Dark Shadows

     Who else out there will occasionally click on one of the creepy titled Facebook links just out of curiosity? Occasionally my curiosity leads into spending a few hours online reading endless information about some bizarre topic, and then there are the videos and photos....A few weeks ago I saw a link about Sharon Tate. I was a young teen when the Manson murders occurred and I found a few books years later (Helter Skelter, and a biography of one of the young female murderers named Susan Atkins that actually turned out positive, as she claimed Christianity later in prison.) Anyhow, I found myself extremely curious about Sharon and delved into a lot of information and PHOTOS, despite having nagging, somewhat irrational fears that I wouldn't be able to get the horror out of my mind and might not sleep well for a few nights. I watched "Hush,Hush, Sweet Charlotte when I was about ten years old and I remember two nights of barely being able to sleep, while my younger sister by one year, who also saw the movie, dozed off peacefully. (Remember that Tammy?) My fears about scary movies lessened as I grew older, but I also learned to avoid them as well. So, looking at crime scene photos and autopsy reports is something I've actually NEVER DONE BEFORE, up until a few weeks ago. Part of me wanted to "face my fears" with more courage. Part of me wondered if God had a rather mysterious message for me somewhere in all this, because about a week before I found Sharon's photo on my facebook feed I had a dream.                                                                                           I don't even remember the dream....just that I was terrified and I woke up in the wee hours of the morning startled. Not super unusual....I occasionally have a nightmare. However, this was unusual as I could not remember one single detail of the dream...except for the words Helter Skelter. And this was bright and early election day morning! So it was pretty weird, and it stuck with me.                               So anyway, it was pretty interesting reading about the Manson murders and looking at images and videos. They do tend to stick vividly in the mind, but not for long that day. As I got ready for bed, I wondered if I might have another nightmare or trouble falling asleep. I put a nitelight on, prayed as usual as I lay in bed and drifted off to have a good night of sleep. In the morning, I was a bit amazed, but I wholeheartedly gave the credit to God for simply taking my fears away and giving me an incredible peace despite reading about a very horrible story!                                                                   "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee..." Isaiah 26:3