I grew up watching Bob Hope through my childhood and adult years until his death in 2003.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
Anyone who has memories of him or has seen any of his movies or television specials remembers his theme song “Thanks for the Memory.” The song talks about letters with little secrets, faults forgiven, feasting and fasting, and saying goodbye.
For some reason, that reminded me of Thanksgiving celebrations and any other get together held by my family and friends. There always seems to be all of those components going on at them. There is generally very little fasting and a lot of feasting and sometimes secrets do come out. When you get together with those you care about, it should be (but isn’t always) easier to forgive faults and old hurts.
Then there are the goodbyes. Hugs are given and kisses pressed on cheeks as you go out the door and an “I love you” or two thrown in for good measure.
By this time I am sure you are confused. Isn’t this supposed to be a paranormal column? This doesn’t pertain to anything paranormal does it? Stop and think for a moment. During Thanksgiving, or any other gathering, what is usually the topic of conversation?
Memories are shared of those we have said goodbye to in the past… those who have passed from body into spirit. Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps those who have passed may still attend those gatherings after their deaths?
Whenever people gather together there are always stories told, memories shared and pictures passed around. Often, we bring our favorite dishes with us, or go to a restaurant or bar when we meet. We are celebrating life and often that means remembering the dead. I mentioned earlier the old song that spoke of goodbyes. As we gather for these celebrations we may, unfortunately, be seeing someone for the last time, so it could be our last goodbye. Life is full of uncertainties and one of them is when we might see those we care about for the last time.
Those of you who are familiar with my columns know that I have been a paranormal investigator for nine years. Throughout that time, I have had conversations with many people who told me they felt the presence of deceased loved ones at one time or another. Some have even shown me photographs from celebrations that have strange anomalies that were not apparent to the naked eye while the picture was being taken. Unexplainable wisps and mists may twine around those in the pictures. On rare occasions, apparitions who resemble those who have passed may appear in the pictures. They have also reported catching whiffs of scents that reminded them of deceased loved ones or thought they heard their voices one last time.
Are these signs that we have had visitations from those we cared about, or are they just figments of our imaginations conjured up by longings for those who have passed? Although my personal belief is that many are actual spirits just taking part in the celebrations, there are often explanations for the phenomena. As an example, someone may have smoked a short time before in the area where a picture is taken, creating a misty appearance. Although more modern camera equipment has less of a chance to create anomalies, older film and cameras could create double images that appeared to be apparitions. If a celebration is held in a family home, scents may linger on pictures or other keepsakes that belonged to the deceased long after their death. Even so, there are still times that these explanations do not hold true and we can conclude that we may have had a visit. Many phenomena can neither be proven or disproven, but we know in our hearts that it is a possibility.
Another interesting concept is that ghostly spirits visit on anniversaries of events other than gatherings. As I write this column, the anniversary of my Mother’s death just passed. Over the days before, I often felt as if she might be looking in on her only daughter. My Mom was a heavy smoker and never wore perfume, so the one scent I identified with her was the smell of cigarettes. Since I don’t smoke and do not allow smoking in my home, if I do catch the scent of her brand of cigarettes while home alone, I certainly believe she is visiting. This week I often caught whiffs of that odor and expect it to last through at least the end of the month when I celebrate my birthday. During times of great stress or fear, I have heard of those who have passed showing themselves or making themselves known in order to give support.
Birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other significant events always make us think of those who are no longer with us in body. Has it ever occurred to you that the same may be said of them? When I was being trained as a paranormal investigator, one of the things I often heard was, as they were in life they remain in death. The implication of that statement is that when you die, your personality remains the same. Since the theory is that anything living is made up of energy and energy never dies-it is just transformed, the energy that is “us” lingers after our death. It stands to reason that this energy would also retain all the quirks and emotions that made us individuals. If a spirit cherished certain people, dates and events, why would they not want to be with those who shared that same feeling and connection to the dates and events? Death does not steal the wish to be near those you loved.
This evening as I was writing this column a dear friend called. While trying to very awkwardly explain the essence of the ideas for this column to him he said something that rang very true to me. When we speak about, remember, and honor those who have passed we become beacons to them. The love that we shared with them creates such a bright light that they are drawn to us like the beacon of a lighthouse showing a ship to safe harbor. This thought should remind us that the best way to honor those who have passed is to continue living with the memories of them tucked into our hearts, minds and spirits. There will always be a sadness that they are physically gone from our lives… that is inevitable, but we can always say to them “Thanks for the Memory.”
I always issue a challenge to anyone who is reading my columns and this month is no exception. With the holiday seasons coming up in November and December, I dare you to not only remember with love those who have passed, but create new memories for the time when you too pass from body into spirit, but also continue it all year long. On Halloween I will celebrate my 60th birthday. This year alone I lost many much younger family and friends and it has made me more cognizant of the fact that we never know when our days will end. I plan on giving out more hugs and telling people how much I love them, as well as sharing the stories that have made up our lives. We never know what memories will be significant to those we leave behind, but we can try to guarantee that the majority of them are happy and loving.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
