The Ghosts of Normandy

Mark J. Janssen
5 min readAug 29, 2024

The other day a very dear friend of many years sent me a picture from Normandy. The view looked down a long slope of green hedges and fields to a small beach where boats were moored. The scene immediately reminded me of places I’ve been to along the coastlines of New England and the Maritime provinces. I tend not to think anything of these moments when I see spirits in a photograph because they are a normal part of my everyday life, but when I showed the picture to a friend the person remarked on the spirits roaming around the fields.

Of course, there are spirits roaming around the fields, the beach and in and above the water. I take it for granted, like the sun coming up in the morning and setting in the evening. When I watch television or movies I see spirits on the sets. Sometimes, even though the programs are recorded, people’s guardian angels will appear beside them.

Thinking back on it, I can see that many people would think that it is very wrong of me to see spirits everywhere I look. However, that is exactly how my life is and always has always been.

Just like a very few other people whom I have known or heard speak, as an infant in my crib I looked up and there were more people there besides my family members and their friends. I knew I saw God, Mary, the angels and the saints from my earliest days. I knew because I remembered them from before I was born.

We had our conversations. We talked and laughed. They told me that as I grew up I would forget the purpose of my life. I would, and…

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Mark J. Janssen

Mark Janssen is a Catholic Druid, mystic visionary and author who writes a weekly blog. His memoir “Reach for the Stars” is available online.