Helping people is both a joy and a privilege. When assisting people through personal crisis, it is good to help them retain their sense of humor. Such was the case with my dear friend Dr. K, a highly successful chiropractor and wonderful friend, when she endured a series of trials a few years back.
Letter to K:
Dear K: It was so good to receive your letter! Wow, have you had a busy year. You have made new friends, traveled, and even taken up a new hobby. Good for you!
Making new friends is always a good thing, and your new friend seemed like an interesting and entertaining woman. It’s too bad that your husband thought so too. Who could have guessed that they would run off to Arkansas liked that? At least you can save some money now that the divorce has been paid for. At least he did not take more than half of the family practice when he left. All in all, I think it is good that you now have control of what is left of the practice yourself. I must say that twelve hours of work and four hours of sleep a day is a unique way to go about losing those twenty pounds. I have to wonder why you needed to lose so much since you were so thin to start with. Still, you’re lucky you can stay so small.
How wonderful that you got the opportunity to travel this year. I wish I could just pack my bags on a moment’s notice and fly off to a foreign country! Moreover, not only did you do it once, but twice. Oh, I am sorry that your dad had to have that major heart attack like that, which I am assuming was the reason behind your first excursion. I thought it a bit much to take two trips so close together, but I guess with your mom’s unexpected surgery you did not want her to feel left out. You did seem to recover from the jet lag nicely and I do not think that was one bit to blame for your car accident. Most people would have been tired that late in the afternoon, and really, that other driver should have been more careful when pulling out in front of you like that. At least you got a new car out of the deal, and I hear that knee replacement surgery is much easier these days.
How interesting that you found a hobby. I never thought of you as the firearms type. It was very good of your ex-military friend to take you to the target range to practice. You must be a very good shot in order for him to start combat training the first day. I have to say I enjoyed a good laugh at the thought of you rolling on the ground, diving under cars, and squeezing off rapid-fire shots. I am glad that your friend is a surgeon too. How convenient that he could field dress your gunshot wound right there on the premises. Funny how bullets ricochet off metal like that, but maybe you can have some scar removal done at the same time you get that knee taken care of.
All in all, it sounds like the past year was a hoot. I hope you have as much fun in the coming year. Take care and write again. Your friend, Angela
Luck comes in cycles. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that good times will come again, and that while we may not understand it, there are lessons to be learned, human experiences to be gained when we are in the middle of a difficult phase.
Chapter 12 Doorknobs and Dolls
Early in our married life, Tony and I lived in a small, cheerful house. At least, that’s how it was by day. However, strange events happened to my family there that made it seem rather eerie by night.
Tony was sweeping the carport one evening and doing general cleaning outside while I was busy preparing dinner. As I stirred my pot of stew, I heard to my left the sound of a toy bouncing across the floor. I glanced to the side in time to see a” Hot Wheels” car skipping along the kitchen. I leaned back so that I could see the door, as the view was partially obstructed by the refrigerator. I fully expected to see the door open and assumed that Tony had opened the door and tossed in the toy before it was swept away. However, the door was firmly closed and I realized that the sound of the sweeping broom was coming from the opposite side of the carport. The car had seemingly hurled itself across the kitchen.
It was an evening not so long after the incident of the model car that we decided to take an evening off and go out to eat. As we dressed for the evening, Tony hung his shirt on the bedroom doorknob so that he could adjust his belt properly. When he turned to retrieve his shirt, there was nothing on the doorknob at all. I had been standing with him and could not imagine what had happened to the shirt. We looked on the floor, under the bed, and on a different knob, but there was no shirt to be found at all. However, when we looked back again, the shirt was on the doorknob, just as Tony had placed it.
The most frightening episode that took place preceded a move to another home. I had not yet learned that I could not run away from the unseen others. Apparently, it was to be that I would take them with me wherever I would go.
It was after midnight when Tony picked me up from work and drove me home on a Saturday night. Our two young children, Jayme and Dusty, rode in the back seat of our car and we were happily discussing our memories of the recent Christmas holidays and looking forward to New Year’s resolutions. As we arrived and slowly drove by the front of home, Tony stopped the car suddenly. Our carefree chatter quickly ended as we all looked at the strange sight presented to us in our picture window.
There was a baby doll leaning against the window, its’ face pressed against the pane, both hands cupped against it’s vinyl head. It seemed to be peering out of the glass into the darkness of the street. The entire room was bathed in a dim yellow light. My husband remarked that it was a very eerie sight and I had to agree. We sat there and nervously chuckled at how it seemed to be a scene from The Twilight Zone. We were assuming that our daughter had left the doll lying on the back of the sofa that normally was under the window, and that the pose was entirely accidental.
Then it dawned on us: the sofa had been moved to make way for the Christmas tree, and though the tree had been removed, the sofa had not yet been returned to its usual place. My husband then wondered aloud about the source of the light, as no lights had been on when he left home earlier. Amused curiosity was replaced with a sense of unease. I began to wonder too: what could that doll be resting on? Perhaps the windowsill, I thought. We pulled onto the carport and cautiously entered the house. To our amazement, the doll was completely across the room, lying casually in a chair. No light was on at all. We looked at one another in disbelief and decided to leave it alone and simply go to bed. We have yet to understand the forces that compelled a doll to watch for our homecoming, but that is one holiday memory that I will never forget.
Often, wayward spirits that enjoy playing tricks will cause such events. By creating fear, they can interact with humans in an intense way. Some spirits will do as they think you wish them to do. If you are fearful, they may continue to act in a way that creates the vibration they think you are looking for.
