# Ghosts?



## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

So, since it's almost Halloween, anyone got any good ghost stories? 

For a book I wrote about haunted houses in St. Louis, I spent the night at the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis.  I saw a lot of weird shadows out of the corner of my eye, but I cannot say for sure I saw a ghost.  Anyone have any good real-life haunted house/ghost stories?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Not I, but then I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying skeptic who'd probably rationalize it away even if I ever actually did encounter a ghost.


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## Nova_Implosion (Jul 20, 2012)

G-g-g-ghosts?!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I don't have a real life ghost story, but I do have an amazing "from the grave" story.

My husband's grandparents were fans of Edgar Cayce and became very enthralled with the concept of being able to communicate with the dead.  They made an agreement that whichever one of them died first would attempt to communicate with the one still living.  They came up with a code word that they would try to get through.  Grandfather died first.  Grandmother got a reading with Edgar Cayce (very hard to get at that time), and he was musing with her when he said "there is a man here who is very desperate to say something to you" and then came out with the code word.

Makes a believer out of me!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

A funny one.  Many many years ago, grandchildren and their parents were all visiting at grandparents' big ol' house.  So one night my grandfather is upstairs in grandparents' dark bedroom getting ready for bed.  One of my uncles was carrying his toddler son up to bed.  They passed my grandparents' bedroom.  Toddler got SCARED when he saw his / our grandfather standing there in his white top and bottom long johns.  A ghost!!!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> So, since it's almost Halloween, anyone got any good ghost stories?
> 
> For a book I wrote about haunted houses in St. Louis, I spent the night at the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis. I saw a lot of weird shadows out of the corner of my eye, but I cannot say for sure I saw a ghost. Anyone have any good real-life haunted house/ghost stories?


I looked up your book about ghosts of St. Louis. Sure wish you had it available for Kindles!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Sorry it's not available for Kindle, but I did not publish it myself.  It was published through Schiffer Publishing - so they make the decision about what format they publish.  They have been very slow to respond to the ebook trend, sadly.

I had a friend whose mother-in-law died very suddenly.  They could not find her will in her house anywhere and his wife kept having repeated dreams that she was in the kitchen with her mother.  One time, she said, in the dream, "Mom, where is your will?"  Her mother, again, in the dream, pointed to the garage and said, "It's on a shelf in the garage, near the back, behind some boxes."  The next day they went out in the garage, removed the boxes (which were old and covered in dust and cobwebs) and found a box with papers inside.  Inside that box was the will.

I had another friend spend the night at a friends house and while the other girls were in one room playing some game, she went across the hall to lay down.  While she was sleeping, she very distinctly felt someone reach out and tug her toe.  She leapt up, sure that someone had snuck into the room to scare her.  She stormed across the hall and demanded to know who had done it.  Her friend, the one whose house it was, immediately burst into tears.  When she calmed down she said that her grandmother, who had just died, used to wake her up (and the room was her room) by tugging her toe.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

My mom and I were talking about this earlier today. 
My mom had an uncle who visited us quite often.  He was my maternal grandmother's brother.  He passed away in 1972.  Around 1977 I worked late one evening, came home after everyone else was in bed, got up the next morning and went to school before my mom or sister got up.  After returning from school I told my mom I had seen Uncle Denzil standing at the bottom of my bed the previous evening.  My sister had told my mom when she got up that morning that Uncle Denzil had been standing beside her bed.  And my mom had also seen him in the hall the same evening.  
Uncle Denzil frequently visited us.  My maternal grandmother lived with my mom for five or six months before she passed away and made frequent comments that her brother was visiting her.  She was 93 and no dementia.  She would say Denzil, I am not ready.  LOL.  Since my grandmother passed we have had no more Uncle Denzil visits.  
deb


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Yes but I can think of rational explanations for each of the occurrences. In addition, the spirits of the two deceased family members (father and brother) that could have been involved were also card-carrying skeptics who would want me to remember them while recognizing the rational explanation.



NogDog said:


> Not I, but then I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying skeptic who'd probably rationalize it away even if I ever actually did encounter a ghost.


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## PatrickWalts (Jul 22, 2011)

I want to see some ghosts.  I never get to see anything cool.


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## C.A.Wodensen (Dec 3, 2011)

I'm a 100% believer, lets put it that way lol.

I look at the subject like this.

You can present a skeptic ( or sceptic for our UK readers    ) with whatever stories, pictures, video, or anything you like as evidence. The skeptic will always find some rational, or sometimes irrational in my experience, explanation as to why the experience can be debunked. Failing that they will resort to cries of "hoax" or "fraud". The only way they ever will change their minds is for them to have their own experience.

On the other hand, a believer will almost always stand behind their experiences regardless of theories or explanations presented to them that try to debunk them.

Granted, a lot of things can be debunked or exposed as hoaxes.

But a lot is not all.....

Anyhow, my 2 cents lol.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

When my first dog died, he came back to visit late that night and jumped up on the bed in the dark--didn't see him but felt the jump and his breath. Very comforting to know he was okay.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I visited the Lemp Mansion and saw weird shadows out of the corner of my eyes.  I played around with divining rods, but I am also a skeptic, and doubt that those worked.  There is supposedly a dog spirit there and one of the shadows I saw out of the corner of my eyes was dog-shaped and that height.  I wish that a Lemp family member had fully materialized and done an interview - but no.

I still don't know if they exist, but I like to be open-minded that there are more things in this universe than we can possibly understand.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

No ghost for me. I like to be one chasing people I like as well as dislike....lol


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

My brother still insists the house we grew up in was haunted and has all of these stories.  It's the same house my mom grew up in, so it's been around a while.  Of course, when he and his friends lived in the attic area they were ingesting various substances.  I lived in that room for years - never saw a thing.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Count me as someone else who has zero belief in the supernatural. Just because something hasn't been explained (yet) doesn't mean it's supernatural.

Mike


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

If you ask me if I believe in the supernatural I would say no.  When others tell stories I am skeptical.  Then I remind myself I've had an "experience".    
My finance claims his mom (died ten years ago) shows herself now and again.  I have never seen or heard from her.  
Interesting.  
deb


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Gonna blog kitty ghost stories on Friday.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I am currently watching "Celebrity Ghost Stories."  My fiance and I watch it regularly.

Again, I just like to believe the universe is more amazing and diverse than we can explain and, perhaps, never explain.  I also believe that a human has a soul and it has to go somewhere when we die.  Now, I hope that I go somewhere else rather than hanging around a house or something, but still.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

balaspa said:


> I am currently watching "Celebrity Ghost Stories." My fiance and I watch it regularly.
> 
> Again, I just like to believe the universe is more amazing and diverse than we can explain and, perhaps, never explain. I also believe that a human has a soul and it has to go somewhere when we die. Now, I hope that I go somewhere else rather than hanging around a house or something, but still.


Yeah, exactly, if you've become disembodied, why not sail off and explore the Universe or something? I despair of ghosts ... they've no get-up-and-go.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Interesting discussion--"just because something hasn't been explained doesn't mean it's supernatural."

True. And even if it's explained, just because someone can't understand the explanation doesn't prove/disprove the existence, either, I suppose.

What IS a ghost, anyway? Energy? (that exists and has been explained). An image/reflection/recording of something not there? (sounds like a photograph or CD or something). Kirlian photography captures some of this energy...outlines of missing limps, torn leaves made whole, etc. So some of it can be measured, even if not explained.

Very cool video here with a bit about the technique


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

I don't have a ghost story but here in Ohio we DO have several haunted houses

One of my favorites is Squire's Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squire%27s_Castle 
This link takes you to a brief history and a picture of the ruin

They use it now for a backdrop for wedding pix
I would think in its day it was pretty magnificent

If anyone lives in or near Ohio and has yet to see this thing in person it would make for a cool road trip


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Amyshojai said:


> Kirlian photography captures some of this energy...outlines of missing limps, torn leaves made whole, etc. So some of it can be measured, even if not explained.


We're going to have to differ there. Kirlian photography isn't an indication of the paranormal. For instance:

http://www.mediacollege.com/photography/types/kirlian/

Mike


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I just know that even my fiance has had some unique experiences after her dad died.  Now, not ghosts, per se, but, things that seemed to indicate there was a sign from the other side.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Nope, didn't say Kirlian photography is an indication of paranormal--only that it raises questions about energy that isn't otherwise seen. And that when living beings die, perhaps energy remains behind in some form or another. My point was that there are some things that seem otherworldly but can still be measurable by science, even if we can't agree on what to call it.

The so-called "ghost hunters" if I'm not mistaken attempt to use scientific means to detect the presence of paranormal phenomenon recording temperature changes, energy fluctuations and suchlike. Heck, the folks of bygone eras who received radio signals through dental fillings may have thought they were haunted by voices--which of course later could be easily explained. 

Even though some of these things cannot (yet?) be scientifically explained doesn't mean they might not fit the loose definition of paranormal. *shrug* That just means "outside of the normal" does it not?  

Of course all of this stuff makes for great grist for readers and writers of scary schtuff!


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Amyshojai said:


> Even though some of these things cannot (yet?) be scientifically explained doesn't mean they might not fit the loose definition of paranormal. *shrug* That just means "outside of the normal" does it not?


The way I always put it is this: The Norse people would hear thunder sometimes. They had no way of knowing about electricity and ionization ... they probably didn't even know what clouds were made of. So they explained the loud noises by surmising that the tops of the clouds were being struck with a massive hammer wielded by a god, Thor. They weren't being dumb. They just weren't scientifically advanced enough, as yet, to come up with a better explanation. We're in much the same position when it comes to 'paranormal' stuff,' although I do suspect that, however long the human race is around, there'll be some questions that we'll _never_ find the answers to.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Which is what I love. I love the fact that science keeps discovering new things, but also keep finding new questions.  I think when all of the questions are answered - things just end.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

OK, so, a lot of folks on here are skeptics.  I dig that.  But does anyone have any stories or experiences that go the other way?  There have been a few, but I'd love to read some more.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

For a couple of days before my grandmother passed away in the hospital, my mother said that she occasionally asked her if she'd seen her dad (who had passed away 20 years earlier). My mother told her no, that her dad had been gone for quite a few years. My grandmother insisted that he had been in her hospital room several times. She passed away two days later. 

My sister was dying of cancer, and mentioned the two men who were standing at the foot of her bed several times. I saw no one, and asked her if she knew them. She replied that she didn't, but that they were a very comforting presence. A couple of days later, she passed away. 

My daughter worked in a modern art museum in a nearby town of 80,000. The first day on the job, she was told this story:

A woman and her young daughter (about 5) were visiting the museum, planning for a reception that they were going to hold there. There was no one in the museum except for the museum employee and the mother and daughter. As the mother and daughter were about to leave, the little girl told the employee that the old lady in the room in the lower floor of the museum wouldn't talk to her. She said that she tried to be friendly by waving and telling her hi. The woman just looked at her. When asked what the woman looked like, the little girl said she was old, had on a long black dress with a lace collar, and had her grey hair up on top of her head. The employee and the girl's mother told the little girl again that they were the only ones in the museum, so she couldn't have seen anyone. When the employee related the event to the museum director a few days later, he said, "Oh. That was Mrs. Albrecht. She is around here every once in awhile." (Mrs. Albrecht was the woman who lived in the museum when it was a private residence, and who, with her husband, left their lovely home and art collection to be made into a museum.) 

My daughter was always a bit freaked out when she would have to shut off all the lights before locking up for the night. She'd start in the back room, where Mrs. Albrecht was often seen, and quickly go about her business so that she could get out of there.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

There are certain things that are hard to prove such as existence of God. This is one of those things. I don't believe in ghosts but hard to prove to those who imagine them...lol


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Now, Cindy, THOSE are some good ghost stories.  Thank you for sharing.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> Now, Cindy, THOSE are some good ghost stories. Thank you for sharing.


You're welcome. I thought they might be what you were looking for, and all are true.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

here's one that happened to my mom.  My mom is a no nonsense woman.  She has never believed in ghosts or anything of that nature.  She's only once told me of something that she could not explain away.  

When I was 15, my Papaw (my mother's father) died.  He had been smoking for over 60 years and had done major damage to his lungs (depending on which story you believe, he started smoking as young as 12 and died when he was in his 70s).  It was not unexpected, he had been in the hospital for over 2 weeks and it was almost a relief when he passed b/c he was struggling so much.  My mom is #7 of 8 and as the closest daughter she was the one who would drive her parents around when they needed something (this was after Papaw broke his hip, not only was mom a SAHM, but she had a van that he could step up into instead of stepping down, it was easier on him).  The funeral was sad, everyone was trying to rally around Granny, my mom's mom, and keep her spirits up.  They had been married for over 50 years and it was harder on her than anyone else.

Mom kept driving Granny around, grocery stores, drs appts, paying bills.  She said that sometimes she would go somewhere, usually alone, and she would smell cigarette smoke, just like Papaw's brand.  Or she would hear his very distinctive smokers laugh.  She said that there were several times she would be adjusting the mirror in the van and she would see him in the sit he always sat in.  None of it was spooky, none of it felt like he was trying to scare her.  It was always just flashes.  She always got the sense that he was reminding her that he had unfinished business that he couldn't finish, but she could.  She never mentioned any of this at the time it was happening.  She just assumed that Papaw was reminding her that he was still here and he needed her to finish up his business so he could move on.

A little over a year after he died, my mom's family finally finished up the last of his business.  She never saw him again.


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## JamescCamp (Oct 18, 2012)

NogDog said:


> Not I, but then I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying skeptic who'd probably rationalize it away even if I ever actually did encounter a ghost.


It's been my experience that the people who see ghosts are the ones who strongly believe in them already ... if you know what I mean.

I'm not saying they don't exist - they have so far been neither proven or disproven - but I personally have never come across a reliable experience to sway me toward them.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

My fiance had an experience where she was driving behind a landscapers truck that was loaded with tools.  She was sort of not paying attention, like you do when you drive a route all the time.  Suddenly, she very clearly heard a woman's voice from the empty back seat of her car say, "Look out!"  She turned forward and a pick-axe had flown out of the back of the truck and she swerved her car just in time.  If that had not happened, it would have gone through her windshield. She says she think it might have been her grandmother on her father's side, but also said a psychic once told her she had a guardian angel.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Another skeptic here, in the sense that I'm convinced the vast majority of so-called paranormal events have some other explanation.  

However....

There are sufficient cases for which no rational (as in, based on known science) explanation has been found that I'm just as convinced that there is more to discover.  Not anything "supernatural" but simply something about the way the natural world works that we have no clue about yet.  It would be rather presumptuous of the human race to assume that our current body of scientific knowledge is complete, especially with respect to such things as what happens to a body's energy immediately after death.


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## JamescCamp (Oct 18, 2012)

Susan in VA said:


> Another skeptic here, in the sense that I'm convinced the vast majority of so-called paranormal events have some other explanation.
> 
> However....
> 
> There are sufficient cases for which no rational (as in, based on known science) explanation has been found that I'm just as convinced that there is more to discover. Not anything "supernatural" but simply something about the way the natural world works that we have no clue about yet. *It would be rather presumptuous of the human race to assume that our current body of scientific knowledge is complete*, especially with respect to such things as what happens to a body's energy immediately after death.


No true scientist believes that, as the whole purpose of science is always to keep looking beyond what we know.

But it seems to me that this is an area science has mostly left alone, out of ... snobbery? Incredulity? Perplexity?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

JamescCamp said:


> But it seems to me that this is an area science has mostly left along, out of ... snobbery? Incredulity? Perplexity?


Or a realization that this field cannot (currently) be investigated using the scientific method.

And if someday it can be, it will be a brave group of scientists who tackle it -- because no matter _what _they find out, it will almost certainly contradict the deeply held beliefs of some large group of people world-wide.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Of course, I take "supernatural" to just mean "above the norm."  So, really that doesn't exclude science.

But, once again, I reiterate my call for actual ghost stories!  Scare me!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

This may not qualify as a ghost story, but it is very interesting, to say the least. I have an acquaintance whose husband passed away a couple of years ago. I never met him, but many who knew him say that he was the love of his wife's life, and vice versa. He was apparently a prankster, and was often doing things to keep his wife on her toes. 

Since his death, his wife has had a lot of odd things happen around their home. She is a cooking instructor, and also sells homemade food. She uses her food processor a lot, and recently, as she removed the lid prior to using the food processor, she found a quarter in the middle of the workbowl. She, of course, swears that she didn't put the quarter there. (She lives alone, so no one else put it there.) Another day, she found dry cat food in her bathtub.  She took her husband's glasses, had the lenses removed, and then had lenses put in the frames so that she could use them as reading glasses. One of the lenses came out of the frame, so she put it back into the frame. The next day, she put the book that she was reading on her bathroom counter, and placed her reading glasses (intact) on top of her book. She left the room for a few minutes, and when she returned, the glasses were where she had left the, but one of the lenses was missing. She found it lying smack dab in the middle of the comforter on her bed.

This woman has a beautiful home on the outskirts of a large city. Amateur photography is a hobby of hers, and she often captures scenes from her lovely yard. She frequently takes photos of her yard and home, and occasionally, she will have a photo with unexplained orb-like figures show up. It's odd because she might have four ormfive photos taken in succession, but the orbs might only be in one or two of the photos.  

I wish I could re-post a photo that she posted on Facebook recently, but I don't really want to ask her to let me do it since I don't know her well. The photo was a view of the back of her home, with the focus being on her gorgeous landscaping. The weirdest thing about the photo is that it looks as if a man wearing a hat is sitting in the corner of her patio, but no one was there. (A friend of hers who was at her home when she took the photo noticed the figure after seeing the pic on FB. The friend was astonished because she knew there was no one there but the two women.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Cindy, that is FANTASTIC!  Yes, I think that qualifies as a ghost story.  It sounds like her husband wants to reconnect with her or something - get her thinking about him or something.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> Cindy, that is FANTASTIC! Yes, I think that qualifies as a ghost story. It sounds like her husband wants to reconnect with her or something - get her thinking about him or something.


Several people who knew them as a couple are certain that her husband is doing these things. Of course, the wife is certain, as well, as finds these odd occurrences to be very comforting, as she never thinks he's far away from her. She seems like a well-grounded person, and I can't imagine that she would be behind these things. The photographs are really interesting, as they are time-stamped, and the times are back-to-back. The one that really gets me is the photo where it looks like there is a man sitting in the corner of the patio.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I always am a bit skeptical of orbs, myself.  I saw lots of them in photos taken of me and by me when I stayed at the Lemp Mansion.  But, I can't help but feel that, most of the time, it's just dust.  The Lemp is an old, old house.


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## CoffeeCat (Sep 13, 2010)

I've never seen a full on apparition, and I'm not one to believe anything I hear about the paranormal, but personally I don't see why it isn't possible. I find it much harder to believe that there's nothing beyond this experience then it is to believe that there are other planes/realms of existence. 

My most recent "ghost" experience was a little over a month ago. I was at a wedding in a catholic church that I had never been to but was in the same state as the majority of my family on my father's side. My father's family is almost exclusively Roman Catholic. While I am not a Catholic, I am always in awe of (any) sort of religious architecture. During the wedding, Ave Maria was played. This of course did not surprise me as it's a traditional catholic prayer. It's one of my favorite pieces of music of all time. While it was playing, all I could smell was my late aunt's perfume and all I could think of was her smile. During another part of the ceremony out of no where I just heard my late grandmother's laugh and could smell nothing but her perfume to the point it almost made me gag. On the way out of the cathedral I noticed that much of the marble used on the pillars was exactly the same rosy pink color marble that was/is on my grandparents end tables that now are in my father's home. 

Call me crazy but there's your story. Cindy, the stories you've shared are lovely!

A repeated experience I've had is that since I was about 10, whenever someone I know dies, the same few things happen and then I'll be the first phone call about the passing whether the call is intended for me or not. To me it's all just part of the cycle.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> I always am a bit skeptical of orbs, myself. I saw lots of them in photos taken of me and by me when I stayed at the Lemp Mansion. But, I can't help but feel that, most of the time, it's just dust. The Lemp is an old, old house.


I am no expert at all in the field of the paranormal, but I do find it interesting. (I watch "Ghost Hunters." What more can I say?) As for orbs, I know that the GH team doesn't usually place much importance on them, but in last night's show, and orb-like sighting seemed to be important during the reveal, possibly because both team members saw it at the same time with their eyes rather than through the camera lens. The most interesting thing about my acquaintance's "orbs" in her photos has to do with the time stamping and the consecutive photos.



CoffeeCat said:


> I've never seen a full on apparition, and I'm not one to believe anything I hear about the paranormal, but personally I don't see why it isn't possible. I find it much harder to believe that there's nothing beyond this experience then it is to believe that there are other planes/realms of existence.
> 
> My most recent "ghost" experience was a little over a month ago. I was at a wedding in a catholic church that I had never been to but was in the same state as the majority of my family on my father's side. My father's family is almost exclusively Roman Catholic. While I am not a Catholic, I am always in awe of (any) sort of religious architecture. During the wedding, Ave Maria was played. This of course did not surprise me as it's a traditional catholic prayer. It's one of my favorite pieces of music of all time. While it was playing, all I could smell was my late aunt's perfume and all I could think of was her smile. During another part of the ceremony out of no where I just heard my late grandmother's laugh and could smell nothing but her perfume to the point it almost made me gag. On the way out of the cathedral I noticed that much of the marble used on the pillars was exactly the same rosy pink color marble that was/is on my grandparents end tables that now are in my father's home.


Unexplained scents seem to be pretty important to paranormal investigators, as do unexplained voices. Sounds as if you had an interesting experience while at the wedding.


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## harrisonbooth (Oct 29, 2012)

I'm a full on skeptic when it comes to thinks like this, assuming there's a rational or "future science" explanation to most things HOWEVER -

My first story, and perhaps the easiest to dismiss, is that in the 90s a local policeman used to visit my local pub (which is now shut, as is the way in the UK) and select Got My Mind Set On You by George Harrison on the old-school jukebox.  He was then killed in a traffic accident, and since then the jukebox would always select the same song when placed on random.  Probably down to some grooves being worn into the mechanics of the machine, but creepy nethertheless.

The second is that in my 450 year old family house, on about 3 occasions more than 1 of us has heard a massive crashing/smashing noise coming from the kitchen, as if one of the cats has jumped on the worktop and knocked some plates off.  We will then go into the kitchen to find no cats and nothing out of place.  I live in the countryside so there's not really any nearby houses it could have come from, and the sound has always seemed close.  I don't find it that spooky in retrospect, just really confusing.


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

My mom claims to have seen a little boy walking up and down the stairs at an old apartment she used to live in during her 20's. I desperately want to believe her, but have to wonder if her visions were more related to other things that everyone indulged in back in the 70's.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Harrison, I love those stories!

I just remembered another strange incident from when I was a child.  I was outside playing near the house where I lived most of my life (it is the same house my mom grew up in and had belonged to my grandmother who died of cancer in the late 70s).  Suddenly, this woman in a housecoat and dark hair comes walking down the driveway.  She walks right past me and says, "Hello."  I said, "Hi" right back, wondering who the heck she was.  She was not the older woman who lived with her husband next door.  She was not anyone I had seen before.  She rounded the corner of the house and, after a moment's puzzlement, when I went back out around the front, she was gone.

Over the years I have thought about that incident and have seen photos of my mom's mom (my grandmother) when she was younger - and I cannot shake the feeling that it was her.  Maybe stopping by to see how we were doing.  I dunno.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

We were near Branson, MO, in a furniture store a few months ago with some friends.  The other woman's mother passed away in 1988, just six weeks after my mom passed away. My friend and I were reminiscing about our moms, and my friend said that she and her sister, as well as her nieces, often find nickels lying around in strange places. They attribute this to their mother's sense of humor, as well as her love of nickels. (Don't ask me why. Her mom was a hoot, and was very quirky.). After my friend told me this, we decided to try out some Adirondack patio furniture. When my friend's husband followed suit, we were astonished (or at least I was) to find a nickel right in the middle of the chair when he stood up. He had no change in his pocket, and swore it couldn't have fallen from his pocket. Neither my friend nor I had any change on us, either. Go figure. 

My daughters were home a couple of months ago, and we had a rather odd experience that hasn't happened since. We have touch lamps in our living room, and, as we were getting ready to turn off lights for the night, one of the lamps kept turning back on within about 5 seconds of the time it was turned off. We occasionally have electrical power fluctuations that make the other lamp come on in the middle of the night. The light that wouldn't stay off has never come on during fluctuations in power. We tried for ten minutes or so to turn the light off, and finally unplugged it. Meanwhile, the other lamp stayed off.  The girls and I were talking last night, and they feel as if it was my late sister teasing us. She was a believer, to some extent, of communication from loved ones who have passed, and she also loved to tease. I have no explanation for the behavior of the lamp that night. All I know is that it hasn't done that again.  

My daughters and I watch "Long Island Medium," and are in awe of some of the things that Theresa Caputo tells people about their loved ones. Sometimes, she will ask if a word has special meaning to someone, or she'll ask about something very specific, and the person who she is talking to will say that he or she asked his/her loved one before the session started to give Theresa a word or something to prove that the info is real. Theresa will also refer to something that happened, like when she asked a young boy if he had received a medal for something recently. I this case, the boy and his mom said yes, and the medium said that the boy's dad was there when the medal was put around his neck.  It was very interesting, especially given the fact that a friend had arranged for Theresa to visit her friend and her son be ause they had lost their husband/father very unexpectedly, and were having a hard time dealing with it. Theresa says that when you think of your loved one unexpectedly and very vividly, that he or she is with you.  I'm sure this sounds like the power of suggestion or some other form of imagination to many, but it certainly gives one pause to reconsider things that we take for granted.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Still loving the tales, Cindy!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> Still loving the tales, Cindy!


I think I've shared all that I have. 

I hate to admit that I watch "Long Island Medium," as I'm not into much reality tv, but I have found the stories to be very compelling. Last week's show followed up with some of the people who have had readings with Theresa, and it's wonderful to hear how their lives have been changed. Theresa goes into stores/shops, etc., and is often compelled to ask someone about a loved one who has passed on. To the shock of the people, she is able to hit the nail on the head about things that the people say no one else could possibly know. When asked by strangers who have seen these people on the show if, indeed, Theresa seems to be the real deal, those who have been read, even the most skeptical of them all, say that she is for real. It certainly is interesting.

If anything else happens (God forbid) or I hear of any other stories, I'll pass them along.

I found the book _Haunted Presidents: Ghosts in the Lives of the Chief Executives (Haunted Series) _ (Kindle edition) for free the other day, and it looks interesting. I got a good deal, as the book is now $9.66. I'll let you know what I think of it when I get around to reading it.


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## Sienna_98 (Jan 26, 2009)

Cindy,  I love the show as well, but mostly enjoy it as a modern take on the old "I love Lucy" television show.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Sienna_98 said:


> Cindy, I love the show as well, but mostly enjoy it as a modern take on the old "I love Lucy" television show.


She's a hoot, for sure! What a family! Quirky, but obviously very close.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I got married yesterday and this whole week, there has been this strong feeling that my wife's father (who died a couple years ago) and my grandmother (who died earlier this year) have been with us.  The light in the main bathroom, which has always worked fine, suddenly has been flashing.  Then, the other day, I saw a cardinal and a blue jay on the same branch of a tree looking down at me.  My grandmother's favorite color was blue and when I asked what Melanie's father's favorite color was she said, "Oh, he loved red!"  

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I honestly feel like they were both here to watch over us and give us their blessing.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> I got married yesterday and this whole week, there has been this strong feeling that my wife's father (who died a couple years ago) and my grandmother (who died earlier this year) have been with us. The light in the main bathroom, which has always worked fine, suddenly has been flashing. Then, the other day, I saw a cardinal and a blue jay on the same branch of a tree looking down at me. My grandmother's favorite color was blue and when I asked what Melanie's father's favorite color was she said, "Oh, he loved red!"
> 
> Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I honestly feel like they were both here to watch over us and give us their blessing.


Congratulations! Maybe they were, indeed, there to watch over you and bless your marriage. What a comforting feeling!


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

A cardinal and a blue jay? Were any of your relatives baseball fans, by any chance?


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Tony Richards said:


> A cardinal and a blue jay? Were any of your relatives baseball fans, by any chance?


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Well...no.  Maybe my wife's dad was...but I am not so sure.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I know it's past Halloween, but I'd love to get more stories if anyone has any.  I love reading about these things.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Boo!


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## Jackal Lantern Books (Aug 30, 2011)

My hubby and I live in a small house in Salt Lake City, which after we moved in, the locals all informed us was called the haunted house... it was the first house built on our street back around 1920. We've been in this place for about 13 years now... 

We did not experience any haunting type things for the first few months, however, we got a dog and he would have these moments when he would suddenly jump up and start barking at a blank space on the wall. And then growl at it. That definitely gave us the creeps. 

Then after awhile, odd things started happening like the TV turning on in the middle of the night. Or waking up to a feeling that someone was standing right next to the bed. We had visitors (we never told them about the ghost) and they experienced the same thing. My hubby got a new office chair one day that made a really specific squeak when it was sat in, or when he got out of it, and we started hearing that throughout the night. 

Eventually we decided to name the ghost. For some reason I felt like it was a male presence so we named him Murray. He will disappear sometimes for weeks or months and then just suddenly pop back again. He really likes to make appearances whenever I leave town and my hubby is home alone. Quite often the TV or other electronics will come on at night. And one night my hubby felt someone sit on the edge of the bed. Another night he awoke to a crash and when he got up to investigate, a mirror in our bathroom had somehow flung itself across the room and into another wall. 

Previous to this house, we lived, along with other roomates (during college, yes we've been together a long time! Over 20 years!  ), in a very old renovated church, in Maine. I absolutely abhorred the place after I'd spent a little time there. You just never felt alone or at ease. We often saw shadows, had unexplained breezes that would blow things around. My hubby and the other roomates were members of a band that would often leave town to perform and if could not travel with them, I refused outright to stay in the place on my own and would commute back to my home over an hour away. 

One day my hubby and I came home from a bike ride. He put away his bike and said he'd meet me upstairs, he was going to shower. I said I'd be right behind him. After getting to the top of the stairs I saw him enter our bedroom and into our walk-in closet. I followed, asking him a question. When he didn't answer I got pissed and went into the walk in, but he wasn't there. 

At that same moment, my hubby actually entered the bedroom with an odd look on his face. He said, "How did you get in here?" I came out of the bedroom and saw you head for the bathroom, but once I got in there you weren't there... 

Most creepy was that one night we were both awakened by a child screaming. Our neighbors to the back. The walls were ridiculously thin and we could hear everything they said. Their son was shouting bloody murder that "It was in the mirror again" and refusing to go back to bed. They moved just a couple weeks later, after this happened a few More times ... 

I guess you could say I've had a few encounters ... 

My very first encounter was when I was about seven. I always thought that it must have been my imagination, because I was so young, but as I've gotten older I really think it happened... 

I went to bed, I shared a room with my younger sister. At the time I also had two younger brothers, that very much liked to play tricks! At this point in my life I was not afraid of the dark and slept like most kids, all willy nilly with my limbs spread everywhere. My hand dangled over the edge of the bed. I remember awaking to the feeling that something had slapped my hand. I could feel the sting. I instantly thought it was my brothers playing a joke so I hopped up and turned on the light, which woke up my sister. My brothers, however, were sound asleep in their room and not hiding under my bed as I expected. So I blew it off and went back to bed. Not more than a few minutes later, my hand still dangling over the bed, it happened again. I remember still clearly to this day, looking under my bed and all around, knowing it had to be a joke. Because my hand stung. I had felt something slap my hand.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Awesome stories!


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