved me into the bedroom her and my sister shared (I had my own separate bed). She had closed off my bedroom to conserve needed heat that we were getting from an old fashioned kerosene heater. We had all gone to bed around 9:30 pm and were asleep for a few good hours I'm sure, when I suddenly woke up for no reason, which I generally slept through every night until about 7 am. I awoke staring at my window, wondering why I was awake and so clear headed looking out my window as I lay in the bed. While I was questioning myself, I had a strange feeling of being watched, so I slowly turned to my left side to check on my mother and sister in their bed across the room. It was then that I saw and elderly looking man sitting in the chair beside my bed, looking directly at me! I blinked and stared right back at this apparition, and it was still there. He looked a lot like my grand father (who was still alive), maybe in his late 60's, white thinning hair, gentle shaven face, white short-sleeved shirt, with grey or brown slacks. He just sat there looking at me as though he knew me. Instead of being scared, I felt a sudden peace about the weird situation.....any other time I would have been screaming my head off! I simply felt happy, rolled back over in bed and fell fast asleep. I never told me mother, sister, or anyone about what I observed that night.
Eleven years later, we were all together as a family on Christmas Eve, and conversing about our individual past childhoods. Each of us four told a silly or special moment when we were growing up and the whole family would laugh and smile. It was my turn, and I told how much I cherished the past times in our old house and a few few happy adventures I had with my young friends in the neighborhood. Finally, it was my sister's turn and she followed by saying this...."You know brother, I liked the house too, but I never cared for that ghost that I saw there." Chills broke out all over me, and I stuttered slightly when I asked her to tell us what she saw (among my brothers snickering). Well she said..."I woke up suddenly and immediately felt that we were being watched. I looked around in the bedroom and there he was, standing in the bedroom doorway facing us, just staring at us while we were sleeping in our beds! I asked her, what did he look like? She said, "he looked a lot like our grandfather.....was about maybe 70 years old, white haired, slightly taller than our grandfather, was wearing a white shirt and dark pants. He just stood there looking at us. I took a second look and he seemed to smile. I simply felt calm and fell back asleep. The room kind of got quiet and I spoke out to my sister.....I saw the same old gentleman myself, sitting in the chair between our beds! My sister could only recall that it was a cold night and that she was still young and I was in the same room in the other bed, which made me believe it was around the same year that I witnessed him also. I was spooked by her story and went away shaking my head, even though it confirmed what I myself had seen eleven years earlier.
Now about six years later in early 1988, I was going through a crisis moment in my life and was up one night searching for badly needed answers. I had been an atheist for about seven years, but my military experiences and watching the births of our first two children opened my mind up to the possibility that there just might be a 'God' after all. That night I cried out...."if You are real and out there, I need you now......please talk too me!" Suddenly an a soft but authoritative voice spoke to me in the darkness of our living room. He declared Himself, but then I quickly got angry and hurled an insult at him..."where were you when I was young, fatherless, hungry and cold?" His answer was gentle...."remember the nights you prayed to me while standing over you mother, who was sleeping......asking Me to protect her and your siblings......so I did, by sending you one of My servants to watch over you during the hard times." My tears suddenly stopped and I recalled the prayers I had spoken to him as a boy, and the 'Old Man' that my sister and I had seen so many years ago! I felt shame for what I said moments earlier; for God had always been watching over me and had responded too my earlier request to help my mother get us through another day. That supposed 'ghost' was an 'angel' of God.....one that He had sent at the bequest of a nine year old needy boy. I will always cherish what I experienced that night. LB
How To See In The Spirit: A practical guide on engaging the spirit realm
A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses
