Some evenings, my husband Ian joins me for a few food delivery trips after I pick him up from work at a local animal hospital, where he is a veterinary technician. He enjoys selecting music from his playlists and keeping me company while I drive. These times together are wonderful opportunities for conversation and closeness, but also open doors to encounters with the paranormal, as Ian’s abilities are always active. Ian sees the dead every day, and they are as solid and present to him as living humans are to each of us in our daily lives.
On this particular evening, as I was pulling up to a local Greek restaurant for a delivery pickup, Ian commented on a sweet old couple sitting at a cafe table outside of the store. The weather was mild and calm, with the table and storefront tinted a pale pink in the latter stages of the setting sun. The only thing out of place, however, was that to me, the chairs pulled slightly out from the table were empty. Ian commenting on people he sees all around us which I cannot is a norm for us—I just calmly reply that he’s seeing the dead.
As I got out of the car and walked a few feet to the store entrance, I waved to the couple at the cafe table and said “Hello” with a smile. Even though I can’t see them, I still like to be friendly and polite as I would with any living I encounter. These are, after all, still people. And if they are enjoying a lovely spring sunset together, I thought it fitting to help make their evening a happy one by acknowledging their presence.
A few minutes later, order in hand, I placed the food in the hotbox behind the driver’s seat and settled in for the delivery part of the trip. As I started the motor, Ian told me the old couple both smiled and waved back to me as I passed them. That made me feel wonderful, not only because these spirits were happy and friendly, but also because it further demonstrates that in death, as in life, we still forge relationships and can enjoy each other’s company. It also illustrates that the dead are aware of the living, and how our actions affect them. What a beautiful way to envision what comes after we leave our bodies! I know without a doubt that I will be with my loves when I transition from this life, and look forward to an eternity of evenings at cafe tables like this sweet couple…