Unfinished Business

Another theory is that a spirit will stay behind after the physical body dies if they have unfinished business. We can apply this theory to many examples, such as a soldier standing guard years after his division was wiped out. Perhaps an old field doctor still trying to save the casualties of war long after peace has been declared. Perhaps a mother on her way home to care for her children, but doesn't make it home because of a car accident that took her life.

All of these things may seem like a very inadequate reason to give up the afterlife in favor of an eternity of guard duty, but if you think about it, how many times have you said " I have got to get this done." How many times have we all said " If I just get this done, I can rest" or " If I just get here, I'll be done & home soon." I know I've said it a million times. All we think about is completing that task. So what happens if we die before getting it done? What if our death is quick & we don't even realize it, as in the third theory I listed? Many believe we continue trying to complete that task into the afterlife.

Many cases, including one I'll write later on this page, document soldiers being seen at forts, still standing guard or performing their duties as they did many years ago. Gettysburg is an excellent example of soldiers & field doctors still carrying out their orders & operations. Many of these stories can be found in Mark Nesbitt's Ghosts of Gettysburg books. He currently has 4 books that not only give great stories about the ghosts that dwell in Gettysburg, but they also provide a detailed history of the events that transpired in these haunted areas.

A mother's love may also keep her behind, protecting those she loved & those who resemble the ones she loved. In many cases, a family living in an old house have found they live with a helpful spirit. Perhaps picking up objects & putting them in their proper places or even warning a family of a fire starting in the late night hours. One case in particular documents a mother who was awakened in the middle of the night by the figure of an old woman. This figure had motioned the mother to follow, which she did. The mother followed the spirit into the children's room where she had found that a small night-lite had sparked a small flame that was slowly moving up the wall. The mother was able to snuff out the fire without anyone getting hurt. When she remembered the figure of the old woman, she found the figure had vanished. Later, it was discovered that an old woman had died in the house with her three children. The cause of their deaths had been a fire in the house.

Perhaps the human will to get things done is strong enough to stop our journey into the next world. Perhaps these are also imprints that are another exception to the rule, interacting with those of us who still live on this world.