The Reason We’re Really There

Lately, I’ve been thinking about purpose.

Not the reason a homeowner reaches out to us.

The reason we find ourselves standing in a particular place, on a particular day, at a particular moment in time.

When someone contacts us about an investigation, they usually have a question they want answered.

They’ve experienced something they can’t explain.

They’re curious about the history of their home.

Or they simply want to know if anyone else is still sharing the space with them.

That’s the reason we’re invited.

But more and more…

I’ve come to believe it isn’t always the reason we’re there.

Prefer to listen? This Field Notes entry is available as an audio recording below.

Letting the Story Lead

Early on, I thought an investigation was about finding answers.

Who are we communicating with?

Why are they here?

Can history explain what we’re experiencing?

Those questions still matter.

But over time, I’ve learned something that has quietly changed the way I approach every investigation.

Very often, the story we’ve been invited to investigate isn’t the story waiting for us.

Somewhere along the way, the focus shifts.

A conversation takes an unexpected turn.

A piece of history suddenly changes everything.

Or we discover that what seemed important when we walked through the front door was only the beginning of a much larger story.

I’ve stopped trying to decide what an investigation is about before it has the chance to tell us.

A Different Kind of Answer

One of the things I appreciate most about working with Morrighan Lynne is that she never tries to force a story to fit an expectation.

She listens.

Sometimes the people we encounter have questions of their own.

Sometimes they’re searching for someone.

Sometimes they’re protecting something.

Sometimes they’re simply trying to be heard.

Whatever brought us to the home often becomes secondary to what unfolds once the conversation begins.

Without sharing the details of an upcoming investigation, one recent experience has stayed with me more than most.

We arrived believing we understood why we were there.

By the time we left, it was clear the investigation had been about something entirely different.

Not for the homeowner.

Not for us.

For someone who had been waiting a very long time.

Trusting the Timing

I’ve started to wonder if life works the same way.

How often do we believe we understand the purpose of a moment, only to realize much later that something deeper was unfolding?

A conversation that changed the course of our lives.

A chance meeting.

A closed door that quietly redirected us somewhere we never expected to go.

Maybe investigations aren’t unique in that way.

Maybe they’re simply a reminder that purpose often reveals itself in its own time.

That’s why I no longer rush to define why we’re somewhere.

I trust the story to tell us.

Because every investigation begins with an invitation.

But the real reason we’re there…

is almost always waiting to be discovered.

Field Notes

Field Notes are personal reflections from my ongoing investigations, historical research, and conversations across the South. They are not meant to provide definitive answers, only honest observations gathered along the way.

Until next time…

Stay close.