Shadow Man

Growing up I have had several experiences seeing a shadowy figure at our house on Renville, usually in a hallway or in a doorway, both at night and during the day. The one experience that stands out the most because I wasn’t the only one to see it was when James and I shared the front bedroom on the first floor. I was around 7, I was sleeping on the bottom bunk of our bunk bed. I remember waking up and looking down the hall and seeing a “shadow man” standing in the hall just past the bathroom door. I remember hearing James screaming and running down the hall to the room at the other end where mom was sleeping. As James ran down the hall the shadow didn't disappear, James just ran right through it. It wasn’t until David came into the hall that the figure disappeared. James's account and mine differ a little James remembers the hall light being off but I remember the light being on. David says he turned the hall light on and it may have been I just remember the hall being very bright and the figure standing the the hall being very dark.

Later that night mom had me sleep on the couch in the living room. I think she was sitting with me for a while but I remember looking up and into the hall and seeing the shadow man standing in the doorway. This time I know the hall light was off but the bathroom light was on. I just pulled the covers over my head and remember repeating “go away, go away, go away...”

Nathan: Christmas gift

This true story is about a six year old boy who lived in Detroit Michigan with his mother, father, and three younger brothers.  The hallmark of this family would always be dysfunctional.
The boys father was more in than out of mental hospitals.  His mother did her best to tend to the needs of her children, this in itself was not easy.  With her husband disabled the only help she received was through government subsidies, an occasional food basket from the church she attended and care packages from Big Brothers and Good will.

As this boy, (now and adult), looks back he sees very little that brings a smile to his face and to much that fills his heart with sorrow.  This story is about one of those good memories, a memory that will follow him into the next life.

Grandma P. found boy sitting on the living room window seal looking out towards the street.  She stood there for several minuets observing her grandson before she spoke.
"Boy why don't you go and play with the other children?"
Boy continued to look out the window as he replied.
"Grandma when is my mom coming home?"
"Son you know your mother is in the hospital and she will stay there until her doctor says she is well enough to come home.  I promise you that your aunt and I will bring her home to you when she is ready."

Boy knew that his mom was seriously ill with something called double pneumonia.  His mom was hospitalized several days ago and from what everyone was telling him it would be several more days before she was well enough to leave the hospital.
Boys father was admitted to a mental hospital several months earlier and as far as boy was concerned his father could stay there forever.

Boy continued looking out the window at the Christmas lights as there colors reflected off the falling snow.  He sat there for a while longer before deciding to go to his room.
He did not want to play with his cousins or his brothers, he just wanted to be left alone.

As boy walked towards his bedroom he noticed the television was on and that "A Chipmunk's Christmas Special" was playing so he sat down to watch the show.

Dave and the Chipmunk's were attempting to decorate the house.  They started with the tree and everything went smoothly until Alvin decided to place the topmost ornament on the tree.  As Alvin reached out he lost his balance, tree and all fell to the floor.

They finally finished decorating the house so they placed a second plate of cookies and milk on the table for Santa, Alvin ate the first.  When they were finished Dave and the Chipmunk's sat around the fireplace for a sing along but first Dave asked his charges a question.

"Simon what do you want for Christmas?"
Simon answered.
"Dave I want...."

"Theodore what do you want for Christmas?"
Theodore answered.
"Dave I want...."

"Alvin, Alvin, ALVIN!"
"YES DAVE"
"Alvin what do you want for Christmas?"
Alvin pulled out a large scroll from his coat.
As the scroll spilled onto the floor Alvin started reciting all the toys on his list.
Had it not been for Dave intervening .....

Boy clasped his hands in front of him as if in prayer and said in a low voice " all I want for Christmas is my mom to come home so I can take care of her."

As Dave and the Chipmunks started closing the show with a Christmas carol boy felt a cold breeze on the back of his neck.  Boy turned his head expecting to see the door blown open by the wind.  To his shock the door was open and the silhouette of a person was standing in the doorway.

The silhouette stepped forward and boy screamed "momma".  Boy ran and jumped into his mothers arms.  Everyone heard boy 's screams and came running into the dining room.
Nearly everyone froze in there tracks and stared,  most with there mouths hanging open.
It was evident to boy that no one in the room expected his mom to be home for Christmas.

The adult boy knows that all things work to the glory of God.  He knows in his heart that as he writes his memories of this special Christmas past he is keeping his promise he made a long long ago.

Have you ever had a dream that was so terrifying that you tried to wake up and couldn't?

You try to force your eyes open but they remain shut.
You try to move your arms and legs but for all your effort you only get violent convulsions.
You can barely breath, the more air you try to force into your lungs the more they feel on fire.
you try to scream but the only one that hears you is you.

Have you ever had the above sensations while you were awake?

James: Event: Shadow of man standing in dark doorway at night

When I was between eight and ten years old we lived in a house in Detroit on Renville street. The house was big,   and old, it had a full upstairs, full downstairs and full basement. On the main floor their were two bedrooms, one at each end of a fairly long hallway, with a bathroom in between. The only entrance to the hallway was from the dining room. If someone was standing at the hallway entrance, the bathroom would be directly ahead. The bedroom Joel and I shared was to the right and further down the hallway, just past a large linen closest was the second bedroom. In our room, I had the top bunk-bed, Joel had the bottom.

What is this? Read on...

This blog is a place for our family to post their accounts of spiritual events.

For example...

Mom talked to us about her experience when she was sitting next to her mothers hospital bed, when her mother was dying. She said she saw a green smoke/fog rise from her mother's body when her mother passed away.

I have had spiritual experiences, as well as Joel, Nat, David, Mom... Some events I knew about and others I didn't. Some things I forgot about until talking to others. This blog is here so we can recount the incidents and add and clarify the things that happened.

Why? Well for me my spiritual incidents strengthen my faith because I know they really happened. That makes them very important in a world that is becoming more atheistic and empathetic toward our beliefs in God.

For now I want to gather the event details from everyone in the immediate family. Then after things are clarified I want to invite other family members (the children) to add their experiences. Only post what you feel was truly a spiritual event. Only include dreams if you feel they have SIGNIFICANT spiritual meaning.

The purpose is to share these valuable and important experiences with other family members to help strengthen their faith.

Simply post the events you remember about you. Use a separate blog entry for each event. Then others can comment and add their accounting of the event.

Thanks... Love you all...

BTW we have a very special family. I have known it for a long time. I think their is a reason these thing have happened to use. Lets not forget them. Let's use them to strengthen our faith; and more importantly the faith of others...