Imagine this: An old friend or a loved one you haven’t heard from in years has stopped by to visit. This person has come from far away, and spent lots of effort to travel and contact you. They appear at your front door and knock loudly, wait patiently, but get no answer. Where are you? They can see lights on in your house, and just knows you’re home. Why won’t you answer? Frustrated and a little disappointed, your special visitor eventually leaves – with the hope that later, you’ll recognize that they’ve been here. Sound familiar? This is what spirit experiences when it cannot connect with someone on the Earth plane.

It happens occasionally when I’m working at public message events. I describe a spirit person who touches in with me, but no one in the audience claims that spirit. It’s sad, because they work so hard to come through, and want so much to connect with you.

That occurred at a recent Spirit Inspired Messages event that was being taped by Slither Productions in Peterborough, ON, for a TV pilot. Three television cameras were trained on my face as I gazed out over the crowd. Beyond the cameras and the lights, about 100 pairs of eyes stared at me, and the silence was so heavy, you couldn’t lift it off the floor. I had just given a name that spirit had whispered in my ear – Jim McPherson – and no one in the audience raised a hand to identify him. I repeated the name, and gazed hesitantly over the group.

A moment later, I tasted Listerine – the old fashioned kind that was yellow. With my third eye, I saw a set of perfect teeth and a pair of size 12 black shoes that were polished to a glistening sheen.

"Can anyone take this gentleman?" I asked, after repeating the information.

Silence answered me. Spirit gave me a few more details – he had been a successful businessman, and enjoyed Big Band music. No one spoke up. I felt bad that no one recognized him. His spirit presence was so strong, I just knew he had an important message for someone in the crowd.

Seconds ticked by that felt like hours. In the corner of my eye, I caught the camera person giving me the signal to move on. I suddenly remembered this was TV, and a couple moments of empty air can seem like hours of nothing on the tube. So I mentally thanked the spirit for coming by, then blessed him and let him go.

And wouldn’t you know it! After the taping ended, a woman approached me to identify the spirit that had gone unclaimed. The Listerine man was her friend’s father, who had been well-known in the community. The woman had kept quiet because she was nervous about what Jim McPherson might say in public. Then she asked me if I could bring Jim back.

I tried linking with Jim’s spirit, but he’d gone. "I’m sorry," I told her. She gave a regretful smile, then moved away. I had to wonder if Jim had been something more than a friend.

I feel bad whenever I can’t place spirits, because they work so hard to connect with me. Each spirit that goes unclaimed is like a lost opportunity; they come because have a message – maybe to make some kind of amend, or just to say "I love you." Imagine how you’d feel if you were looking forward to talking with someone you cared for, but had to go away because the door was locked – even though you knew someone was home.