Do Spirits Exist?

Having been an Emergency Medical Technician and a Paramedic for sixteen years, I have seen many strange things that defy logic when it comes to life and death. That said, I have always had a belief that life does not end when we leave this world. What awaits us after this life on earth, I'm sure to find out someday.

Until then, I have been a fan of Ghost Hunters and watch it every Wednesday night. One of the first times I watched it, they used a technique that is commonplace among "ghost hunters" the world over. Using a voice recorder (digital or analog) while asking questions. Usually, they cannot here a response, until they play the recording back. That's when a strange, disembodied voice can sometimes give an answer.

This piqued my curiosity. My Dad had passed away nine years prior, and I was caring for my Mother who was ill. My dog, Duchess, had passed away in her sleep (just six weeks shy of her fifteenth birthday), only a few months prior to this. I was missing them both very much, and was hoping that the stories that I had read about our pets waiting for us to join them on "the other side".

After my Mom had gone to sleep, I went into the room where we kept her oxygen machine (that ran 24/7). I had just that day received the digital voice recorder I had sent for, to try my own experiment on EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). I asked out loud if my Dad was there with us, and if Duchess was with him. Of course I heard nothing but the rythmic sound of my Mom's oxygen machine.

When I played the recording back, however, I got a shock! I heard me asking the question, and a second later came a whisper that said " Hi, Jeff". Almost overlapping the whisper was a dog bark! I know what you're thinking, It was either my imagination, or just my Mom's oxygen machine, or some other natural sound. I thought the same thing. I played the raw recording to several different people without setting up the scene for them. I just played it and asked them what they heard. Everyone heard the voice! But, to be honest, only I seemed to hear the bark.

Is this proof of life after death? No. But it sure did give me comfort!

I had Shadoe for about one and a half years before my Mom passed away. Shadoe usually sleeps with me for about an hour before going into the living room for the rest of the night (yes, she has the run of the house). On several occasions she has gotten up, walked into the hall, and stared into my Mom's room. When I get up to see what she is looking at, she will just be staring into the empty room with a big "smile" on her face! She will stare like this for about a minute, wag her tail, and walk down the hall to the living room. She will also, on occasion, stare at the spot where Duchess used to sleep in my room. This also is a source of comfort! I know that my family (including Duchess) are watching over me and Shadoe! I honestly believe that the love we have for family, friends and pets lasts forever.

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