Word Files Locked "By Another User?"

For some strange reason certain Word 2007 files I create become locked so the
next time I open I see a dialog box that only lets me open a read only copy
or receive a notice when the file becomes available. Unfortunately the file
never becomes available. When I get this message it always seems to reference
a particular template that I have created and used to create the document.
Please help. I can't figure out a way to fix this. Unprotecting the document
or reversing the "final" status does not work either.

The warning I receive is as follows:

"File In Use. *.dotx is locked for editing by another user. Do you want to:

_Open a Read Only Copy
_Create a local copy and merge your changes later
_Receive notification when the original copy is available."

Thanks.

Ronald R. Searl yikes
Searle60