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When I First Saw
Ghosts
I was thirteen years old
when I saw my first ghost. It was at my maternal grandmother's funeral. It
was a sunny summer morning. Here in North Carolina the mortuary puts a
tent over the gravesite to protect the mourners from the summer sun and
sudden rain showers. I was sitting on the front row with my parents. The
preacher was giving grandmother's eulogy. It was hot, and I was ready to
have the service over with.
I was looking up at the preacher when I noticed a young blond woman
standing beside one of the tent poles. She was smiling as she listened to
the eulogy. She looked familiar to me. As I was looking at her, trying to
figure out who she was, a breeze moved the branches on a tree behind her.
That's when I realized that I was seeing "through" her. She was
transparent. She appeared solid enough that I hadn't noticed until the
branches moved behind her.
I quickly elbowed my mother. But as I did that, the pretty blond ghost
turned her head towards me. She smiled, placed a finger to her lips, and
shook her head "no" as she made a "shhhh" sound, and
then she faded away.
Later
at the house, I looked through some old family photos. The picture of
grandmother when she was twenty-one years old looked exactly like the
apparition at the funeral. Yes, grandmother was enjoying her eulogy.
And
so began my fascination and love for ghosts.
Down
through the years I’ve seen so many of them and felt the warmth of their
presence that I can’t help wanting to shout it from the rooftops.
They’re beautiful, and they won’t hurt you! They reach out to you and
wrap you in a blanket of comfort and serenity. Their only desire is to
assist you, and love you, and tell you that the afterlife is a place of
joy and spiritual progress.
Oh,
sure, there are some that are downright embarrassed by their low estate,
but those undeveloped souls aren’t able to appear to anyone in the
physical realm without help.
A
ghost’s appearance is slightly luminous. It’s light seems to create
swirling patterns as if it were some sort of plasma. When you see a ghost,
you might even think that he or she is an angel. I’ve made that mistake
too, but angels have a different demeanor. Angels radiate a sense of power
and authority. I always have a feeling that I should kneel and bow my head
in reverence when I encounter an angel. But they are quick to inform that
they do not want adoration. Service is their goal, their joy, and their
privilege.
Unlike
angels, ghosts were once like you and me. They were people living in
physical bodies. But now they are free from their physical cage, and they
are delighted with their freedom. They enfold friends and family that are
still in the physical body. They look forward to the day that their loved
ones are born into their world of beauty, radiance, joy, and love.
How
can you know that you are in the presence of a ghost? Perhaps you may see
a faint glow in the darkness. Sometimes you’ll only see their beautiful
eyes with lashes that flit like butterfly wings. Maybe you will smell a
sweet, soft fragrance almost like baby powder. Possibly you will feel a
touch as if someone dropped a silken scarf on your naked flesh. Perchance
you’ll hear a soothing whisper in your ear. These are indeed messages
from someone who loves you beyond the veil.
And
if you are really blessed, you may find yourself standing in the presence
of your beloved one. They linger near you because your bond of love
enables them to assist you with insight and intuition. If God permits, you
may see their apparition. They will appear similar to the way you remember
them but with the glow of health and happiness. The apparitions are
translucent with rays of light shimmering like a corona around them.
This
ghostly apparition is actually a transfiguration of your loved one. You
will feel no fear, only love and happiness. It is my hope that you will be
visited.
Copyright
2005 Robbin Renee Bridges
About
the Author:
Robbin
Renee Bridges, a chaplain and grief counselor for more than thirty years,
is the author of numerous published articles and the landmark book,
"A Bridge of Love between Heaven and Earth: Self-Induced Contact in
the Afterlife." For more articles about death, ghosts, and the nature
of the souls in the afterlife visit http://www.spirit-sanctuary.org
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