Do you believe?

Just curious as to how many here either believe in, or have experienced a ghost or ghosts.

I only ever saw one, but have experienced things I believe to be spirits. One in particular was the scent of gardenias late at night where they do not grow. You could walk through a space, the air heavy with the scent, and two steps later, you were out of it. This scent was like a wall of perfume, where none could have been.

I experienced an odd sighting when I was much younger that I believe fits in the paranormal category. There was a fire in a neighbor's home that our family knew. The fire trucks came and the entire neighborhood was outside in their night clothes and bath robes watching the blaze and wanting to make sure the couple and the two children that lived in the home were okay (they were).

While I was watching their home burn, I swear I saw a face in the second floor bedroom window.

As it turns out, the doorbell had rung in the family home late that night. The father had come down to see who was at the door, but found no one. He looked out through the window to survey the lawn, but didn't see anything, so he went back upstairs.

The doorbell rang again, and again he came downstairs. By now, his wife and the two children were awake. Again, he found no one ringing the bell. He went back to his bedroom.

The bell sounded a third time and everyone was getting frustrated. All the family members came downstairs this time, determined to find out who was ringing the bell.

They heard a popping sound come from the second floor and then a fire broke out. They hurriedly rushed out the front door. If they had remained in their bedrooms, they may not have survived the fire.

Later on I learned that there were many odd occurrences in their home.

I'll never forget the face I saw in that bedroom window.

I have 'odd' things happen that I can't explain.

One of the oddest: I had a wind up watch with a broken spring. I could no longer set the time or wind it up. But after it broke it kept working for seven months, keeping perfect time. Timex really did keep a licking and kept on ticking. Well not really ... it didn't tick. Just kept time.

I have smelled flowers where there were no flowers, Zada. That has happened frequently.

I have felt spirits close by, but have never seen any.

When I had cancer the first time, (gee, I hate dwelling on this) I read about having an imaginary being that one conjured up. I thought I had conjured up a general named General Whitsel. He and his corps check out my body for cancer cells. One day he told me he and his corps were leaving. I thought, "You can't leave because I made you up." He said, "You no longer need me." I could no longer imagine him. That was 23 years ago and I had little fear for many years because of this experience. One day my husband got stopped for speeding. The officer's nametag stated, "Captain Whitsel."

One time there had been a serious ice storm in our area. The heat was out and we were heating our house from our fireplace. I went out to get some more wood, and a voice said, "Go back in the house. It is dangerous out here." Above me was an ice covered electric wire. We lived on ten acres and there were no people close by.

After that we burned scrap wood. The wire never came down, which led me to think that perhaps these spirits don't know the future, but know the present dangers and good things.

(I think I should have put this on the weird thread. It must sound very weird.)

Carol

Carol, I think you are on the right thread. To my way of thinking, anyway. One can call it divine intervention (your warning), intuition, guides or many other things, I but these things do exist for those who are open to it, I think.

One day I was saved from what I can only imagine would have been a horrible car accident. It had been raining ferociously for hours and there was a lot of standing water on the roadway. I was at a busy four-way intersection with a traffic light and was stopped. The light turned green and I put my foot on the gas, but my car didn't move. I pressed harder, and still no movement, though I could hear my tires trying to move forward. I didn't know what was going on. I tried a third time and really put a lot of pressure on the gas pedal. This time my car lurched forward and I could feel the car sliding across the pavement. The word hydroplaning suddenly came to my mind. My instinct was to slam on my breaks to stop the now sideways sliding my car was doing so I wouldn't hit any other cars. I knew you weren't supposed to slam on your breaks, but I couldn't help it, I wanted to stop. I thrust my right foot toward the brake, but my foot didn't make contact and the car was now spinning around in circles. I felt something solid beneath my foot, yet it was a good couple of inches from the brake pedal. As hard as I pushed, my foot stayed in the exact same position. Thankfully, the car stopped spinning and I had not hit anyone. I was across the intersection (it was a large intersection as there were three lanes of one-way traffic on each of the four sides). My car gently came to a stop. I carefully moved my foot to the gas pedal and pressed it lightly. My car moved forward as if nothing had happened. I turned the car around and headed in the direction I had been originally going, then pulled over to the side of the road and tried to compose myself. I thought about all the things that could have happened and the strange feeling that someone/something had protected me by not allowing me to slam on my breaks. Heaven only knows what might have happened if I had done what I wanted to. I still give thanks for the intervention in my moment of need.

Zada asked if we believe in ghosts. No, I do not. I did once pretend to be one, though, with disastrous results.

You must have gotten caught, Dick.

cc

Did the eye holes in your white sheet get misaligned? ** giggling madly **

It was a white sheet, but no eye holes. Someday I may write about this little prank that got me in hot water with an Army captain. Very hot water.

Zada,

I believe in them...

I not only believe in them, we live with them in our house. Our house was built in 1903 and is an old farmhouse. The spirits play with my husband but get very serious with me. We have had only one frightening experience and it wasn't meant to hurt just asking for help. All the rest of the encounters have been strange but non-frightening.

I also see dead people, for the want of another way to explain it. I work with local police authorities to help find missing persons and murdered bodies. I lead a very interesting and varied life.

Sue,

That is impressive!

Carol

Impressive, Sue!

Carol, I think your General was there to protect you, and the cancer in your life is an inspiring episode. Dwelling on it might help someone else.

I think there are spirits everywhere who guide us in our daily lives. Sometimes they come to us in 'dreams'. Sometimes they warn us of dire mistakes we might make. My intuition has always been very strong, and I liken it to someone or something helping me to 'see'.

I was always quite close to my grandmother, and we made a pact that whichever of us was to 'go' first, would find a way to let the other know so it would not be a shock.

One night the phone rang, and I knew who it was and the message before I answered. When my mother gave me the news that Gram had passed, all I could do was say 'I know. It's okay.'

I don't know how I knew, just that it was not news to me, and there was a peace about it.

There have been many times in my life that I have known things I had no way of knowing. Many instances of Deja Vu concerning things I had never done before, and places I had never been.

cc

Of course I do, domenic! It is one of the Gifts of the Spirit.

cc

The Holy Spirit. God.

Marie Pacha wrote:

Like Sue, I lived in a very old house back in Iowa. When we first moved I would fall asleep with the radio on and leave it on all night, playing softly. More than once I woke to find it on a totally different station.

Marie, you should have asked an old radio repairman like me. It's called drifting.

Zada, somewhere in your mind you were expecting the call.

Several times during WWII I heard guys say, "I think I'm going to be killed today."
Sure enough, they were. Not because of a premonition but because they were moviing around like zombies and didn't do the necessary things to stay alive.

All this stuff is logically explainable.

Some things are explainable, but not all things. That's what makes life so interesting.

cc

Yes, I am aware of that. More than you could ever know.

To Everyone: I am not trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking so please don't try to convert me to yours. I am very strong in my beliefs on this. I have lived it for most of my life. What I have experienced, seen, endured, etc. are mine and I am sure no one else would understand if they didn't believe.

It all comes down to faith.

cc

Domenic,

I will not argue, debate, or address your post and it leaves much to be desired and explained. As I said in my previous post I am very strong in my beliefs in this and don't wish to be converted or mocked. Your implications don't amuse me.

Just drop it!