My skepticism was tested

[MuddyFeet]

Ancient history has always been my passion, from that religions and spirituality come up from time to time. When I am out of reading materials I end up watching the History, Discovery channels or the like to pass some time. They are good for a laugh.

Laughter aside, they caused something to happen that makes me wonder.

My uncle, (Father’s brother) lived on my property for several years in a small camper after getting divorced. He was at my house most of the time drinking coffee, watching the news and anything about aliens that came on.

From time to time we would watch a ghost or paranormal program between what we wanted to see and ended up talking about the subject quite a bit.

This is where the odd twist comes in. On July 4^th 1979 my uncle drown, but let me tell you a few details about him.

My uncle was born in 1951, grew up in rural Arkansas then moved to Illinois in his early teens. He was on the swim team in high school then went to Vietnam serving in the U.S. Army 101^st Airborne.

After coming back from Vietnam he was serious minded most of the time and seemed nervous at all times but he still got married and had three boys.

On July 4^th 1979 our family was all at a local Mississippi lake having a cookout. He was watching his boys swim and had not planed to be in the water, he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, when his youngest boy seemed to be in trouble he went in and got him. He called for my dad to help because he was going under trying to keep his son above water. My dad got my uncle’s son but my uncle went under. The water was brown and murky with no visibility under the surface.

My dad dove after him many times, each time he came up for air he would beg people for help, finally a guy that knew my sisters heard him and told people to form a chain, with that he was found. My uncle was under water for at least 6 minutes(different family members will say up to 8). I was 9 years old at the time and watched it all, 6 minutes sounds about right to me, when he was pulled onto the beach he was purple.

By pure luck there was a cardio vascular surgeon visiting family was on hand and he went right to work. A nurse showed up from the crowd and they worked on him until the ambulance arrived. He was transported 100 miles away to Jackson Mississippi but, doctors told us all that he would be brain dead.

A few days later he was awake, but he was paranoid of everything. He knew his parents, brothers and sisters right away. It took a couple weeks for him to remember his wife and boys.

About 2 months later, he was back to his old self. Soon after recovering he moved to Wisconsin for several years. When he divorced his wife he moved back to Mississippi, where most of our family lives, then and still. He bought a camper and parked it on my land, which happened to be next to my dad's and near his other brother’s property which is the bulk of the people he cared to be around.

My uncle showed up one night about 9 years ago and a TV show had people talking about near death experiences. So I asked, “You were dead for at least 5 minutes (Conservative estimate) ….What did you see?”

His reply was: “Nothing.”

The way he replied, made me think he just did not want to talk about it. A few weeks later he and I went to the hardware store to get some lumber to build a deck and some steps for his camper, since it was just us in the truck I asked again. He said that he had some messed up dreams while in the hospital after but really did not remember “Being dead”.

OK, I let it go, not really my field of interest anyway. Only reason I brought it up, he is someone I would trust about the subject if he had a story to tell.

My uncle started having heart and lung issues, did not stop him from smoking, but doctors started giving him X-amounts of time to live. He was in and out of hospitals, seeing several doctors but he always seemed to get better for a while.

As time went by and TV had more ghost and other paranormal shows on we began talking about the afterlife possibilities. If ghost were real that would mean there is some form of an afterlife…..Then I remembered seeing a few shows that talked about Harry Houdini and his wife cooking up a contact word so they would know it was actually them speaking from the grave.

As kind of a joke, but also curiosity about the paranormal I told my uncle, if you come back as a ghost, feel free to say hi and let me know if you are doing OK. He laughed about it and said he would.

My uncle died a little over two years ago, I forgot completely about asking him to say hi or any of the other BS stuff we joked about. Then, my oldest sister went to Illinois to visit my aunt that still lives there and they went to a psychic for a reading. My aunt had been many times and swore by this person being legit.

My opinion about psychic has always been they were fake, end of story. When my sister came back I was at her house one day for a visit when she told me about her visit with the psychic, BECAUSE, my uncle really wanted her to let me know he was doing OK, it was very important that I be told.

The psychic knew my first name and made sure my sister knew that it was my uncle that wanted me to know the message. The woman gave his name and none of this was prompted. My sister and aunt were only concerned with their own issues at the time. Seemed odd to them that my name and my uncle even came up.

I had never spoken of the conversations my uncle and I had with my sister and pretty sure he would not have, considering he really did not get along with most of the family. He avoided talking to most of our family for the same reasons I do, they really like drama. Only reason I went to my sister’s house was because she called and said she really needed to talk to me, so I assumed it had to be important because our mom and dad were both having serious health issues.

I still believe most psychics are complete frauds, but I am open minded to the possibility of some being what they say they are. I like hard proof about anything as a rule. Now, I am slightly more "open minded" about subjects I completely dismissed my whole life.

I have enjoyed reading many of the stories and experiences posted on this site and figure I can let the wolves rip at mine as well.

　

　

　

Edited May 13, 2014 by MuddyFeet

[spud the mackem]

It certainly gives food for thought, sorry about your Uncle.

[Forever Cursed]

There are 1 or 2 mediums that have worked with the police who have turned more than one skeptic into a believer. I had one just read me out of the blue, and she knew things she could not know, it actually shocked and embarrassed me. It was like getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar. There may be a lot of frauds running around, but there are some that are just plain freaky !!

Edited May 13, 2014 by Forever Cursed

[MuddyFeet]

Same thing with the psychic that talked to my sister. She told my sister a few things about me that nobody could possibly know. Things I never told a soul. Since that time, this has been going through my mind and it is hard to put a reasonable explanation to.

I should add that the aunt my sister was visiting was my moms sister, she never had any dealings with my uncle. Which is why they were both shocked about his details being brought up.

[jamesjr191]

Great reading story and excellent writing. Got any more? Hope your Uncles really found peace wherever he may be.

[MuddyFeet]

OK, next story.

My occupation was construction. Some commercial but mostly residential building and remodeling. I was running my own business and did fairly well most of the time.

I wore a tool belt and always had a hammer hanger add-on that I kept my hammer in located on the back of my belt. This was to keep my hammer from catching on ladders, bumping things such as windows, leaving marks on walls when working. I also liked it there to keep it from constantly hitting my knee cap.

As I was finishing up a job building a deck the add-on hanger broke. I had had it for several years and didn’t think much of it. I went to Jackson Mississippi to a Home Depot and bought a new one with a few other things I needed at the time, this was Friday night.

Saturday morning my middle sister calls and asked me to come install some cabinets and trim work in her kitchen. I tried to get out of it but she called several times and I eventually said I would be over first thing Sunday morning.

I kept my word and went over to get it done and out of the way. I put on my belt and was going to her kitchen when I heard a thud on the carpet behind me. I look back and there lays my hammer. I first think I didn’t catch it in the hook correctly, when I walked back and picked it up the ring that holds the hammer was still around it.

Now I am angry, I just bought that and I do not buy cheap tools. Cheap tools either break often and need replaced or hurt you somehow.

Well, I just hung my hammer on the nail apron like you se most people do and got what needed to be done over with.

Next morning (Monday) I started a roofing job, only took it because it was a friend of a friend and work had been a little to slow to be very picky.

After getting our tools out of the truck, my helper and I set up the ladders and he went up on the roof and a few minutes later I followed. As soon and I stood up one of the shingles I was standing on slid, it had never been nailed (tacked) when the last people roofed the house.

Since I was just getting on the roof and lost my balance, I had no way of not falling. I got tangled up in the ladder but ended up flat on my back on the ground. When I came to my senses I was happy I didn’t land on the chain link fence which was 5 feet from the side of the house.

I broke my arm in three places, and messed up my back pretty bad. Several people told me that it was an Act of God that my claw hammer was not where I usually had it. Had it been there I am pretty sure it would have been some extreme spinal damage.

　

[coldethyl]

You are not the first person who knew someone with a NDE who said they saw nothing. You're the 3rd person who I've heard tale of. Weird.

[Crabby Kitten]

That was realy cool to read your experience. Maybe your uncle is helping you indirectly from the other side? Also check for any dreams about him too as spirits can appear there. It sounds like he was looking for things when he was alive, taking up an interest in the paranormal. Perhaps he did experience something in the water and can't remember. You must miss him though, he sounds like he loved you and was a friend as well as an uncle. Sorry to hear that you lost your uncle.

[jamesjr191]

You are not the first person who knew someone with a NDE who said they saw nothing. You're the 3rd person who I've heard tale of. Weird.

I'm number two and I feel so special.

[MuddyFeet]

My uncle was fascinated with anything to do with aliens, he never gave a reason for his interest. He was not very fond of ghost and paranormal subject matter, we just talked about it out of boredom.

Since he has been gone I have not dreamed about him and family seldom brings up his name. We were close, spent a lot of time discussing the crazy stuff TV brings up and I miss him always.

We have a coffee maker that beeps when it is done perking, when my uncle was alive, seemed like he had a 6th sense about it. As soon as a pot of coffee was ready he would walk through the door if he was not already here. Now, when the pot beeps I miss seeing him walk thought the door.

Edited May 14, 2014 by MuddyFeet

[Gummug]

Thanks for the stories, and I'm sorry about your uncle...I also had an uncle I miss very much...also sorry about your fall, that couldn't have felt good! I hope you are ok now though.

[coolguy]

Some psychics could be real belive this the ones on tv are fake and the low key ones are real.

My aunt went to psychic George he knew lots about her husband who passed and family stuff