They say that the spirits of our departed loved ones enjoy staying in contact with us and try to get our attention in numerous ways in an effort to continue their relationship with us in the afterlife. The easiest ways for them to do so is by visiting us in dreams and by manipulating electrical energy. Some will appear on computer screens, some will cause the lights to flicker, some will cause a radio to play a meaningful song, some will call us on the telephone, and some will cause our appliances to go haywire. Last week, after a long and discouraging dry spell, Erik communicated with us in a way that left no doubt it was him.

Here’s the backstory. After twenty years of abuse from our five children and a variety of pets from snakes and bunnies to dogs and cats, we decided to suck it up and remodel our kitchen. Thankfully, we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and one by one our kitchen appliances are returning to their homes. We had to replace our downdraft vent with a new one, however, because on its side are irresistible buttons that make it go up and down and up and down and the kids just couldn’t resist them. After a couple of decades, those buttons threw in the towel and drew their last breath. Another important part of the backstory is that Erik adored the kitchen. First, he loved to cook. Second, when he had nothing else better to do, he would pace around the center kitchen island with his arms crossed. He’d pace and pace and pace until I’d start to get motion sickness watching him and begged him to stop. Our old tile is a testament to the wear and tear he caused. I actually miss seeing the grooved track around the island.

That said, after the new vent was installed, it seemed to work perfectly. Then one day, when my husband walked into the kitchen from the backyard, the vent mysteriously began to rise. He was the only one in the kitchen and was at least 20 feet away. At first, he thought nothing of it and called the technician to replace all of the parts that are responsible for the vent’s movement, including the pad with all the buttons and the wiring to it. You’d think that would have fixed the problem, but no. Last night when my husband entered the kitchen, the vent slowly began to rise, AGAIN!

Electrical appliances simply don’t turn off and on by themselves. Imagine if your blender suddenly started to whir? This would probably unnerve you enough to fill it full of margarita fixings with a little extra tequila for good measure.

We are certain that this is Erik trying to tell us, “Hey, sorry it’s been a while, but I’m here.” He’s probably still pacing around the kitchen island from time to time, wearing out my brand new tile. I say, “Wear away, Erik! New tracks are waiting to be made!” He also made his presence known in two other ways, I guess in an effort to make up for lost time! Stay tuned for these amazing events in upcoming posts.