Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Guardian Angels

This is a great story. I do not think it is an April fool’s tale but I think posting on the first is appropriate. That way if you do the test and fail, you can blame my mischievousness. Ed Conrad is a chronic poster on a forum or two that I occasionally follow and I suspect that he at least is real and a newspaperman.

Since he is for real, perhaps we can take this all at face value and run the simple test ourselves. That means following the protocol. This is science in action.

What I want you to do though, if you run this test and it works for you, I want you to email me with Guardian Angel in the subject line, and report your guardian angel’s name. I do not know if this will lead to anything, but if a decent group of folks confirm this phenomena, then we at least know that. Our interpretation may be surpassed by superior knowledge down the road, but welcome to scientific endeavor.

If you try several times and fail, report the same way with a note listing the attempts. I know that most failed attempts will not be reported but the data is still welcome.

Use my email address arclein@yahoo.com.

With an independent data base, we can also accept Ed’s story. That then allows us to actually discuss the phenomena and speculate on its characteristics in good faith. If enough folks are interested, we can even construct experiments to explore this phenomena.

Guardian Angels

This is a column by Ed Conrad that appeared in the Hazleton (Pa.) Standard-Speaker on March 31, 2002 -- Easter Sunday morning. It had the greatest favorable reaction, by far, than anything written in his entire newspaper career.
By ED CONRAD
It's Easter morning -- Happy Easter, everyone -- and what a great morning to touch on a subject that's very, very close to your heart..
Your guardian angel!
You've heard mention of guardian angels for years and years -- associated with different religions (naturally), in movies, in books, on TV- - but few folks, I'm sure, have really given serious thought that they HAVE a guardian angel.
Most undoubtedly figure it's nothing more than the figment of someone's imagination -- and perhaps a bit of wishful thinking.
But, based on a novel experiment conducted right here at the Standard - Speaker, it appears that the reality of guardian angels is more than we could ever imagine.
For example, it appears that our guardian angels can communicate with us -- letting us know his or her name.
Still a skeptic, huh? Then read on.
. It all began about 10 years ago when my late mother visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa near Doylestown (Pa.).
Upon returning home, Mom excitedly revealed that she had met an Italian woman -- a senior citizen like herself -- and they clicked instantly.
During one of their numerous conversations, the woman asked my mother: "Anna, what's your guardian angel's name?"
My mother was flabbergasted, shocked at the question, for which she obviously had no answer.
The woman then explained that everyone can learn the name of his or her guardian angel simply by asking, then told my mother: "Before you fall asleep tonight, just say, 'Guardian angel, I know you're with me all the time but I don't know your name. Please let me know your name.' "
Simple! And perhaps a bit far-fetched. Still, my mother tried it.
The next day, Mom enthusiastically phoned and excitedly told me she had learned that her guardian angel's name was Noel. She said the name was solidly embedded in her head when she woke up.
Rather skeptical that it would work for me, I attempted the experiment myself that very night. Lo and behold, I awoke the next morning with the name "Girard" ringing in my ears.
. Well, that might've well been the end of the story -- but it wasn't!
About two weeks ago -- after 10 long years -- I casually mentioned the incident in the Standard-Speaker newsroom when the subject of guardian angels came up and, I admit, my story undoubtedly sounded quite hokey to most who were listening.
But the next morning, Annette Rusnock, the newspaper's editorial librarian, was wearing a broad smile when she strolled into the news room and proudly announced that she had tried the "experiment" to get her guardian angel's name and awoke "with Isabella, Isabella, Isabella."
"Hmmm!" said Rosella Walker, who works near her. "I'm going to try it tonight." Rosella did and came in the next morning happily revealing that it had worked for her as well, getting the name Gertrude.
"And, the thing is, I don't know any Gertrude's," Rosella said. "The only Gertrude I know is Gertrude's Chocolates."
Well, strange things kept happening in the newspaper building.
Joanna Marsicano of the classified advertising department tried it and happily revealed that her guardian angel's name: also was Isabella.
She said when she saw her name in lage, bright lights when she woke up, the last letter "a" in Isabella kept flashing and flashing, emphasizing that the "a" is to be pronounced.
"Just like I'm not Joann but JoannA, my guardian angel undoubtedly wanted me to be sure I knew her name was IsabellA and not Isabell," she remarked.
"To learn I have a guardian angel and, especially, to know her name has made me very happy," said Joanna. "It really made my day."
Mark Katchur, a staff writer, said he wanted to know if he could also get his guardian angel's name and said he woke up knowing positively it is Daniel.
Joanne Suglia, also from classified department, also tried it and beamed while telling everyone that she earned her guardian angel's name is Estelle.
As the story circulated throughout the building, Lois Ann Hall and Nadine Kubilus of the business office, Kathy Breznak and Al Danko of the advertising department, and Vicki Gennaro of the newsroom all tried it as well -- and enthusiastically said it worked!
Lois Ann excitedly said she had requested the name of her guardian angel when she went to bed.
"But I awoke about 6:30 the next morning and was sort of disappointed that nothing happened," she said. "But I laid down again and fell asleep and, when I got up, the name Marjorie was *everywhere.*"
Kathy said she was afraid to try the experiment but, while about to fall asleep one night last week, finally did so. She awoke with the name Michael indelibly impressed upon her.
Danko couldn't believe it when he tried the experiment and learned his guardian angel's name is Justin.
Vicki said her question also had been answered when she awoke with a name ringing in her ears. At first, she admitted she was reluctant to reveal it but then - eventually -- she told the newsroom staff the name she came up with was Azriel.
The latest to attempt the experiment and discover it really works was George Fetchko of the composing room.
He tried it and learned his guardian angel's name is Adam.
The experiment has worked in the majority of cases but, to be perfectly honest, didn't work for two or three people and the answer escapes us. Perhaps these Standard-Speaker staffers hadn't made their request with sincerity.
If there's a fly in the ointment -- to readers still skeptical -- it would be the name of the guardian angel of Nadine Kubilus, the third to say she came up with Isabella.
It means a guardian angel named Isabella popped up three times to women working at the Standard-Speaker and it's anybody's guess if there are three guardian angels named Isabella or one Isabella is working three shifts, for three gals here at the S-S.
Someone suggested that Nadine -- the third Isabella -- probably heard that Annette Rusnock and Joanna Marsicano both had come up with Isabella, independent of each other.
But Nadine insisted that she hadn't been aware of the names that Annette and Joanna had come up with.
"In fact, I learned my guardian angel's name before Joanna because it happened to me last Thursday morning (a day before Joanna learned her guardian angel's name)," said Nadine. "I just didn't say anything when I came to work Friday morning."
One last word: These are sound, sensible people who have held responsible positions, most for many, many years. There is no reason they'd be lying or be part of any type of con job.
You, too, are invited to learn your guardian angel's name, and your belief -- or disbelief -- in an existence beyond our physical realm appears to have nothing whatsoever to do with it.
"Ask and you shall receive," a Very Wise Man once said.
In the case of learning the name of your guardian angel, apparently all you have to do is ask.
(PS: You DO NOT get your guardian angel's name while asleep. It hits you like a thunderbolt as soon as you wake up.) Now, a most unusual follow-up.
George Fetchko, who got his guardian angel's name, attended a wake (a funeral service) a few nights after the above column appeared in the newspaper.

"It seemed everyone at the wake was huddling around me, asking me how I did it)," he remarked at work the next morning.
It -- and countless letters and e-mails from readers who performed the experiment and succeeded -- prompted me to write a follow-up column which began....

"George Fetchko attended a wake the other night and was astounded that he was more popular than the corpse."
PROOF OF LIFE AFTER DEATH
http://www.edconrad.com/pics/Miracle.jpg http://edconrad.com/lifeafterdeath/index.html Ed Conrad
http://www.edconrad.com

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