For Love of 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