This is a true story that unfolded into one of the most amazing gifts that Michelle, my daughter and I could ever receive from “Charlie”; Michelle’s deceased father.
During my early development, I would seize every opportunity to enhance my ability to connect with the spirits that surrounded my friends and family. On this particular afternoon in December of 2006, Michelle and I were quietly talking in the kitchen about our Christmas plans. During our conversation, I began to sense the presence of her father, “Charlie”, who had passed from a heart attack several years earlier. Michelle noticed that I began to drift into a far off stare. Seeing this several times before, she quickly understood this blank look on my face indicated I was beginning to sense and communicate with someone in spirit. Successfully, I had communicated with the spirit of her father several times in the past; his presence was always welcomed in our life. He often demonstrated very insightful and helpful information to his living family that truly added to their life. Common knowledge about him, was his love for the music performed by Elvis Presley; he was a huge fan. Owning many of Elvis’s albums, “Charlie” was often caught spontaneously singing and dancing to many of Elvis’s songs. Now, “Charlie” possessed a more profound clarity about himself and also about his prior human existence. He would often school me on the importance of demonstrating unconditional faith in the voice of spirit.
As I began speaking and sharing “Charlie’s” messages with Michelle, our daughter, Courtney, be bopped into the kitchen. Also knowing the meaning of my far off stare, Courtney quickly asked her mom who I was talking with this time. Michelle replied to Courtney that her dad was communicating with the spirit of her grandfather. Without hesitation and brandishing an enthusiastic smile, Courtney responded with a big, “Hi Grandpop”. In response, her Grandfather created a clear vision within me of him smiling back at her. Suddenly, as if he was physically standing in the room, clearly I heard him inquire, “What special gift would you personally want for Christmas”. I spoke his exact words aloud as if he was demonstrating some kind of special influence or power to do so. Without even the smallest delay, Courtney responded, “Ever since I was very little, I always wanted an old silver pocket watch”. This was a complete and total shock to Michelle and I. Not once during all the past moments of her life has Courtney shared or even slightly mentioned her interest or love for an old silver pocket watch. In response to Courtney’s request I became overwhelmed with ‘Charlie’s” presence. A state of quietness overcame me that disconnected me from any physical noises around me. I must admit, what happened next was very odd and unfamiliar to me. The amount of detailed information that quickly filled my awareness was unlike any other conversation I have had with someone in spirit. There was so much detailed information in such a short period of time that afterward I was unsure if I was accurately receiving the following information from “Charlie”.
Through visions, imagery and an inner knowing, “Charlie” proceeded to answer his grand daughter’s request. “Charlie” shared details of a very specific old silver pocket watch and precisely where I could locate it. He proceeded to show me a picture of New Hope, Pennsylvania. He told me that while driving the main street into town, there would be a particular store located off the right side of the road and definitely not the left side. He told me to look for a specific corner on the right side of the road where there is an abandoned store. “Charlie’s” vision continued by showing me that three stores away from the abandoned store will be a Jewelry Store that sold old watches. The vision I was receiving then morphed into a man standing behind the counter inside that store, that I somehow knew was the store’s owner. The image was of a man who was approximately sixty years old, who was thin and had all grey hair. “Charlie’s” vision also showed me a wooden cane propped up against the wall near the corner of the store. I could sense it didn’t belong to the owner but someone very meaningful to him. “Charlie” communicated to me that the pocket watch he was guiding me to purchase carried a price tag of precisely $210.00. “Charlie” communicated that the pocket watch would be made out of real silver, it would be made in the early 1900′s and it previously belonged to a man who lovingly passed it down to his son before he died. Courtney’s grandfather then paused his conversation with me, he gave me a big smile and slowly faded from my awareness. It may sound a little odd but In those departing moments, I could sense he was saying to me, “I have done all that is possible from me. It is now up to you and Michelle to do what is possible from both of you to make Courtney’s Christmas wish come true”.
To be very truthful, I was quite mentally skeptical of the specific details, location and information I just received from “Charlie”. I was still very new to Spirit Communication and I questioned my ability to properly and accurately interpret the visions and images that “Charlie” shared. However, being self-taught has also given me insight that I believe most people who were born with a spiritual gift do not have. The insight I am speaking of is the education and wisdom I have acquired from self learning how to credibly converse with people in spirit. Along the way, there are many life lessons about self-love that I have gradually learned which has been a tremendous help in my spirit’s growth and evolution. One life lesson is the necessity to demonstrate blind faith in any information or guidance that you spiritually sense is the truth. I truthfully know that my connection with “Charlie” was a strong and credible one. So, without thinking about it, my next step was to demonstrate blind faith in “Charlie” and his guidance. I have learned that our life path is filled with many great and profound experiences waiting patiently for us to courageously and faithfully find our way to them. Way to often, we prevent ourselves from experiencing these profound moments because we mentally doubt and dismiss the spiritual voices attempting to guide us down the right path. We were never meant to control our life by ourselves, our greatest journey’s and most cherished rewards are only attained when we give sole control over our life and only follow the guidance our spirit can receive. Then, we simply follow that guidance and allow it to naturally unfold into our most cherished life experiences. So, to prove the guidance I received from “Charlie” was the truth, Michelle and I decided to take the journey foretold by “Charlie’s” spirit and allow life to naturally unfold.
A few days later, without the knowledge of our daughter, Michelle and I drove to New Hope to validate or not validate the guidance we received from the spirit of Michelle’s father. After 30 minutes of driving down Route 29, we came to the intersection where we needed to make a left turn to enter the town of New Hope. Admittedly, we were both a little nervous and anxious about finding out the truth. Not being too familiar with New Hope, we were on the lookout for any abandoned store on the right side of the road. As we drove over the bridge that covered the width of the Delaware River, we began to approach the main part of town. If our memory was accurate, we were quickly approaching what is considered to be the main intersection in this area. With a peeked awareness and driving slowly we scanned both sides of the road looking for any sign of an abandoned store. In less than a minute of travel, our anxiousness turned into a feeling of comfort and amazement. Sitting on the corner on the right side of the road, just like “Charlie” stated, was a completely abandoned store. Astonished, we made a quick decision to make a right turn on the road that intersected with this abandoned store. Within 200 feet we saw a public parking lot that we immediately turned into. Quickly, we purchased the required parking ticket to temporarily park in the lot. Even though we plainly saw the abandoned store, Michelle and I still had somewhat of a disbelief about our observation, so we proceeded to walk towards the corner where the abandoned store was located. Stopping across the street from the abandoned store, we simply stared at it for several seconds, just to confirm that this store is truly unoccupied and abandoned. Once we satisfied our mental disbelief, we began to systematically count down three stores from this corner store. The third store was a small store with two names on it “Burch and Jones”. Somewhat nervous but eager to get inside, it was not apparent to us by looking at the outside of the store exactly what kind of store it was. The stairs were few and we quickly entered the unlocked door. In tune with the Christmas season, the store was reasonably filled with Christmas decorations and Christmas music. The shop was relatively small in size containing glass cabinets and matching countertops that circled the stores interior. It wasn’t until we noticed all the different kinds of jewelry within the glass cabinets that we realized we were in a jewelry store just like “Charlie” predicted. A few seconds later, a man emerged from a back room to speak with the few customers already present. He was exactly as “Charlie” described him. His hair was all grey, he was about 60 years old and he definitely could use a good meal or three. In about a minute’s time, we were approached by the grey haired man. He asked if we needed help in finding anything in his store. After greeting him, I asked if there was a chance that he sold pocket watches. He responded with a strong, “Yes”. He stated that he was probably the only store in the New Hope area that actually had pocket watches for sale. He then guided Michelle and I to a specific cabinet while stating, “Actually, I have only five pocket watches left”. My response to him, “Is there a possibility that any of the pocket watches are made of silver”. Knowing his inventory, immediately the grey haired man specifically pointed to the end pocket watch of his display of watches stating, “This is the only silver pocket watch I have left, the rest are either gold or copper”.
With a seasoned hand, he smoothly removed the silver pocket watch from its rest area within the glass cabinet and began educating us with its details and provenance. The grey haired man began by stating the watch is still in working order but a weekly winding is required to maintain its accuracy of time. He told us that the pocket watch was made around the early 1900′s and that he obtained it from a local estate sale. He said if he remembers correctly the original man who owned the watch gave it to his son as a gift right before he passed away. After many years of ownership, his son also passed away and his family decided to hold a public auction of his belongings. This was absolutely amazing to Michelle and I. This confirmed almost every detail of the story that “Charlie” communicated to me about how to find this particular silver pocket watch and its history! There was one last detail that Charlie shared with me that still needed validation. “Charlie” communicated that the silver pocket watch would be listed with a specific price of $210.00. Slightly holding my breath, I inquisitively asked the grey haired man what price was he asking for the silver pocket watch. Breaking eye contact with me, he lowered his gaze toward the silver watch while simultaneously turning it upside down revealing the price tag attached to the backside of the watch. While lifting the pocket watch upwards to show me the price tag, he swiftly said, “I am currently selling this pocket watch for $210.00”. Officially, Michelle and I were both blown away and overwhelmed by the series of circumstances that all proved themselves to be true. Widely grinning, I informed the grey haired man that I would love to purchase it. Instinctively, I then remembered the image that “Charlie” previously shared with me of a walking cane standing behind the counter. Reliably, the past spiritual images I have seen have always told or suggested some kind of story that I was required to interpret. In this case, the story I interpreted from this image of the walking cane involved some kind of regretful personal absence due to a medical problem. As the grey haired man was diligently polishing up the silver pocket watch before its change of ownership, Michelle and I looked around the room for any type of walking cane but we saw none. Confused as to why “Charlie” provided this image for me to see, I purposely initiated a conversation with the grey haired man hoping to gain some insight about him, his business and maybe some knowledge that could explain the image of the walking cane. With no reluctance, the grey haired man quickly acknowledged that this jewelry business was never just his but a joint venture with his loving wife. He continued that his wife and he have worked side-by-side to own and operate the business for many many years. Noticing a quiet change in his voice, the grey hair man admitted that he greatly misses having his wife by his side in the shop. He said that due to an unforeseen illness, his wife temporarily lost her ability to walk and move around the way she used to. His prayers and hope is to have her back in the store by his side some day soon. At this exact moment, Michelle and my attention mysteriously shifted to the change of Christmas music now playing in the store. Playing loudly within this small jewelry store was the song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” by Elvis Presley. Without speaking a word and happily tearing up, we looked into each other’s eyes with an identical affirmation that the song being played at this precise moment was done by “Charlie’s” and it was his way of saying, “Thank you for showing faith in us”.
On Christmas Day, Courtney opened her present from her Grandfather. She immediately became overwhelmed with emotion knowing that her Christmas wish to her grand father was really answered. With great respect for the events that transpired, Michelle and I shared our personal experiences and faith that resulted in this gift from her grandfather in spirit possible. Telling and sharing this amazing story has become a Christmas tradition for us and will remain so for many years to come. It is heartwarming and enlightening to know that our loved ones in spirit often provide proof to their living loved ones that they still exist and are very much alive. This was the first personal experience our family had that provided absolute proof that “Charlie” was very much alive, watches over us and can still add to our life in a loving way! Over the next 10 years, during my monthly Spirit Mediumship Galleries, I have witnessed on hundreds of occasions people in spirit providing similar proof to their living loved ones that they are very much alive.
The abilities of our spirit can open up a whole new way to experience, interpret and enjoy our life. What I learned from this particular experience was that our life is much more enjoyed when we have someone by are side in a helpful way; including our loved ones in spirit and our God. For me, this has created a far happier and more fulfilling experience then whenever I attempted to navigate life all on my own. “Charlie’s” willful loving effort to fulfill his granddaughter’s wish to own an old silver pocket watch taught me a very valuable life lesson: A sincere loving gesture, word or act is a powerful energy and force that is not only capable of uniting all people together but can also seamlessly transcend the boundaries of all worlds (physical and spiritual) and treat them as “one”.
International Spirit Medium and Spiritual Philosopher Rich Braconi