The Singing Incident

Now you may ask what a singing incident is.  Well, it implies that something happened while someone was singing … and it did!

API has actually investigated two separate incidents that happened while someone was singing.

The first was about a year ago.  There was a group of people playing music and singing.  There were four people total.  Two of these people were playing guitar.  One was playing the bass guitar and the fiddle.  The other was singing and not playing an instrument.  They were all taking turns going around their music circle. 

For those who don’t know what a music circle is here is an explanation.  When musicians are getting together with friends to just have an evening of music … they’re not a band performing … just a group of friends sitting together in a circle of chairs.  This is so they can see and hear each other and they take turns playing and singing by going around the circle to the next person, then the next person … you get the idea.  This was the set up for the evening.

At some point as the evening progressed, a harmonica could be heard playing along with them as they were playing and singing.  Two of the people in the music circle kept getting chills and rubbing their arms.  At times there would be little flashes of light at one of the tables nearby … always flashing at the same table and in the same spot.  Then there was the aroma of a pipe.  The smell of sweet pipe tobacco is pretty unmistakable. 

There was no question of “what” had happened.  That was witnessed by three of the four people who were sitting there.  The question was “who”.  Who had been there?  Who was playing along on their harmonica?  Who was smoking a pipe?   What were those flashes of light?

Upon an investigation and asking questions it was figured out.  One of the people sitting in the music circle that night had a grandfather who played harmonica.  Their grandfather was no longer living but he was there that night sharing and participating in the music circle.  Their grandfather had smoked a pipe for as long as they could remember.  If you have ever been around anyone smoking a pipe you have seen how they keep lighting it as they are smoking.  You would also have noticed the sweet aroma as the tobacco burned in the pipe.  

Who had been there?  It was their Grandfather. 

This person’s grandfather had been there for the last half of the evening.  While he was listening to the music he was smoking his pipe.  That is what the flashes of light were at the table … the pipe being lit.  That is what the sweet tobacco aroma was … him smoking his pipe.  And that is where the harmonica was coming from.  When it was a song he liked he joined in.  It always seemed to be the old bluegrass fiddle tunes and the old country songs that he joined in on.  There was no message given to deliver … just a Grandfather spending the evening with his grandchild (who is a senior adult now), enjoying the music, enjoying his pipe and joining in when the mood struck him.  It brought tears to everyone present, including members of API.

There are many reasons why an investigation might be done.  Sometimes people are frightened by experiences they have had and call for help.  Sometimes they just want to know what is going on. 

Not all experiences are bad ones.  Some are very sweet experiences with someone we love and miss dearly. 

It was such a pleasure for API to be able to participate and provide this information. 

A sweet visit from someone we love. 

That is what we all dream of.