p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"A gust of wind and rain hit the TAPS van as we pulled up in front of Historic Blessed Redeemer Church. Jason, Grant and I zipped up our jackets and braced ourselves to make the short walk from the parking lot to the front door of the church, where we were supposed to meet Pastor Ed Grayson, who had called for help with activity in the church. Despite the short walk, we were all chilled by the time we had dashed up the steps. Just as Jason reached up to knock on the door, it swung open, and an older man wearing black pants, a black shirt and a faded blue cardigan greeted us, "Hello! Hello! Won't you come in out of the cold? I'm J.J."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" We stepped quickly into the entryway and shut the door. Jason stepped forward and extended his hand, saying, "I'm Jason. It's nice to meet you, J.J." J.J. returned Jason's greeting bbut did not shake his hand./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" "I'm Grant. We're here to help."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" As I extended my hand and stepped forward to introduce myself, J.J. took my hand in his, bowed slightly and kissed my hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a lovely young lady."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" As J.J. turned to lead us inside, Jason stifled a laugh and Grant raised an eyebrow at me. I blushed and wondered if J.J. treated every woman he met that way./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" We followed J.J. into the pastor's study and sat down. Grant looked around before asking, "Wasn't Pastor Ed supposed to meet us? Not that we're not happy to speak with you, J.J."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. apologized, "Pastor Ed had an emergency this morning and hasn't returned yet. He'll be joining you later. Can I interest you in some tea? I have water heating upstairs in the kitchen."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"We all answered that we were fine, then Jason got down to business. "What can you tell us about the history of the church?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. pointed to an old picture hanging on the wall and began speaking, "Well, the original building was constructed here in the early 1800s. Of course, it was just a small church at the time. The pride of that little wooden church was the bell. This was a very poor community at that time, not a lot of folks had money to spare. It may seem odd to us modern folk, but everyone in that congregation cheerfully gave what few coins they could spare until they could finally pay for that bell. The day it went up in the belfry was a day of celebration indeed."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J.'s love for the church's history was apparent in the way he told the story. He seemed to know the details as if he had been there himself. Jason, Grant and I were drawn into the story as he continued, "Then in 1899, tragedy struck. One cold winter morning, after a snowy night, the pastor, his wife, and their young son came early to the church to light a fire in the stove. Well, as Josephine, the pastor's wife, reached into the stove to light the kindling, her sleeve caught fire. As she jerked her arm out, she knocked some burning kindling out onto the floor. Her skirts caught fire, and she panicked, started screaming and running for the door. Pastor Joseph and their son were outside gathering firewood. They heard her screams and came running to find the church and Josephine on fire."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. had to pause in his story as he fought back tears. I thought it was odd that he would be so moved by something that had happened more than a century earlier, and I shot a questioning glance at Jason and Grant. Jason was watching J.J. intently, seemingly caught up in the story. Grant just glanced at me and shrugged, a look of concern on his face./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"With tears streaming down his face, J.J. finished his story. He told how Pastor Joseph had sent the boy into town to get help, but by the time he and some men had returned, the church was in flames. By the time the fire was put out, there was nothing left but the beloved bell, the same bell that calls the people to worship today. Pastor Joseph had been unable to save Josephine, and he died of grief and guilt not long after, leaving their young son behind. Please excuse me..."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. darted out of the room, seemingly overcome with grief. Jason, Grant and I sat in stunned silence for a moment before Grant asked, "What do you make of that?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" I just shook my head, unsure of what to say. Jason leaned over and said, "There's something not right about this..."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps hurrying down the stairs. The door to the study flew open, but instead of J.J., there stood a tall man wearing a blue shirt and clerical collar; we presumed it was Pastor Ed. He seemed startled to find us there./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" We all stood to greet him, and he extended his hand and said, "Hello, I'm Pastor Ed. So sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. I had an emergency this morning and just got back in. I saw the TAPS van out front. Who showed you in?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Jason answered, "No apology needed, Pastor. J.J. showed us in and gave us a little history. He seemed to get pretty upset while he was telling us the story. He ran out of here right before you came in."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" As Jason mentioned J.J., all the color drained from Pastor Ed's face. He was silent for a moment, then said, "J.J.? What did he look like?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" The three of us looked at each other quizzically. Jason began, "He was an older gentleman, maybe in his 60s, gray hair, glasses."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Grant continued, "He was wearing black pants, a black button-down shirt and a faded blue cardigan."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"I finished, "And he was very polite. Almost what I'd call gallant. He bowed and kissed my hand when I introduced myself."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Jason and Grant both chuckled, and Grant said, "Deb seemed to make quite an impression on him."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" I made a face at Grant and smiled sheepishly at Pastor Ed./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Pastor Ed, his face still pale, laughed and said quietly, "That...sounds like J.J."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" He seemed unsure of what to say next, so Jason asked, "Are you all right, Pastor Ed?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Pastor Ed ran his fingers through his hair, cleared his throat and glanced around the room before saying, "I...don't know how to tell you this...but you may have just met one of our ghosts..."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" We stepped quickly into the entryway and shut the door. Jason stepped forward and extended his hand, saying, "I'm Jason. It's nice to meet you, J.J." J.J. returned Jason's greeting bbut did not shake his hand./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" "I'm Grant. We're here to help."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" As I extended my hand and stepped forward to introduce myself, J.J. took my hand in his, bowed slightly and kissed my hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a lovely young lady."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" As J.J. turned to lead us inside, Jason stifled a laugh and Grant raised an eyebrow at me. I blushed and wondered if J.J. treated every woman he met that way./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" We followed J.J. into the pastor's study and sat down. Grant looked around before asking, "Wasn't Pastor Ed supposed to meet us? Not that we're not happy to speak with you, J.J."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. apologized, "Pastor Ed had an emergency this morning and hasn't returned yet. He'll be joining you later. Can I interest you in some tea? I have water heating upstairs in the kitchen."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"We all answered that we were fine, then Jason got down to business. "What can you tell us about the history of the church?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. pointed to an old picture hanging on the wall and began speaking, "Well, the original building was constructed here in the early 1800s. Of course, it was just a small church at the time. The pride of that little wooden church was the bell. This was a very poor community at that time, not a lot of folks had money to spare. It may seem odd to us modern folk, but everyone in that congregation cheerfully gave what few coins they could spare until they could finally pay for that bell. The day it went up in the belfry was a day of celebration indeed."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J.'s love for the church's history was apparent in the way he told the story. He seemed to know the details as if he had been there himself. Jason, Grant and I were drawn into the story as he continued, "Then in 1899, tragedy struck. One cold winter morning, after a snowy night, the pastor, his wife, and their young son came early to the church to light a fire in the stove. Well, as Josephine, the pastor's wife, reached into the stove to light the kindling, her sleeve caught fire. As she jerked her arm out, she knocked some burning kindling out onto the floor. Her skirts caught fire, and she panicked, started screaming and running for the door. Pastor Joseph and their son were outside gathering firewood. They heard her screams and came running to find the church and Josephine on fire."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. had to pause in his story as he fought back tears. I thought it was odd that he would be so moved by something that had happened more than a century earlier, and I shot a questioning glance at Jason and Grant. Jason was watching J.J. intently, seemingly caught up in the story. Grant just glanced at me and shrugged, a look of concern on his face./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"With tears streaming down his face, J.J. finished his story. He told how Pastor Joseph had sent the boy into town to get help, but by the time he and some men had returned, the church was in flames. By the time the fire was put out, there was nothing left but the beloved bell, the same bell that calls the people to worship today. Pastor Joseph had been unable to save Josephine, and he died of grief and guilt not long after, leaving their young son behind. Please excuse me..."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" J.J. darted out of the room, seemingly overcome with grief. Jason, Grant and I sat in stunned silence for a moment before Grant asked, "What do you make of that?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" I just shook my head, unsure of what to say. Jason leaned over and said, "There's something not right about this..."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps hurrying down the stairs. The door to the study flew open, but instead of J.J., there stood a tall man wearing a blue shirt and clerical collar; we presumed it was Pastor Ed. He seemed startled to find us there./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" We all stood to greet him, and he extended his hand and said, "Hello, I'm Pastor Ed. So sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. I had an emergency this morning and just got back in. I saw the TAPS van out front. Who showed you in?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Jason answered, "No apology needed, Pastor. J.J. showed us in and gave us a little history. He seemed to get pretty upset while he was telling us the story. He ran out of here right before you came in."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" As Jason mentioned J.J., all the color drained from Pastor Ed's face. He was silent for a moment, then said, "J.J.? What did he look like?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" The three of us looked at each other quizzically. Jason began, "He was an older gentleman, maybe in his 60s, gray hair, glasses."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Grant continued, "He was wearing black pants, a black button-down shirt and a faded blue cardigan."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;"I finished, "And he was very polite. Almost what I'd call gallant. He bowed and kissed my hand when I introduced myself."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Jason and Grant both chuckled, and Grant said, "Deb seemed to make quite an impression on him."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" I made a face at Grant and smiled sheepishly at Pastor Ed./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Pastor Ed, his face still pale, laughed and said quietly, "That...sounds like J.J."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" He seemed unsure of what to say next, so Jason asked, "Are you all right, Pastor Ed?"/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px;" Pastor Ed ran his fingers through his hair, cleared his throat and glanced around the room before saying, "I...don't know how to tell you this...but you may have just met one of our ghosts..."/p