spirit....

You could say I'm on the fence about ghosts. I like to say that I don't really believe in them, but I can honestly admit there have been times I've been scared of the dark...and whatever lurks within that darkness.

Last September, for my work, I was writing and editing articles about haunted destinations in the United States for the October newsletter. Obviously to understand why they were deemed haunted, I had to do some research on supernatural evidence. One such source described the occurrence of orbs. Orbs are the whitish circular shadows that appear on photos post-development. The critics could argue that they're just dust particles from the lens, but believers attest to the theory that they are the physical evidence of the spiritual existence. That same month, my mother and I were looking at churches to host the wedding ceremony. Like the organized wedding planner that I am, I brought along my camera to take detailed pictures of the buildings so I could refer to them later. One such picture taken at an old 1800's Congregational Church in the center of Uxbridge displayed a whole collection of orbs all around the back of the sanctuary. Completely freaked out that this church was haunted - obviously a convert of my own research - I vowed not to walk down that aisle.

Now, just about everyone knows that my father passed away last October - not long after that church experience - from a massive heart attack. I've had a few unexplained experiences since then including an epiphany for my next story/book that I don't doubt were him.

Just last week, I received a picture from my grandfather in the mail from our birthday party in December - my birthday is the 27th and his is the 28th, so it's been a tradition for us to celebrate together. The picture is Dan, my fiance, and I standing next to Grandpa and Grandma. And just above my head to the right is one single ghostly white orb. Maybe for my own comfort, for the simple assurance that he's still watching over me, I like to believe it's my father's spirit.