Here I sit in our chalet in Norway, high above the tree line, deep in the rugged tundra. Wispy clouds dance meters away from the roof top as the sun struggles to peer through at us.

This vacation has been a bittersweet one, the first since Erik’s death. Erik loved it here. In fact, Norway was the first refuge he sought after he killed himself. He came to Bestefar (his grandfather) to sit in silence and seek shelter from his remorse. He often thought about living in Norway, he loved it so.

All week long, I found myself thinking, ‘Erik would have loved this’ every time we went cross country skiing, every time I saw a snowboarder swooshing past, and every time we browsed the sporting goods stores. Kim O’Neill had said we would receive tangible evidence of Erik’s presence, but as our days here come to a close, nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was becoming despondent. It had been awhile since he visited me in a dream or made his presence known in some other way, at least until early this morning.

I woke up around four. The sky was dark, but, still at war with the time difference, I was fully alert. Feeling the end of our vacation drawing to a close, I pleaded with Erik to come to me in the physical. If he didn’t, I would be left to wonder if everything that had happened was a delusion, an empty dream. ‘For the love of God, Erik, focus! Try hard! I need your presence! At the very least, come to me in the name of karmic balance!’ I whispered with a tone of desperation in my voice. After a few moments, I resigned myself to the possibility that my wish would not be fulfilled when suddenly, I felt an odd electrical tingling on the right side of my head, almost like the sensation one gets from goosebumps, but more intense. Waves of this feeling moved through my hair, back and forth, back and forth. Then, I saw a shower of yellow and blue lights flashing between the right side of my bed and the door to the hallway. It seemed like the Northern Lights had come to visit. I stared hard, half believing that if I closed my eyes, it would all disappear. Instead, the lights transformed into a clear image of Erik. I could see his entire body. On his face, he had his characteristic mischievous half-smile. He was wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt and knee-length shorts. Given the fact that it was well below zero outside, I’m sure he was making some sort of tongue in cheek statement about his ability to transcend menial things like harsh weather.

The image grew stronger, then weaker, then stronger again, as though he was struggling to maintain a specific frequency. After a few moments, I heard his voice clearly. He said, “Bye Mom,” and begin to wave. Then, as he continued to wave with that wonderful smile on his face, he backed away and slowly faded from sight.

I was left with a feeling of deep love and gratitude, before falling nto a peaceful slumber. Erik, thank you for working so hard on your ability to manifest yourself physically. I know that you have many other things to experience, horizons to explore, and friends to meet. So I appreciate your obvious hard work and practice. Keep it up. I can’t wait until our first warm hug in the wake state. Love you, Angel.