Ghosts Among Us - James Van Praagh [48]
“Well, Sheila tells me she moves them around a lot.”
“Why does she do that?” Donna asked.
“She is trying to slow you down and get your attention. You keep busy, and you worry too much. She wants you to spend time enjoying yourself.”
Donna agreed and then started to laugh.
“Your mother is here because she cannot move on without your help. You have to let go of all the guilt you feel. You did nothing wrong,” I said.
Then Sheila told me about a book.
“There’s a book next to your bed with gold lettering,” I said to Donna. “It fell off the table today.”
“Yes…yes, it did!” Donna started crying again. She shook her head from side to side, murmuring, “I can’t believe this.”
I reassured her that it was all right and gave her a hug.
Donna looked into my eyes. “James, the name of the book she is referring to is Letting Go. My mother was reading the book in the hospital. Now that I think about it, the book has fallen off the table at least twice, especially when I was really having a hard time. I thought my mom was angry with me. I am so happy to know that she isn’t.”
Sheila kept talking about other members of the family. I could see the relief in Donna’s whole demeanor. She was finally free of her guilty feelings.
No one on the set even knew what had transpired between Donna, her mother, and me and the beautiful message of love and forgiveness that we all shared.
I often say that there are no accidents. I was meant to be on the set that day. I had to help Donna. The spirit world will often give what I call “validation signs” that we are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. My validation sign came that very day when I realized that the episode we were shooting was about a family having to make the decision whether or not to pull the plug on a young man in a coma. A coincidence? I don’t think so.
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
Without a doubt, the easiest way to hear from a loved one is through our dreams. I often ask people in my demonstrations, “How many of you have dreamed of a loved one who has passed over?” Ninety percent of the people raise their hands. Some have a better recall of their dreams than others. Remembering dreams is merely a matter of practice.
Dream visitations are quite common. In the sleep state, our minds are no longer conscious and rational; the intuitive, subconscious mind is in control. Therefore, the defense mechanism that prohibits us from accepting the unseen world is asleep, and we are unfettered and free to be open to the other dimensions. Many have described their dream visits as very real; there is a sense that they are occurring in a tangible setting and that the conversation is genuine. These visitations have also been described as warnings: a ghost reveals some prophetic information about approaching danger. Many times dreams are symbolic and we have to examine the dream meaning as thoroughly as we can to ascertain its significance.
My aunt Anne McLane was the second-oldest of eight children. The family was very close. Gradually, one by one, Aunt Anne’s brothers and sisters passed away. No wonder I talk to the dead, I joke with my audience. When I was a child, I used to attend one funeral a year. It was called “the Irish Curse,” as my mother’s side of the family was Irish. But funerals were also occasions when the whole family would get together for a family reunion, which I always thought was weird.
Anne was the last surviving sister, and she lived alone in a craftsman-style house in Mount Morris, New York, a small, depressed town that had seen better days. My aunt was a special lady; she had a faith in God and the Catholic Church like no one I had ever met. Anne was independent and unique. She certainly did things her way and had a natural curiosity about the world and people. She was sweet and delightful, with always a kind word to say, and she would put others at ease by making them feel special in some way.
Unfortunately, in her later years she suffered a lot from arthritis and had a difficult time getting around.