I enjoy retelling the story of a ghost investigation that took place in northeast Ohio well over a year ago. To me, our experience reveals how ghosts can be caretakers who continue to live and work around us. The presence of the gentleman ghost was very loving, and I made a strong connection with him that night. His name was “Charles.” Helping him reunite with his daughter to move beyond this realm was an honor. Charles’ ghost story is excerpted from my book, Helping Ghosts: A Guide to Understanding Lost Spirits (The book is available through Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/145284707X/).
Like many communities, Chagrin Falls, Ohio has neighborhoods built on old farm pastures. The sprawling countryside now has become suburbs that are dotted with housing allotments. SIGHT was asked to investigate one of these houses. It was owned by a family haunted by an old man.
Besides hearing noises within the house, one of the children had witnessed balls of light hovering in his bedroom and in the basement. The young boy also had seen an older fellow dressed in overalls and sweeping the floor with a broom near the front door. He reminded him of his janitor at school.
Apparitions of people were not new to him, for the child had also seen his grandpa come visit him after he died while the family lived in their prior home. This time, the boy was frightened after hearing someone breathing close to his face while having his stuffed animal taken away from him. He no longer would sleep in his bedroom. I should mention he also saw the same old man floating in his parents’ bedroom and heard a feminine-sounding voice calling his name. The boy’s story reminded me of the movie The Sixth Sense.
The father of the family was not without his own strange experience. While working outside carrying a ladder, he noticed that one end suddenly became light as if he was being helped. When he asked whoever it was to stop lifting the end of the ladder, it immediately felt normal again. It was as if he had a caretaker with him.
The kitchen gained notoriety within the family for being the place to have items intentionally knocked from the grasp of people. In two separate incidences, a sugar bowl, and salt and pepper shakers were sent flying away from the hands that held them. Even a mother-in-law was witness to a tray having been pulled from somebody’s grip and thrown to the counter. Needless to say, the family’s lives were being disrupted and now their son was terrified. Something needed to change.
The accounts of the old man struck me as just an older gentleman who liked helping out. Perhaps, he was attending to things after his death and probably did not intend to be a bother. His interactions with the family did not appear to be malevolent but just misunderstood. I looked forward to meeting this spirit and seeing if we could help him.
As we walked upstairs, we were instantly captivated by a presence within the boy’s bedroom. I was overcome almost instantly by a feeling of sadness as I entered the room. We immediately decided to make contact and help this gentleman head home. My compassion for him poured forth from my heart, and I knew he was there with me. He never meant harm to anyone but was simply watching over his former property.
Laura Lyn…(told us) his name was Charles, and his wife was with him, too. According to Laura Lyn, her name was Irene, and they had a story to tell. The housing developments had taken over his property, and he longed to clear it once again. Charles loved his land and didn’t want to leave it behind, disliking the fact that it had been divided up for allotments. He longed to touch the soil as before, to work the fields that had been so much a part of his life.
Although it might have been difficult for him to hear, I needed to tell Charles that he was living in the past. Because he no longer had a body, he desired something in the physical world that he couldn’t truly possess. With great patience, I reasoned with Charles about moving forward in his life-journey. I shared that he probably could own property once again and certainly would be reunited with family and friends who awaited him in the light. Even though I could tell this began to make sense to Charles, there was still reluctance on his part due to his wife. He didn’t want to leave her behind.
Irene began to tell Laura Lyn that she had desired to be reunited with her daughter who was tragically taken from them while only three years old. She had been looking for her daughter and wondered why she could not find her in the same place they were at.
“Irene, she’s in the light and calling for you,” came bursting out of me. I knew I was speaking with authority. “You and Charles need to go into the light where she is at, take her hand, and head home together. Follow her voice and you will find her.” Laura Lyn also affirmed this message to them.
Right away we could sense the family coming together and walking away in peace. The room was filled with a release of peace. Afterward, we shared our experience with the homeowners, making them aware that there was nothing more to fear. Two families found peace together in one evening.
My drive home was exhilarating as I thought about what a great work it is to rescue lost spirits. I thought to myself, “We need to make more people aware of how to do this and of its importance.”
