Speaking of Ghosts - My First Spark of Curiosity

My investigative journey into the paranormal began over five decades ago. I was staying with my maternal grandparents for the evening. This was one of the first sleepovers in my life that I can remember, so even though I was accustomed to my grandparents’ house, I was not familiar with a different bed; let alone different noises an old house will make as it cools down from the day’s heat.

Grandma and Grandpas' house was a simple, but beautiful structure built during the Victorian Era in America. Beautiful woodwork and trim adorned the house. The age of the house radiated through the gentle wafts of the smells of drying structural framing, wallpaper, solid wood floors, pocket doors, and generations of family members and their activities.

My grandmother lovingly assured me she would be happy to snuggle with me for our sleepover. As we prepared for bed, it suddenly dawned on me that the room we were in was my great grandmother’s bedroom. It should have been of little concern to me, but a five-year old’s imagination along with the reality that my great grandmother was deceased made my unease grow.

As we covered with sheets and bedspreads and my grandmother turned off the lights, while staring at the dimly lit ceiling with wide eyes, I mustered the courage to ask “if we were going to be bothered by ghosts?” My grandmother, quite shocked by the question, asked “why would you worry about such a thing?” I shyly responded with “I don’t know”. My grandmother assured me that all was well, gave me a kiss on the forehead, and told me to just think of happy thoughts.

To this day, I still have no idea why the subject of ghosts was even in my head that evening. Perhaps it was the strange bed, and a five-year old’s fear of the unknown. Prior to this experience, I did not witness anything strange or scary in my grandparent’s house; only unconditional love. I can fully admit that this experience was the first real memory of me pondering the subject of death, and more importantly, what happens to people when they die?

As my beloved Grandma promised, I experienced nothing but a very nice sleep that night. I'm sure she brushed it off as a young mind's imagination, but I will never forget that evening. As I slowly grew older and began to mature, the question of our own mortality and what happens when we are no longer living never left my head. I found myself drawn to any television shows, written articles or books on the subject of the unknown. As I grew older in years, my curiosity to explore the unknown grew as well. Little did I know that just a few years later, I would actually begin my exploration of the paranormal.