All I can say is, Erik, you must have a lot of time on your hands now! I love his little pranks because it so confirms his comforting presence. It’s nice to know that, in death, he has only shed his body, not his lovely personality and playfulness. Nearly every day, he does something to make us chuckle. For instance, a couple of days ago, his sister-in-law, Amber, was driving to an appointment. Being a product of a highly musical family, she enjoys listening to her tunes to offset the monotony of the road. But when she picked up her phone to search through her playlist, she discovered her battery was stone cold dead. Denied. As much as she despises the over-processed, over-exposed sell-out music on the radio, she surrendered to its call. Better than road noise.

A few expletives and sighs later, the first song came on. She gasps. Wow, this one’s actually good! In fact, it was the first song on her playlists of favorites. Hmm. Then comes the second song. Gasp. Another winner. Wait a minute, that’s the second song on my playlist! Probably coincidence? Maybe. Then, the third and fourth and fifth songs play, perfectly mirroring the sequence on her phone’s playlist. What are the chances? A billion to one? Higher? Couple that with the fact that Amber felt Erik’s mischievous presence in the passenger seat and I’d say he was up to his old tricks. Pretty damn good, Erik. Pretty damn good. I love it when he messes with us. It reminds me that we never die. We just live on to tease and play and love and comfort one another. How nice.