A Letter to the Reader
We all know what they say about those who assume. Now, with that out of the way, I’m still going to assume that either you believe in ghosts or you’re at least open to the idea they may exist. It isn’t my intention to try to prove their existence, but to relay to you true stories of ghostly encounters my family and I have experienced.
It’s probably best to start by saying that we live in a haunted house. I understand the mere words “haunted house” conjure up images of an old, run-down two-story, with most, if not all, of the windows missing or broken and the window shutters precariously dangling out and slamming into the side of the house. Typically, there are bats flying all around, and let’s not forget the ever-present full moon.
That isn’t the case with our house. Our home is a one-story, with all, thank goodness, of the windows intact, no bats, and only an occasional full moon. In case you need the proper ambience to hear a good ghost story, I’ll share with you that, at one time, we did have a black cat; of course, my dogs ran it off, but we did indeed have one.
As my husband Wes would say, these stories aren’t “Hollywooded up.” You won’t be reading about headless horsemen riding through fog-filled valleys terrorizing the innocent. Instead, through our eyes, you’ll experience what it’s like to see a full-bodied apparition standing in your dining room, to hear your name called when you’re alone, and to know that someone you can’t see is tucking your young daughter into bed at night.
We bought this house with its first unseen occupant right before we were married in 1984. Over the years, many other entities have come and gone, with some staying for a very long time.
We’ve raised two wonderful children at this house. Our children are two years apart in age; our daughter Keshia is now twenty-five, and our son Troy is twenty-three. My daughter and I always believed in ghosts while my husband and son did not. At one time, Wes was a self-proclaimed skeptic denying all things pertaining to the paranormal. He not only disbelieved in ghosts, but also thought those of us who did believe were perhaps a little on the unstable side.
Troy is harder to explain. Most of the time, he doesn’t like to talk about ghosts or about the strange things he’s seen in our home. He states, “I’ll admit there’s something here. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t believe in ghosts.”
You can probably imagine some fun and sometimes not-so-fun family discussions. For the most part, we try to respect each other’s views and opinions on all things, including ghosts, however difficult that sometimes proves to be.
It would be fair to say that Keshia and I share some common traits. Not only do we both believe in ghosts, but we’re also both sensitive to their presence. By that, I’m not claiming we have any special abilities. When a ghost is present, we simply know we’re not alone.
On occasion, we’ll receive impressions about the ghost. We might get a sense of whether the ghost is male or female, an approximate age, what time period the spirit might be from or even an ethnic background. I don’t understand myself why, or even how, we’re able to do this, which makes it impossible for me to offer an explanation to anyone else. It’s just something both of us have always been able to do.
Living with ghosts for twenty-seven years has taught my family and me that there are many things we can’t explain—of course, that doesn’t keep us from trying. With Wes now also believing in ghosts, together we strive to learn more about those who share with us not only our home, but also our world. We’ve attended seminars to try to understand what ghosts are and why they’re here. We’ve learned to utilize today’s technology by using EMF detectors, digital cameras, and voice recorders, all in hopes of understanding.
Over the years, we have taken quite a journey and I hope you enjoy reading about part of it here. I say part because we are still here, we still have ghosts, and we’re still learning.