Reunions

Previously printed in the Spring 2008 AA-EVP NewsJournal

Darren Williams continues to hear from his dog, Fox. Darren’s partner, Alex, had a lucid dream in which Fox came running out of the darkness and there was a joyous reunion between the two. Subsequent EVP confirmed that it was really Fox and not just a construct of Alex’s subconscious. Because of this, Darren purchased the book by the famous lucid dream researcher, Stephen LaBerge. During a recording session, Darren talked to Fox in a conversational way, and when he was talking about dreaming, he recorded a young voice which he has come to know as Fox saying, “I’m reading your book with you.”

Darren wrote, “The message I could give to the people who lost their pet is that it’s a parting, not an end when someone we love dies. And it seems that something amazing happened to Fox when his physical body died—his consciousness, no longer bound by limitations of a canine brain, seems to have expanded to the point where human speech is possible for him. I think the departed communicate in a way that’s comfortable for us. From what Fox has told me, it was Tara, Alex’s dog who passed away several years ago, who taught Fox how to ‘speak’ to us.

“If we expect only to hear ‘woof woof!’ or ‘meow!’ from our departed animal friends, then I think that’s all we’ll hear. But Alex and I were always nutty enough to think that Fox could understand more than most people are prepared to believe. And for us at least, this has turned out to be true from a certain perspective. But I’ve had to accept that for most people, this is too much to ask for them to believe: ‘Your dead dog speaks to you? Get real—get therapy!’

“From EVP communication, we deduced that this lifetime is indeed very important. But it appears to only be a prologue for what follows in the life beyond—a life where all our loved ones await. For our own part, our EVP communication has become an integral part of our lives. To us it’s as natural now as speaking to friends on the phone. We’ve heard so much, so many comforting and astonishing things that, for us at least, challenge many preconceptions about the afterlife. Once I asked Marion, Alex’s departed mother, if there was any great revelation when she left this world for the next. The response was, ‘Just loving.’”

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Sonia Rinaldi shared her response to a person grieving over the loss of a pet. Sonia wrote that when she first read about Dr. Anabela Cardoso’s contact with her beloved dogs, she couldn’t believe it and feels that few people would accept such an idea. Sonia ran her own experiments and says that she was “Fully surprised to hear clear contacts of beloved dogs speaking to their owners from the other side.” Sonia goes on to say that a good friend lost his parrot. The parrot had lived with the man for twenty-two years and the friend was so upset that Sonia risked trying to make contact with the parrot. She was astonished to receive forty replies. Sonia wrote, “I think that, in the future, experiments may change the view of humans about animals. Yes, apparently they are able to think and to express.”

Previously published in the Winter 2005 ATransC NewsJournal

We have published several articles on the work of Brazilian ITC researcher, Sonia Rinaldi. Sonia has been helping people by making phone calls to those on the Other Side since March 2001. Most of these calls are for parents who have lost their children. Because she has been unable to find funding for her research, Sonia must work full-time and is only able to occasionally conduct calls for people.

Sonia’s friend, Cleusa, lost her daughter, Edna, during Carnival in 2000 when she was just sixteen years old. Edna was playing in the street and was hit and killed by a car. Sonia had facilitated phone calls between her friend and Edna several times and each time Cleusa had recognized Edna’s voice.

On Edna’s birthday in 2004, as a gift, Sonia invited Cleusa to make another phone call to her dear daughter now on the other side. The phone conversation between the two generated seventy-eight replies and nearly all of them were in Edna’s voice.

During these conversations, the families call Sonia on the telephone. Sonia is on one telephone set and leaves another extension off the hook for those on the others side to use. She records the conversation directly into her computer. As a sound source, she plays three compact disks (CD) with phoneme sounds, which are small segments of human voice that have no meaning by themselves, but from which words are formed. Sonia wrote, “Those phoneme sounds were placed so that no word in Portuguese may be formed. Playing only ‘sounds,’ it is absolutely impossible to form a full and coherent sentence that is meaningful and clear.”

Sonia had Cleusa on the telephone line speaking to Edna. They had been on the line fifteen minutes or more and were about to finish the call. Sonia wrote, “All the time the sound source was playing. So to close the recording I thanked the Spirit Friends and said: “E estamos encerrando esta gravação…” (Translation: “And we are finishing this recording…”). Sonia then turned off the three CDs. Sonia continues, “While doing this a fantastic phenomenon happened: the entrance of a paranormal sentence, half modulated on the sound-source and half OVER NO SOUND AT ALL! Edna’s voice says: “Só não entendeu irmã, conta com o novo de reclamar!” (Translation: “Only you, sister, didn’t perceive; count with a new (phase) due to complaining”). The ‘Só não entendeu irmã’ sentence was modulated over the sound-source while I was turning the CDs off. And the sequence, ‘Conta com o novo de reclamar,’ was recorded when all sounds were completely off. So, we had Edna’s voice speaking clearly over silence.

“This paranormal sentence is fully coherent because during this recording both Cleusa and I had mentioned the financial difficulties we are facing to carry on the research, so in fact, I have been complaining to my Spirit Friends. In truth I had stopped with ITC research since February and started working with design; illustration of books. I just recorded this phone call for Cleusa because it was her birthday that day and I knew it was the best gift she could receive.”

Cleusa had a recording of Edna’s voice when she was alive on an answering machine. Sonia copied it and sent it along with the sentence that she had received from Edna during the recording to Daniele Gulla for comparison. Daniele later sent us an excited Email stating that he had compared the voice using FBI pattern recognition software and that he had obtained, “One fantastic result!” The matching voice comparison was ninety-nine percent. The voice of Edna in life

Published in the Winter 2008 AA-EVP NewsJournal

Darleen Addis thought that she had heard the voices of her daughter, Jenny, and son-in-law, Brandon, for the last time on September 26, 2006 as they left home on their motorcycle. They died a few hours later when a pickup crossed into their lane and hit them head-on.

Brandon had worked with Darleen at the Brass Pro Shop. Darleen said that he had a lot of talents and seemed to have the same interests as her daughter, so she introduced them and soon they were seeing each other every day. Jenny, eighteen, was a dancer and sketch artist. Brandon, twenty-one, played the guitar and often wrote songs. “He sang, and she couldn’t,” Darleen recalls. “She danced, and he couldn’t. What one was thinking the other knew the answer to.”

Just before Jenny’s graduation, Brandon proposed to her on a family vacation. Brandon’s mother recalls him rehearsing before he left and told us that, “He really loved her, and she really loved him. I wish everybody could have a love like they had.”

They were married on July 30, 2006. They exchanged rings and promised to spend their lives together as their favorite song, “Everything” by the band Lifehouse, played. After a honeymoon in Bermuda they moved in with Darleen, her husband Wayne and son Joshua. Jenny enrolled at the Community College and was studying criminal justice while Brandon kept working and was considering going back to college. Darleen says that they wanted children and that she looked forward to being a grandmother.

The two had been married a little less than two months when a habitual traffic offender with no license, a history of drug use and three convictions for driving under the influence (DUI) in the past year, ran them down. He was still on probation for his first DUI and was addicted to prescription and other drugs that were not prescribed to him. He passed out after hitting Jenny and Brandon.

Darleen keeps their room just the way they left it the day of the crash. The wedding dress hangs in the closet and the wedding bouquet is above the dresser mirror. The couple’s car still sits in the driveway, the “Just Married” sign in the rearview mirror.

Darleen says that her husband was a skeptic but soon after the funeral, things started happening that totally made him a believer. The first thing that Darleen remembers happening was the dogs barking at the door and then jumping up like they were jumping on Jenny and Brandon. One alarm clock would go off when it wasn’t wound up and the other, an electric model, went off at 2 a.m. with just white noise when it was not set to go off. Jenny’s picture fell down when Darleen was in deep thought of her and it fell the opposite of the way that it should have fallen.

There were many other signs. Darleen had gotten Jenny a little bell when she had her wisdom teeth taken out and on more than one occasion the family heard that little bell ringing. Joshua had a box of mints on his dresser and it flew off to the floor when he entered his room. Jenny’s embroidery was in her end table and Darleen moved it to show a photographer but when she went to show it to the man, it was gone. Darleen later found it back in her end table. Brandon’s watch appeared out of nowhere and it was the watch that Darleen had seen on him the day they rode off on the motorcycle.

Six or seven weeks after the couple’s tragic death, Darleen recorded an EVP that says, “What’s up?” She knew it was Brandon. When Brandon would answer his phone he would always do so by saying “What’s up?”

Soon after joining ATransC this past September, Darleen was on the member message board and was listening to some of the examples that members had posted. She came across one from Debbie Caruso which said “Ma, Ma – You should know … I miss you.”

Darleen recognized Jenny’s voice immediately and wrote to the group: “This morning I am still sitting here in shock. I do believe that is my little girl on that EVP! The voice and the way ‘miss’ is said sound exactly like her! I have played it for anyone and everyone who knew my daughter and knew her voice. They all know it was her. That was captured before I joined the group but I have wanted to for many months. This Wednesday we are facing the one-year mark of the crash. It has been a nightmare. I am so thankful and grateful to all, and Debbie, thank you so much for allowing me to hear my daughter. I know that Jenny and Brandon have met up with those trying to communicate with us because they believed as much as I believe.”

In October, Darleen shared the story of Jenny and Brandon’s communication from across the veil on the Maury Show. The show astonished Darleen by having Debbie as a surprise guest. They had not met in person. On the show, Debbie shared another wonderful EVP from Brandon saying, “I feel the Big Circle. I feel welcome.”

While at the show, Darleen was to receive a reading from Jeffrey Wands. She turned her recorder on to document the reading and discovered an EVP before the reading began that says, “I’m Brandon.” During the reading, Jeffery said that Jenny was drawing a “Big Circle” around everyone.

We often forget that these tragedies are even more horrendous for those that are left here on earth. Darleen’s family, along with Brandon’s family, has also suffered through the trial of the man who took the physical lives of this young couple. Darleen admits that she wakes up in pain and goes to bed in pain. The stress has been almost unbearable at times but she says that EVP has given her hope, “It is a way of communicating with Jenny and Brandon and a way of knowing that we are still ‘together.’”

Excerpts in this article came from The Knoxville News-Sentinel article, “All That Remains, Families of young couple killed in senseless tragedy left with grief and questions” by Matt Lakin, October 15, 2006

Published in the Summer 2006 AA-EVP NewsJournal

In May, 2005, Melissa Bailey’s father, David “Skip” Walton, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was forty-nine years old. The picture of Skip at the left was taken the day he found out about the cancer. Skip is holding his finger up showing that he is number one.

Melissa wrote, “My father took it as something that was supposed to happen. He was willing to fight this sickness and be a testament to God’s healing power. You see my father grew up in the church and my grandfather was a preacher, but after some years my father had turned away from his spirituality. I had always been taught by my father that prayer was the key to all even if you’re going through the toughest things in life. Obviously the turning point for prayer in my life was finding out that my father had stomach cancer.”

Skip was told that he had only six months to live and once Melissa learned about the cancer, she along with her husband, decided to move back home to help her mother and be with her father during his last days on this plane. The move back was a blessing for Melissa, as she was not only able to help with her father’s care but was able to talk to him in a way that she felt that she couldn’t do before he became sick.

A few weeks before her father’s death the family had a falling out and Melissa and her husband needed to get away. Melissa spoke with her father and asked him to do one thing if she was unable to see him again. She asked her father to visit her in her dreams and let her know that he was all right after he crossed over.

The day before Skip passed (February 23, 2006), Melissa received a phone call from her mother asking her to come home. Skip had told Coco, Melissa’s mother, that he had a dream about God and that he had been told: “Be prepared because tomorrow you are coming home.” Melissa said that, no one in the family believed this. Melissa wrote, “I told my mother that I would not be coming home as of yet, that I would not want to be there seeing my father take his last breaths. I felt that something was holding me where I was and if it was my father’s time, then I would not want to be hit with the images of seeing my father dying. The day passed with my thinking of my father, whom I love so much. I received a call from the house at around 8:00 PM and was told that my father had been asking to speak with me. He told me he loves me and I told him that it’s okay for him to go. I knew my father was in pain and that he wanted my approval to move forward. My father had been told that he had only months to live and yet he held on until he knew things were all right with our family.”

Melissa spoke to her mother next, and was told that everyone was there; her brothers, sisters, aunt and her mother’s brother. The family was waiting for her father’s brother and the pastor to come. Melissa told everyone that she loved them and then hung up the phone. It was now 9:30 PM and she was in turmoil whether she should go home or not. “My husband asked me if I wanted to leave right then but I told him that I didn’t want to leave New York yet.” At 10:00 PM she told her husband that she was ready to go home. The two decided to lay down for a few hours before driving to Virginia to be with her father. She wrote, “I truly had a hard time going to sleep. I finally quieted my thoughts and prayed to God to just keep my father in his safe hands.”

While dreaming, Melissa found herself in a room and felt that she was floating. People were holding hands in a half circle and one person was kneeling. “All of a sudden I knew that I was actually standing, looking at this. … I saw a light opening up like a flower in bloom, in the corner of the room. The colors from this light were so white and bright it was beautiful to look at. I noticed that I was standing behind two people at the foot of the bed. Without looking at their faces, I know they were my father’s parents. All of a sudden I heard my grandmother say, ‘David it’s time to go,’ and then I saw the most amazing thing; I will never forget it. I saw my father rise in spirit out of his old body. He looked like his old self; healthy. He looked at himself in amazement as if astonished that he was no longer sick. He was glowing bright gold and began walking with my grandparents toward the light. He turned and said goodbye to the people praying around him. He then looked at me and said, ‘I am sorry that I will not be here with you.’ He then said, ‘Good-bye,’ smiled and continued walking toward the light. The light closed shut and I saw smoke and woke up. The pastor called within minutes, saying, ‘Your father has gone home with the Father.’ I was overwhelmed, I saw him enter the light. My father had passed and I was really there with him.”

Melissa feels that God answered her prayer and allowed her to see Skip’s transition to the light. She became interested in EVP days after his crossing. She recorded with her mother, sister and niece, Kalaya. They started calling his name as David Walton, Skip and Poppy. Melissa shared the recording with us and you can hear her niece say, “Hi Poppy.” Immediately you hear Skip say, “Hi Kalaya.” Melissa wrote that she “can’t believe he is talking to us so soon. I feel that he is the one pulling me to try and communicate with him.”

Published in the Spring 2009 ATransC NewsJournal

Denise Snyder-Papier wrote: “My son, Jerome, was killed by a hit-and-run driver on September 17, 2003. It has been my goal to remain in communication with Jerome and learn as much as possible about the world he lives in. Throughout the past five years, Jerome has clearly made himself known in many ways and I always feel so blessed to receive his contacts.

“Jerome’s birthday is May 20, 1977. The past three years I have been diligently searching for a 1977 penny. I asked my husband to keep his eye out for one as well.

“On August 16, 2008 I held a seminar on grief, launching my book, The Answer Lies Within — A Journey Through Loss. The day before the seminar, I asked my son, Denny, to keep his eye out for a 1977 penny. He looked in his change bucket and the first penny he picked up was a 1977! I asked him to bring it to the seminar as I felt it was a sign from Jerome. While on the drive to the seminar, he told his girlfriend he forgot to bring the penny. She had some change in her car and the first penny she picked up was a 1977!”

The seminar that Denise was participating in with other speakers had been put together to help others discover how they could effectively confront personal challenges and transcend any situation with hope and courage. AA-EVP member, Margaret Downey, happened to be an attendee at the seminar and heard Denise speak.

During her presentation, Margaret heard a voice in her ear telling her to record. She had completely forgotten that she had brought her Sony B26 recorder with her, but now she quickly pulled it out, clicked record and whispered into the recorder that those wishing to speak would have three minutes. Denise was still speaking during this time. At the end of the time, Margaret turned the recorder off and put it back in her pocket.

A little later, Denise mentioned during her presentation that she visits her son’s grave and that the visits help her. She said she found it interesting that, when she was at the grave site, she usually thought of Jerome as a child; her baby. Margaret immediately thought of an ITC picture from one of her water experiments, that she had been carrying a copy of on her phone. She had always felt that she would one day run into the mother of the child whose picture she carried. The same voice that told her to record told her to show the picture to Denise.

Margaret nervously approached Denise during the lunch break. ITC is difficult to explain quickly and usually way over the top of most people’s “boggle” point. Somehow she did it, and when Denise saw the picture, she immediately said it was Jerome. She was positive and she told Margaret that she would send her a picture of Jerome as a child when she returned home.

When Margaret arrived home that evening, she noticed that her husband had emptied his pocket change on the dining table. She looked at it and there was a 1977 penny. Margaret picked it up so she could mail it to Denise. Next, she listened to her recording. There were several EVP and it seemed that Jerome was commenting to his mother when she was silent during her talk. Two of the messages received were, “I hope you can hear me talking,” and “Mom, I’m here.”

If one were to believe in coincidences, this had certainly been a series of pretty big ones, but even Margaret was startled when Denise sent the baby picture of Jerome.

Margaret shared the two pictures with a person doing a documentary on ITC and he sent it to the lab in Italy, Il Laboratorio, for comparison. Paolo Presi later responded with the English translation of Daniele Gullà’s analysis of Jerome’s photo and ITC picture. He wrote, “In spite of the poor quality and some facial morphological features hidden in the unknown face, the ITC results are compatible with the known face. In particular, some facial generic morphological resemblances (height of forehead, distance between eyes) are found. The resemblance of the right ear of ITC face with the one of known face is remarkable. The morphological ear feature is normally considered, for identification of a person, of equivalent value as that of fingerprints…”

Previously published in the Fall 2010 ATransC NewsJournal

I am sure that many members communicated with or met George Wynne who was very active within the Association. George used EVP to try to reach his wife Maya who made her transition in 2001. Maya was the love of George’s life and remained so even though they were separated by her transition.

In 2007 George emailed some of us that he had learned he had pancreatic cancer. He made his transition just a week later. As a very close friend with Martha Copeland, his last email to her read, “I just want you to let me be there to help you when thing get too difficult for you to handle. Remember our key word.”

Martha wrote, “George sent me several EVP after his death saying, ‘Martha, this is George, George Wynne’ but none were clear enough to post. I knew it was George’s voice coming through and I understood what he was saying. Just before he was diagnosed with a terminal, rapid spreading cancer we had agreed upon using a ‘pass code’ or ‘key word’ if one of us should ever make our transition. George did come through with that key word, during several of my recording sessions, and I could hear him. Maybe by being privy in knowing the ‘pass code’ word beforehand helped me to hear it.” The password was not class “A” and so was never released.

In July, Martha was preparing to do an EVP session. She asked her daughter Cathy and the Big Circle spirit team to help her with her recording session. She says, “I did not even have George on my mind because I had given up on him.” The EVP that Martha recorded is very clear and it is in George’s distinctive voice, there is no doubt that it is George, saying “George Wynne … I can be of help.” Martha was not only shocked. She was more than a little frustrated with getting this Class A EVP from George two years nine months after his transition.

EVP from George: George Wynne, I can be of help

Why are EVP like this so few and far between? Why does one person come with messages right away and another communicate with a shockingly clear EVP, a one in a million EVP, two and a half years later. Are they doing other things over there or are the differences in time something that we just don’t understand?

For those of you who are still trying to reach your loved one, don’t give up. George has helped us by showing us once again how little we understand about how things work.

First published in the Summer 2012 ATransC NewsJournal

My life was about to change with new understanding. I was to sit in a materialization séance with David Thompson. David first explained what to expect in the séance and the precautions that would be in place. He and partner, circle leader, Christine Morgan also explained the reasons we were to be searched before the séance. As they explained, ectoplasm is used for the spirits to materialize and this can be dangerous for David if someone tries to touch a materialized being or if a light, like a flashlight, is turned on during a spirit materializing.

David told us where to sit; I was told that this is to balance the energy of the circle. We waited while the sitters were searched by two people that I knew did not know David. David put on his sweater, it was buttoned up and then zip tied closed. After he sat in his chair in the cabinet he was bound, secured with zip ties and gagged. The lights were turned off and the door was locked. A music CD was played and we were instructed to sing to the music until Christine instructed us to stop.

When William made his presence known to Christine, we were told to hold hands and not let go until told to do so. You could hear William walking around the room as he welcomed us and encouraged us to ask questions. You could hear his boots on the floor! His accent was old British (Victorian) but easy to understand. Many people asked questions, and after answering each sitter, William placed his hand or hands on their head and asked them what they felt like.

I have muscular dystrophy and asked about optic neuritis and if it would interfere with my seeing with my mind’s eye. William told me that this would not interfere with my psychic sight but also said that he would send Dr. Theobald Slavinski to look at me. William then came over to me and placed his hand on my head. It was very large and warm. I could feel his boot next to my toe and could tell it was a boot with a very stiff leather sole.

After William retreated into the cabinet, Dr. Slavinski materialized and asked where Patti was. I spoke and he approached and asked if I had glasses on and which eye. I told him I had taken them off and it was my right eye. He took my head into his hands and tilted my head back. His hands were smaller than William’s. He then asked if I would open my eye for him. I could feel him looking inside my eye and felt him tilt my head to see. He then told me that what he was going to do might hurt. He rubbed the area next to my eye, between my eye and my hairline and then made a pulling motion with his fingers like he was dislodging something. Then he bent my head forward to exam my neck and I could feel him touching my neck. He tilted my head up to his face to look. He rubbed the top of my head on the side and made the same fast pulling motion, again like he was dislodging something. He told me that I would have a headache but not to be concerned and that he was sorry if he hurt me. I thanked him very much. I could also feel his boots against my feet; hard leather soled.

Timmy then came in, playing with his toys. He first used the trumpet. We were told that he formed a rod out of ectoplasm and used it to maneuver the trumpet. It zoomed around the room and touched many people on their heads or parts of their bodies. He then had quite a bit of fun rapping on things with drumsticks. He rapped people with them and even stuck them in both of one person’s ears; in the total darkness and without hurting them. Next, he held his hand over a luminous plate in front of each sitter so that they could see his very small hand. Most people felt his touch, with these very small fingers. He explained he is 9 3/4 years old and passed in 1904.

The next person to come through was the father of one of the sitters. He went to her and she asked if he was her natural father or stepfather. He told her he was her natural father who passed when she was four. He asked if she had her mom’s jewelry box. The sitter said that her mother had several. He wanted her to have the jewelry box that he had given her mother. He also wanted her to have the medals that he received after WW2 and was quite insistent that she get them. He then dematerialized with a slurping sound as the ectoplasm returned to the booth. (After the séance, the sitter mentioned how she would not have wanted to hear from her stepfather as he had been abusive.)

We next heard a male voice coming out of the cabinet who asked for Patti. I knew immediately that it was my father. I told him to follow my voice. He took my head in his hands and kissed my cheek and put his cheek next to mine. I could feel his whiskers! My father had a very heavy beard, and if he went out at night, he would shave again. He thanked me for caring for him and told me how much he loved me. He also told me how proud he was of me and said that he is always near me and will try to help in a circle that I sit in. Again, he told me he loved me. I told him I loved him and what a great father he was. I then heard him back up and then heard the slurp of returning ectoplasm. I was crying with happy tears. His appearance took me back to when I was a small child sitting and rocking on his lap before bedtime. I again felt that unconditional love that only a parent can give. I didn’t want it to ever end.

Louie Armstrong and Quentin Crisp also made appearances. To be honest: I don’t remember too much after my dad appeared.

At the end, William reappeared and explained that our time was up. We all thanked him for coming and being with us. We were then told to sing while David returned to consciousness, and after a few minutes, I heard a very soft noise coming from the opposite side of the room. The door was then opened slightly, and in the light from the hallway, we could see David sitting in his chair, bound and gagged at the opposite side of room from the cabinet. His sweater was on backwards, still zip tied.

I slept so well that night. I knew my dad was there and I was safe. His birthday was the next day, February 21.

Published in the Summer 2007 AA-EVP NewsJournal
©Joanne O’neill – All Rights Reserved

Over the three-and-one-half years since our son Nicky passed, we have had sittings with many wonderful and talented mediums. Just like finding a doctor, you need to feel comfortable with the person who is facilitating communication with your loved one. You need to have faith and to be open to any and all messages. Our experiences have been both fruitful and very comforting.

One such sitting was with Maureen Hancock. Maureen is from Bridgewater, Massachusetts. My sister Julie got her name from a friend. From the very first meeting, Maureen seemed to really connect with Nick. But it was my fourth session with her that resulted in a connection that no one expected. On my way to the session, I stopped at CVS and bought a tape to record the session. I also brought my own tape recorder this time, because at the previous session, Maureen had a microcassette recorder and I wanted regular-sized tapes.

The session opened with the usual strong messages from Nick, commenting about things that were happening and giving his input and opinions, and also letting me know what he’d been doing. Then, Maureen asked me if I had heard Nick’s voice. I responded that I thought I had. Then she said, “Well, he’s telling me that you will hear him soon and it will be unmistakable.” When the session ended, I left uplifted with a knowing that my son is indeed still involved with his family and friends.

When I got home, our son Chris wanted to listen to the tape. He took it into Nick’s room and closed the door. A while later, he came running out of the room very excited and asked us to listen to the tape. On the recording, right after Maureen says that I will hear Nick, was a clear and unmistakable voice saying, “Mommy.” We were stunned, elated, and wonderfully comforted all at the same time. In addition, we realized that this was another example of irrefutable proof that our loved ones not only live on, but continue to speak to us and love us.

Editor’s Note about Mommy

Originally published in Signs of Life by Forever Family Foundation as Hello Mom, A Dazzle Shot, by Joanne O’Neill

Nicholas O’Neill made his transition in The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island. At eighteen, he was the youngest victim. Nick, a songwriter, singer, musician, comedian and all around entertainer, had been invited to hang out with the Great White band the day of the show that ended in one hundred deaths. In the ensuing months and years since his crossing, his parents have been amazed by the many messages that have come from him. Many of these events center on the number forty-one, a number of great significance in Nicky’s life. Dave Kane, Nicky’s father, who is a well-known radio personality and talk-show host, has written an inspiring book about the family’s continued relationship with Nicky titled, 41 Signs of Hope, New River Press.

When we formatted this story Lisa felt compelled to send it to Margaret Downey. Margaret read the story and emailed back an EVP that she had recorded on January 3, 2006 that says “Jo’s Nick’s mommy.” When Margaret experimented that night, she called on Nick and got another EVP saying, “Mom, it’s Nicky.” We immediately put Margaret in touch with Dave and Joanne and Nick has given Margaret even more messages to share with his parents. Some of them are “Nick O’Neill is talking.”  “Mom and Dad, this is Nicky” and “Nick O’Neill … hey Margaret.” 

Published in the Summer 2007 AA-EVP NewsJournal

Debbie Sheppard recalls that about three years ago, every now and then she would look at a clock, cable box, microwave, stove, cell phone … anything digital and see 11:11. Then the 1111 grew more frequent and daily. As the frequency progressed it changed from just digital equipment to out-of-the-home experiences. Because of all of the 1111 prompts, Debbie went for a reading with a medium at Cassadaga, a Spiritualist camp a short distance from where she lives. She was told that there was nothing to fear, that a man would come into her life and it would be a match from heaven. The number 1111 would be highly significant in their lives. Debbie wrote, “I thought, ‘Yeah, yeah. OK, that’s very generic.’

“As of the summer of 2005, I had been divorced for twenty-two years. I had a lot of dates, boyfriends and two long-term relationships but never any relationship that I wanted to commit to. In addition, I had a great corporate health care career and the boys were my focus. Two played football, my oldest with a National Honors Graduate scholarship with a full ride to the University of Alabama. I was busy. Men were fun but no one really captured my heart and I lived very, very much ‘in the world.’ I was successful and if it didn’t say Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Porsche or Corvette I couldn’t be bothered. If I was going to be taken out to dinner to Olive Garden, I wasn’t interested … take me to Europe and I’ll go. Yes, I was very much a spoiled Italian princess.

“In the summer of 2005…. an Italian friend of mine from Toronto told me about an Italian singles web site and that I should check it out. I really wasn’t interested, but the allure of only Italians captured me, so I went on to take a peek. Well, you actually had to have a profile posted to look. I placed a very tough personal ad on that web site. I think a lot of men were afraid to contact me … I justified my tough profile by knowing who I am, what I want and what type of men I blend best with and also I needed only the very strong to send me emails, as I have issues with my oldest son … who is ill…. Most men would not be interested in a relationship with a woman that has a twenty-seven year-old hanging around all the time. So, I knew that this Italian web site would just be for fun.

“A week or so after I joined, I received an email from ‘Tinman’ and he committed the first sin: NO PICTURE!!! ‘Tinman’ wrote that he was from Connecticut and moved to Florida a year ago and that he has been single for over thirty years and he was very clear on what his desires were for a woman in his life…. He wrote how much he related to what I had written about strong Italian ties, holiday traditions, family, etc. I wrote back and told him that I would not communicate with him in any way without a picture. He wrote back that he was new to computers, had just purchased a digital camera but didn’t know how to use it, and would I consider talking to him anyway. Well now I thought he was a complete moron and told him so in my reply email. He wrote back again and I HAD MY FINGER ON THE DELETE BUTTON. My hands started to sweat and I walked away from the computer. I replied to his email a day later and gave him my phone number. He called right away.”

Debbie told us that the two talked on the phone and then agreed to meet for lunch. Lunch lasted six hours and she was shocked that she even invited this total stranger, Joe Stella, to her house for coffee. She introduced him to Trooper, the boxer that she had rescued six months before. He told her that he had always wanted a dog and in particular a boxer but could not have one where he lived.

Joey took ownership of Trooper and for the first time in her life, Debbie was happy. As she told us:

“Joey was everything opposite of every man that entered into my life for my entire adult life. Joey had none of what they had but Joey had EVERYTHING, everything that was important and everything that I loved. Joey didn’t have children and he took on my three grown sons as his own. The guys immediately formed relationships. Joey loved my parents and our friends all blended in well.

“One night as I was sleeping, I felt someone looking at me. I woke up and there was Joey, leaning up on his arm looking at me. He said, ‘I love you, I love Trooper, I love this, you are my love, I think we should get married. You sleep on it and give me your answer in the morning.’ He rolled over and started snoring. I sat up in bed in shock. ‘Sleep on it’? I was up most of the night. I couldn’t sleep.

“We became engaged on 11-24-2006…. After Joey crossed over, as I was going through his desk, I found an email that he sent to the online dating site that was dated 11-14-2005. It said, ‘Please cancel my subscription effective 11-14-05, as I have found the love of my life.’”

Joey’s favorite song was Life is but a Dream and this was the theme of their wedding, which was to be a huge destination wedding for their family and friends. They wanted the wedding on a Saturday in mid-October to mid-November. The only Saturday available was November 11 (11-11).

In May, Joey went to help his mother move into a different senior complex in Connecticut. He decided to drive so that he would have a car to help with the move. Before going, he insisted on buying the wedding rings even though Debbie kept telling him there was no hurry, as the wedding was six months away. They chose matching bands, and the evening before he left, they took them out of the dresser and tried them on.

Joey and his friend left for Connecticut on Tuesday. Debbie told us,

“We spoke through his ride and I could not sleep until I knew he was at his destination in Connecticut, which was twenty hours later. The guys did what they had to do on Wednesday after just having a few hours sleep. On Thursday, Joey’s friend went to see his family while Joey spent the day completing what had to be done for his mom and then went out to dinner with friends.

“I spoke to him Thursday evening and he was very tired. The guys planned to leave Connecticut the next day, but Joey never woke up from his night’s sleep. He was found dead!

“A knock came on the door to our home and it was the police. My Joey was not coming home to me. I screamed and screamed! I ran out into the middle of the street screaming. All of our neighbors ran to me and called my sons … how my boys cried. They jumped into their cars and came to me. My mother was screaming, ‘Why God? Take me; bring him back to her. I have cancer. Please let me die so Joe can live. Don’t do this to my daughter.’

“Guilt! I was overcome with guilt. Why didn’t I go with him? Why didn’t I insist that I go? He didn’t have to die. If I was in bed with him, I would have heard him in distress. I hated God. In my book I state, ‘you heartless God, why bring this precious gift to me and then take it away?’ I wrote, ‘I HATE sympathy cards, please do not send me any more mass cards. I hate God; do not tell me that God has a path for us and go to God to ask him to heal your heart. Go to God!!! Why he ripped my heart out.’ I was inconsolable. My parents are very old-fashioned Italians and my mother had saints and candles and rosary beads and I HATED everyone.

“I stayed in my house all summer long. I had chest pains and I cried every day…. I spent nights on the computer searching every web site I could find about religion, death and dying. On a web site from a church in Argentina, I learned of Father Francois Brune and his recordings of the dead. There was a link to a web site called listentothisforme.com (closed) …. I listened to this mother, who spoke like I did but stronger, talk to her son Joey. I listened and listened to all the kids, I saw the picture of Lenny Ingrassia…. I sat at the computer and cried. I thought, ‘you selfish woman. Here is a mother who lost her son. You don’t know what pain is.’

“I put listentothisforme into my favorites. The next day, my cousin from Staten Island, NY, my home town, called me to check on me. I told her about the web site and the horrible story of four teenage boys from the same high school who had all died. I said, ‘Doreen, they have to be New York kids because I can tell by the way the mother Debbie talks to her son.’ My cousin Doreen said, ‘Debbie that’s Joey Caruso and Lenny Ingrassia; it has to be. These boys are known all over Staten Island. They all died the same year’…. She started to cry at the coincidence of it because her daughter Jenna has a prayer group in her Catholic high school for all of the boys that died that year. We thought that it was amazing that through a web site in Argentina, I found a web site of a woman from Staten Island where I grew up and that my cousin knew the stories and heartache for all these boys.

“That evening, I was back on listentothisforme and found the link to the AA-EVP. And that night, I became a member of the AA-EVP. The next day I went to Wal-Mart and bought a cassette recorder. I followed the instructions about the prayer of protection. I lit my candle and had my picture of Joey with me. I recorded and recorded and heard nothing. I joined in on the Big Circle and recorded on Thursday nights. I received nothing. I studied the AA-EVP web site to learn techniques and I listened to everyone’s posts. I was starting to understand the words in between the scratchy sounds. But I recorded nothing.

“Feeling sad and left out, I sent an email to the administrators to ask for help…. I received an email back from the AA-EVP telling me about a woman in New York named Debbie that might be able to help. I immediately jumped at it and within a short time received an email and a phone call from Debra Ann. We connected immediately as we are both New Yorkers, both Italian and both of us had lost Joeys…. When I found out more about Debbie and her son through our phone conversation, I was screaming about listentothisforme and I told her that I had been listening to her and her son and others for over a month. When I told Debbie about my cousin and that her daughter Jenna holds a prayer group for the boys, Debbie was in shock.

“How is this all possible? Really, think about it. I stumble onto listentothisforme from a priest’s web site in Argentina and through listentothisforme I find the AA-EVP, and because I am not hearing, anything a woman, a total stranger who doesn’t know me and certainly doesn’t know that I am Italian from New York because my last name is an American name from my ex-husband … so why did this stranger lady connect me to Debra Ann, who is Debbie Caruso?

“Debbie and I … started recording for Joe Stella right away. We recorded over the phone and Debbie emailed the EVP to me. Debbie did not know the name of our dog. When I asked Joey to tell her, we received “Troopa.” The dog’s name is Trooper. Debbie and I recorded a lot as the time got closer to 11-11, my wedding date.

“Debbie is selfless and I can never repay her for what she did for me the day before and on my wedding day. Her daughter Alexa was in a dance competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey those two days and Debbie took the time from her busy schedule to record with me. That’s when Debbie asked, ‘who’s getting married Saturday?’ and we received, ‘Joe Stella.’ Debbie asked Joey, ‘What’s the name of your wedding song,’ and we received, ‘Our life would have been a dream.’ Ninety-nine percent of all the EVP from my Joey is validation EVP. It’s amazing!

“I am no longer angry at God. Through the books written by the members of the AA-EVP, I now understand that our souls are on the physical plane for a predetermined period of time. I now understand that there is no death, there are no dead and that crossing over is just a transfer of spirit. I now understand that there is a heaven and that our loved ones are happy and peaceful. I now know that they are with us and want to communicate with us. I now know that, although we can’t see them (yet) or feel them (yet), we still have a connection to them.

“The AA-EVP has allowed me to find God again, to believe in heaven, to believe in life after death and to know—really, really know in my heart—that there is nothing to be afraid of when we take our last breath on this earth. Rather, expect the wonderful journey to a forever of happiness, family, friends and beauty. Whether or not I record audible EVP, I will continue to work with EVP, to learn and to open a grieving heart to it.

“I know that, with all the brilliant minds combined with the passion of the AA-EVP members, we will be able to better communicate with our loved ones and help many, many broken hearts that will come into our paths in this life. To my AA-EVP family, thank you.” Debbie

Previously printed in the Spring 2007 AA-EVP NewsJournal

Recently, our little dog, Fox, passed away from cancer. We were absolutely devastated since we had an unusually strong bond with him. To us, he was a beloved family member of ten years whom we rescued from the SPCA. We’d heard about EVP many times before, although frankly, I was always somewhat skeptical about it. Let me say we’re both very level-headed people, with a strong interest in science and technology, but open-minded enough to accept that the paranormal is worth rational investigation. But we’re also very aware of the possibility of self-deception, particularly in highly emotive issues such as the passing of a loved one.

It was in this frame of mind that we decided to put EVP to the test. Having read about some research that seems to show pets using human-language phrases telepathically and this showing up on an EVP, we decided to try to speak to him directly. Frankly, I felt a bit uncomfortable doing it, and I guess we both worried that our grief was affecting our judgment. But to not try would have been hypocritical since we’d had many experiences with Fox while he was alive that seemed to show a telepathic link, as well as the fact that he could understand an amazing array of phrases.

I have to say we were not prepared for the response we’ve gotten. While some EVP are faint, others came through quite clearly, but most tellingly, they were direct responses to direct questions. In some cases, there seem to be responses from what I guess you’d call “guardians” of Fox, and others—and at this point, I know it’s difficult to believe—directly from Fox himself.

I realize that, to many, it’s absurd that Fox could “speak” to us. Of course, we don’t believe it’s literal speech, but some kind of psionic interaction. But then, many human beings are very arrogant about their place and role in the animal kingdom.

To be a bit more specific about the results:

• In one case on a recording, Alex talks about Fox being neutered—a requirement of the SPCA before releasing him to us. In it, she says, “… and I hope that wasn’t too bad for you.” When we replayed the recording, instead of the word “bad” you hear “Terrible.” It sounds like her voice being manipulated because it becomes that of a young male voice, it goes up an octave. We believe that when he was neutered he was roughly treated; he had cuts and nicks all over him. This voice is startlingly clear and it sounds “superimposed”….
• Where we think it’s Fox, phrases or words we used to say to him, and to which he would react and even act upon (to the amazement of friends), like “That’s terrible, Fox” (said playfully), “Not your fault”, appear on the EVP. It seems to be a young male voice, perhaps like a child, as you would expect it to be.
• We’ve also picked up his very specific bark! … In one case, it sounds very much like Alex’s mobile phone ring tone, a recording we made of his bark. This EVP took place while Alex was at work. I called her on her mobile to tell her about it and since her work is quite a few kilometers away, I don’t think the mike picked it up! Perhaps this ringtone was “used” somehow?
• In quite a few cases, a voice seems to talk over ours – we’ve often heard the word “Foxy” (we often called him that) on the recording as we’re speaking.

I’m fully aware that skeptics can easily dismiss this all as a fake or self-delusion. For some people, sadly, the attitude seems to be, “I wouldn’t believe this even if it were true.”

Recently Alex was doing an EVP where she mentioned the fact that I buried Fox in his favorite place in our garden. On playback, you hear a clear whisper that says “Candles.” Since Fox passed on, we’ve been putting candles around his grave at night, including floating candles in the birdbath, so it’s kind of a “fairy light” effect.　 We think that’s a reference to our nightly tribute. What it also is, for us, is the first direct evidence that Fox can see us as well as hear us.

In another experiment, Alex apologized for the way that Fox had been treated with his previous family ending with “I don’t know who they were…” Straight after her comments, a young voice says very clearly “The Millers” [Editor: name changed].

Disbelieving, we looked up the surname … and found that there was a Miller family living just up the road and a block away from the animal sanctuary where Fox was taken … with more research, we learned that the family left just prior to the time that Fox was found wandering on the street near the animal sanctuary.

This has been a life-changing experience. It’s not only enabled us to add further profound meaning to Fox’s life and death, but our fear of our own mortality has vastly receded … Imagine the amount of comfort it would bring the bereaved of the larger world population if only people could open their minds and put aside preconceptions.

For Alex and me, it’s even influenced our language, to speak of departed loved ones in the past tense no longer really makes sense; they haven’t vanished into oblivion. Alex’s sister lives in Scotland. She’s far away and we don’t get to speak as often as we’d like, but nobody thinks she’s ceased to exist.　 This is how we now also think of Fox, Tara (Alex’s previous dog) and Marion (Alex’s mom) – loved ones who are merely parted from us, and one day, when our work here is done, the parting will end. As the poet says, “Death, thou too shalt die….”

For Fox, not even his physical death could break his bond with us. And that thought is very moving and elevating – and it’s made us different – hopefully better – people than before.

Published in the Spring 2006 AA-EVP NewsJournal

Shortly after his return home from a modeling job in Europe, Teri Daner introduced her son, Geoff, to Kay Rosaire, a famous animal trainer who provided homes for unwanted lions and tigers. Teri thought it would be a good photo opportunity. Geoff met three of the young tigers during that meeting and fell in love with them. That was a turning point in Geoff’s life and Kay became Geoff’s second Mom while she taught him how to train big cats.

Geoff began performing with the Shriners Circus and had two performances on April 14^th. The tigers in his act performed exceptionally well that day. Teri wrote, “He was extremely close to the cats. They were like his kids.”

On April 15th, 2005 at 2:10 AM, Geoff was killed in a tragic automobile accident. That morning at 2:10 AM the tiger, G.G., that Geoff carried on his shoulders during his act, began to cry as if she knew that something had happened to Geoff. Soon all the other cats were crying and they cried all night. They knew that Geoff had passed.

On April 21st, after the memorial service, Geoff’s Dad, Dave, and Teri were walking through the Tiger and Lion Barn. Teri writes, “Dave was carrying Geoff’s ashes in an urn. I had a small J300 recorder. We were giving the cats closure. I recorded as I stopped at each set of cat cages. I recorded the cats puffering and talking to me. Tigers are very personable if you have been around them since they were young, and if they know you as a caregiver. After recording the cats on more than one occasion that day, I put the recorder away with some jewelry that my son was wearing the night of the accident. I did not listen to this recording until I returned home to New Jersey.

“Geoff was our only child, and we are having a very difficult time. After returning home I was having a bad day and I got out the little recorder and listened to all the cats puffering and roaring. To my amazement, I heard, “Hi, Mom.” It was Geoff my son. I was so excited. Happy would not express how I felt. I called everyone that knew Geoff to have them listen to the recording. I guess it was too much for me to take in as I ended up in the emergency room that day. My husband and my best friend came to the house after hearing me on the phone; they knew something was not right. I had a mental break and did not remember my trip to Florida or the memorial.

“I know now that if I had not received the gift of “Hi, Mom” I would have had an even more difficult time coping. As it is now I am having an extremely difficult time coping. I love my son so much. He was the stars and the moon. I know now that he is in a good place and that one day I will join him there, God willing. I hope this helps those who have lost a loved one.

“Geoff’s tigers are at The Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota, Florida. They are there with many other tigers and lions that Geoff knew and loved. His dream was to help the wild tigers and to make The Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary a success and a home for unwanted tigers. The tigers in Geoff’s act were unwanted and given homes at the Habitat by Kay Rosaire.”