Ghoulies & Ghosties

I don’t remember whether it was Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas day. I do remember that Jean and I were doing our Patriarchal and Matriarchal duties, since a couple of our children and their families were with us, and we were sitting around the dinner table. (Don’t ask me. I don’t remember whether we were eating ham, chicken or turkey).

    But I began, for no apparent reason, to talk about ghosts.

    Now before you jump to conclusions, I have no particular view on the subject. Yet I’ve always been convinced that there’s something out there. At the same time, I’ve wondered why there’s so little evidence. Certain hotels and bars and houses boast that their establishments are haunted, but for some reason there’s a lack of good film footage. Oh, there’s the “floating orbs,” but that could be flaws on the film. Sorry, I’m bouncing off the margins of where I want to take you.

     At any rate, I was telling ghost stories that day, or making references to such entities, and the most amazing things began to happen.

     Suddenly a picture fell off the wall.

     Immediately afterwards, one of my daughter-in-law’s earrings popped out of her ear.

    Well friends, needless to say, I quit talking about ghosts! I kid you not, these two happenings gave us all the “willies.”

     And we only thought it was over.

     As our children went out the door, one of their cars failed to start. So I got out my jumper cables and prepared to assist them using my car. And if you assumed my car wouldn’t start

      … you’d be right!

    Now I don’t know how to account for such things. I won’t even try. But as a counselor, I’m much more concerned about the ghosts of our pasts, than what some would refer to as the tangible ones. In the movie, “A Beautiful Mind,” a professor friends asks John Nash,

      “John, aren’t you concerned about your ghosts?”

      To which he responds,

       “Well, Robert everyone has ghosts. I’ve gotten used to ignoring mine, and I think they’ve given up on me.”

     Now I can’t speak for Dr. Nash, but I’m convinced that the ghosts of our pasts can’t just be “numbed away.” I think they so often need to be figuratively exorcised. As a counselor, I know the benefit, experientially and professionally, of interacting with someone who has the power to come along side.

 By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 13

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