I didn’t bother to turn on the lights in
the funeral parlor as there was sunlight coming through the glass surrounding
the entrance. I was alone in the back of
the parlor sitting on a sofa. The dimly lit area was cool and comfortable with
a coffee table placed in front of me providing a place I could put my feet up.
In the darkened corner I had on a pair of head sets listening to music when I
looked up to see a ball of energy come barreling down the hall into the open
parlor. I knew it was the spirit of the
body that Charlie was preparing. I heard
the name of the deceased while we were shopping when Charlie took the death
call. I said to the spirit, “You’re Mr.
Quibodeaux aren’t you?” Then I heard “I want my God damn shoes!”
I have enough experience with this to not be
alarmed. My only reaction is to work
with the deceased and deliver the message.
I placed my headsets on the sofa, immediately get up and walk down the
hall to the back of the funeral home to the preparation area where I could hear
the embalming machine running. It makes
a fairly loud noise. It is a pump mechanism with a motor. I knock hard and aggressively on the closed
door so Charlie can hear me. He comes to
the door kicking it open with his foot while holding his gloved hands up not to
touch anything. He looks at me with his face glaring. You don’t have to be psychic to see that he
was completely dumbfounded why I would interrupt him. He says one word. “What?”
I say, “Mr. Quibodeaux just came
into the parlor and said to me ‘I want my god damn shoes’.” Charlie returned a blank gaze. A moment passed and he answered with one
word. “Okay.” He then kicked the door
closed and I walked away. Returning to
the sofa I picked up my headsets placing them on my head and continued to
listen to the music.
About
twenty minutes passed when Charlie came walking into the front of the building
where I was waiting for him. Turning on
all the lights, and unlocking the front door to the funeral parlor he said to
me, “Mr. Quibodeaux’s wife and daughter will be here in a few minutes to bring
me his clothes.” Right away three women
walked in the door. I remained seated.
Charlie walked over and greeted them.
One of the women who appeared to be the wife of the deceased was holding
folded clothes that she reverently placed into Charlie’s arms. Charlie said, “I’d like to have his
shoes.” She said with a bit of surprise
“Well no one told me that I needed to bring shoes.” Charlie answered, “Yes I would like to have
his shoes.” Her response was “Well he never had shoes at the nursing home, only
bed room slippers.” “I will have to go
all the way back home to get his shoes.”
I was really proud of Charlie because he never
gave her an out. She was frustrated with
Charlie asking for the shoes. In that
awkward silence he waited for her to agree to go back and get the shoes knowing
that he was honoring the request of Mr. Quibodeaux. There are a lot of advantages for the
deceased to be able to place requests with the mortician who is preparing the
body! A bond is formed, as the mortician
is the caregiver. Most morticians feel their finished work is their art and
their craft. I know the spirit of the
decease is appreciative of the work and care that goes into making them look
good. I have told Charlie many times
that when he gets to heaven he will be greeted by thousands of souls stepping
up to say “Thank you for what you did for me.” Having a spirit medium tell you
the wishes or the desires of the deceased is very helpful!
I never knew why Mr. Quibodeaux wanted his
shoes until his obituary came out. He
was a dancer. He wanted to go to the
other side with his dance shoes on. If
you are Cajun you know how important it is to dance, especially in heaven!
