To Believe or Not Believe....

Yesterday my cousin, Brittany, and I went to the KC Psychic fair. Yep. You read that right. We thought it would be something fun to do and were really interested in what was going to be there. When we got there it was very much a typical fair- except for the whole psychic/crystal/medium part. There were booths throughout the space with books, crystals, tarot cards, etc... pretty standard for a psychic fair, I think...

Britt had read that there was a workshop at 1pm called "Spirit Gallery". We knew it was lead by a psychic medium but we had no clue what she actually going to do. I honestly thought she may just talk about the work that she does and how to make an appointment with her. I didn't expect to actually get a reading.

Jamie, the medium, started by telling us about herself and how she communicates with spirits. She talked about the feeling she gets in different parts of her body and the images that spirits show her as a way to talk. Then she said that she was going to spend the session showing us a little bit about what she does and she could already feel the presence of spirits in the room.

The first thought through my mind was "okay..if this is real my dad will be here and he will be first". You see, my father never wanted to miss out on anything. He never met a stranger and always wanted to be around for everything that happened. This is one of the reasons he was so beloved by people. My sister had been to a medium around this time last year with her husband, John. Paige and John had both lost a parent that year so figured there was no time like the present to see if this whole medium thing was real. When they got there the medium told them she was excited to see them b/c our dad had been there all day anxiously waiting for Paige. So this was going to be test- if my dad was one of these spirits I knew he would be first.

Jamie closed her eyes and appeared to be concentrating really hard. (keep in mind: I have never met Jamie. She didn't know my name or anything about me) She immediately stood right in front of me, opened her eyes and said "there is a very strong male presence surrounding you. A father type figure, does that make sense?" The tears started flowing and I nodded "yes". She continued to talk saying that my father keeps saying "special. My special baby girl." She asked me if that made sense. I sobbed even harder. My dad called me "his special one". How in the world would Jamie know that? Jamie continued to say things about my father that she would have no way of knowing. She knew how he died; she knew it was fast- here one minute gone the next. She knew that there was a lot of pressure on his chest and it all came out at once. She knew that I had anxiety. She knew that I had guilt (that's another blog!) and she knew that he called me his special  one. In the end she said "He just wants you to know he is okay, that he is always around and when you think it is him- it is"

As the session continued she gave several readings. I kept looking at Brittany knowing she was hoping that her brother, Skyler, would come forward. The session was almost over when Jamie stood in front of Brittany and asked about a male energy. Jamie said "there is a male energy, young not quite a child but not an adult- maybe 19? that is on a stage singing and loves music". Brittany started sobbing. That was no doubt Skyler. Again, Jamie doesn't know Brittany. She doesn't know her name, she didn't know that she lost a brother when he was 19. Jamie continued to talk about things associated with Skyler and his death that only family and friends would know. In the end she said that Skyler wants her to know that he is healing, that he took responsibility for what happened to him and that he is okay.

So the question is: do you believe or not believe?

My answer: I believe.

How could I not believe? I constantly think that my father is around. I will often stop what I am doing, close my eyes and say "hi dad". My son will tell me that Nana visits him at night; there was even a time that my son described the exact outfit that my dad was buried in. Henry was one when my dad died and never saw him in that outfit... I don't think any of this is a coincidence. I never expected that when my Dad died he would ever actually leave us. I will always believe that he will be right with us until the day he greets us into the Kingdom of Heaven. Because that is my faith and what makes me feel even closer to God.

Biblically, going to a medium is kind of against the rules. However, I will challenge this. It isn't evil. It isn't meant to put a spell on anyone or to predict our future. It is simply a way to talk with your loved ones once they have passed and to feel a connection that is far beyond what was felt in the physical world. Being able to feel my father with me even after he is gone is my glimpse into that Kingdom on earth.

I believe the Kingdom of Heaven is within an arms reach. My father is not "stuck" on this earth. He has simply transitioned to another place, a place of peace, comfort and stillness. He is okay and that is because he is with God and that has to be amazing.

When I left the workshop yesterday, I had that sense of peace and stillness within me. It is a beautiful thing to feel connected to those that have gone before us and even more beautiful to experience God in that moment.

Open your minds to what seems impossible b/c it is in those moments that the impossible happens.

"Perhaps they are not stars, bur rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy" Author Unknown