There’s been a lot of talk lately about the co-hosts of ABC-TV’s “The View,” what with some ladies leaving, others such as Jenny McCarthy joining.  But one woman who has remained for awhile now is delightful Whoopi Goldberg. I have always enjoyed Whoopi and even more so after seeing the 1990 film “Ghost.” Her portrayal of a fake psychic/medium was hilarious.  What was even more hilarious, though, was that her character, Oda Mae Brown, had actual mediumistic abilities if she’d only followed them.  Do you remember the scene when Patrick Swayze’s character of Sam first appears to her in spirit and begins communicating?  Oda Mae is terrified because she didn’t realize she had the ability to communicate with spirits. Being a medium is a gift. Once Oda Mae’s gift was “opened,” she couldn’t stop seeing and hearing spirits.  The scenes where she helped reunite Patrick Swayze’s character with the character of his wife, played by Demi Moore, were deeply touching.  I found all of this very realistic in terms of the way spirit communication can work and the way spirits look. Long before the 1991 Oscar nominations were due to be announced, (representing the 1990 film season), I appeared on numerous talk shows and magazine shows such as “Entertainment Tonight” to predict that not only would Whoopi Goldberg be nominated for an Oscar, she would also win – for Best Supporting Actress in “Ghost.” When nominations were announced quite some time later, indeed she was listed in the Best Supporting Actress category.  And I couldn’t have been happier on Oscar night to see Whoopi win the coveted award. But as a psychic/medium I often wonder whether the person I made a prediction about ever heard of the prediction – and what did they think of it? Many years later – in the mid-1990s – I was invited to become a semi-regular on a new syndicated talk show Howie Mandel was starting.  I enjoyed all of my appearances with Howie, where I would answer viewer questions by mail (receiving more than 20,000 letters in a week!), roam through the audience giving psychic messages, and discuss celebrity predictions or celebrities I’d known through the years. One particular appearance was my favorite, though.  I didn’t know until I arrived at the studio, but a fellow guest booked for that day was…Whoopi Goldberg!  Imagine my surprise and delight! Whoopi’s segment on the show came before mine, so she was seated on the stage when I came out.  It seemed only natural to hug one another – as though we’d been friends for years.  During the course of my interview, she and I exchanged words several times.  I gave her a current psychic message and loved to see her roll those big eyes of hers when I was accurate.  Most delightful of all was when I said to her:  “I predicted your Oscar nomination beforehand, you know…as well as your win.” She smiled and said, “I know – I heard that!”  I said, “Thank you.”  And she said, as only Whoopi could say in that wonderful voice, “No – thank YOU!” It was a special moment I’ll treasure.  I had the chance to not only know that my psychic message had been heard and appreciated at the time of giving it, but to also receive feedback and thanks some time later. It is those small but touching moments that make being a psychic/medium all worthwhile. ]]>