(This video is a funny clip taken from the movie, “Michael, the Archangel”. Jean Stapleton is being questioned by Andie MacDowell on her “angel sighting”-Gotta love Jean Stapleton!)

Charles Fort (1874-1932) is the best known collector of paranormal experiences. Despite questions on the credibility of Fort’s way to present evidence (skeptics point out that scientific investigation cannot explain the cases), anecdotal reporting remains to be the popular approach used to record paranormal phenomena.

Paranormal is a term that defines an experience outside normal or scientific explanation. The phenomena can’t be understood, explained or measured scientifically. Organizations, like the United States National Science Foundation, maintain that scientific evidence is unable to support a variety of beliefs that have been characterized as paranormal. Despite their claims and even before 1920, when the term paranormal was coined, popular culture has shared ghost stories, spiritual occurrences and UFO sightings. The church or religious sect may refer to some “paranormal experiences” as “spiritual occurrences”.  Whatever the label, people who have experienced such an event are believers in a world that is beyond our sight and understanding.

I’ve always been a skeptic, until yesterday.

I was spending the morning with Lou, a retired marine from the 1st division, who had received two purple hearts after serving in War II. He’s also a retired police officer, a loving family man and a respected member in the community. Lou is still enjoying life, at eighty-something-years-young.

I visit him frequently and yesterday we were discussing a book I had just finished reading. I was describing one chapter that had fascinated me and it involved a “spiritual occurrence”. As I described the bizarre happening, Lou listened intently. At one point in my story, his eyes enlarged and he leaned forward, fascinated by story details. When I was through, he sat back in his chair and for a moment I watched him drift away from me, deep in his own personal thoughts. Suddenly, the room’s silence was broken and the gentle man sitting across from me got emotional.

Lou: “I believe it….you know…I had a miracle like that happen to me…it was so long ago…but I remember it like yesterday…”

Me: ” A miracle?”

Lou: “Well…not a miracle… My sister is a nun…She asked some priests about it…She even visited the bishop to ask him for his opinion…The bishop called it a spiritual occurrence… There’s no other way to explain it.”

Me: “What was it?…the miracle?….I mean…what happened?..What’s a spiritual occurrence?”

Lou: “It was a long time ago. I don’t even remember the month, but it was a hot night… I think the year was…”

Lou wrinkled his brow as he struggled to remember. Then he pointed to a plaque hanging on the wall.

Lou: “Go check the date on that plaque. The town gave it to me…It’ll tell you the year…The town had a special dinner in my honor…and for some firefighters too…because of that night.”

I walked across the room and read the plaque.

Me: “It says 1982.”

Lou: “Well if that’s what it says… ”

Lou looked down at his hands that were folded on his lap. He closed his eyes and started to drift away again…only this time…he was taking me with him…

Lou: “As long as I live…I’ll never forget that night.”

Click this link to read his story: Lou’s Story

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