Seeing the Dead

The article starts off with this story: 

As the preacher-man got up to leave, the widow put her hand on his arm, saying, "Don't go, I got one more thing." The kitchen quieted. Her boy said, "Ma, don't tell him." The preacher-man said, "Don't tell me what?" Ma whispered, "Last night, 'bout midnight, I heard a noise in this here kitchen, and so I come in to take a look around. I flicked on the overhead light, and right there front of the sink, right there, standing looking right at me, big as life -- was my dead Stan, the love of my life. He always washed the dishes after supper. I know he's dead, but it was him. He was looking at me with those lovin' eyes, and smiling, like he was telling me he was OK. That's the warm feeling I got -- that he's OK. He's OK. Isn't he? Preacher? He was smiling so sweetly, and I felt loved and good. My kids think I was either dreaming or crazy. Sadness can make you crazy. I read that. I ain't never seen nothin' like that, preacher. Nothin'."The preacher-man stilled himself and said, "No, you're not crazy, Mrs. Kolinsky. Can't tell you how many times I've heard similar stories on days like today, sitting around kitchen tables just like this, talking about death and funerals. What you saw happens to many people, all types of people, only people don't talk about their experiences publicly, except to folks like me, because it sounds crazy, but it's common. It's a gift, Mrs. Kolinsky. Stan was telling you he's OK. And so are you."

The author of the article was the preacher-man. He has also come into contact with his deceased family members as well. His dad once saw his Grandmother sitting at the foot of his bed, and ran over to her house and found out that she had died. These occurrences happen frequently, but are rarely said to anyone besides a preacher or their close family because they are afraid they will be seen as crazy. The preacher says it's amazing to see the look on the people's faces when they see their loved ones and they know that it is ok and really start to believe for the first time that there is an afterlife. The preacher says he now knows that the soul is as real as any physical part of the body, but it's up to you to decide whether it is fact or fiction.