e pastoral peacefulness of a Heaven many of us envision, but New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour. I was expecting clear, specific and enlightened communication from the afterlife, something along the lines of….

Mr. Edward I’m getting a message from a Donald Westlake.

Woman in the Audience Oh my gosh, that’s me! I mean that’s my grandfather!

Mr. Edward He

Have you ever wondered where people go when they die? Heaven? Purgatory? How about a sound stage in Queens?

Apparently that’s the liveliest place to meet dead people if you’ve ever seen John Edward’s syndicated TV show Crossing Over.

Mr. Edward is a psychic from Long Island who receives messages from the dead and then seeks out their friends and relatives in the audience to help him flesh out what the messages mean and to whom they are intended. If you haven’t seen the show, get ready for a wakeup call, especially if you think you already know something about Heaven, the spirit world or just being deceased in general. I was very disappointed in dead people after watching my first episode. It’s clear that Mr. Edward and I do not share the same vision of the afterlife, and with all due respect to everyone who has crossed over, if his version of the afterlife is it, I’m not going.

When I think of death, I envision that white light as described by those who have died and then come back to life. We ascend toward the light and then into Heaven where all earthly things fade from memory, reportedly none more quickly and God affirming than the image of Howard Dean’s concession speech in Iowa.

Not so on Crossing Over. If you’re looking for enlightenment and Heavenly insights from the great beyond, you’d have better luck getting it from recently deceased Global Crossing than Crossing Over. The dead, who appear to struggle against a din of spiritual chatter to capture the attention of Mr. Edward, conjure up an image of an afterlife that resembles not the pastoral peacefulness of a Heaven many of us envision, but New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour. I was expecting clear, specific and enlightened communication from the afterlife, something along the lines of….

Mr. Edward I’m getting a message from a Donald Westlake.

Woman in the Audience Oh my gosh, that’s me! I mean that’s my grandfather!

Mr. Edward He

flesh out what the messages mean and to whom they are intended. If you haven’t seen the show, get ready for a wakeup call, especially if you think you already know something about Heaven, the spirit world or just being deceased in general. I was very disappointed in dead people after watching my first episode. It’s clear that Mr. Edward and I do not share the same vision of the afterlife, and with all due respect to everyone who has crossed over, if his version of the afterlife is it, I’m not going.

When I think of death, I envision that white light as described by those who have died and then come back to life. We ascend toward the light and then into Heaven where all earthly things fade from memory, reportedly none more quickly and God affirming than the image of Howard Dean’s concession speech in Iowa.

Not so on Crossing Over. If you’re looking for enlightenment and Heavenly insights from the great beyond, you’d have better luck getting it from recently deceased Global Crossing than Crossing Over. The dead, who appear to struggle against a din of spiritual chatter to capture the attention of Mr. Edward, conjure up an image of an afterlife that resembles not the pastoral peacefulness of a Heaven many of us envision, but New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour. I was expecting clear, specific and enlightened communication from the afterlife, something along the lines of….

Mr. Edward I’m getting a message from a Donald Westlake.

Woman in the Audience Oh my gosh, that’s me! I mean that’s my grandfather!

Mr. Edward He

ith all due respect to everyone who has crossed over, if his version of the afterlife is it, I’m not going.

When I think of death, I envision that white light as described by those who have died and then come back to life. We ascend toward the light and then into Heaven where all earthly things fade from memory, reportedly none more quickly and God affirming than the image of Howard Dean’s concession speech in Iowa.

Not so on Crossing Over. If you’re looking for enlightenment and Heavenly insights from the great beyond, you’d have better luck getting it from recently deceased Global Crossing than Crossing Over. The dead, who appear to struggle against a din of spiritual chatter to capture the attention of Mr. Edward, conjure up an image of an afterlife that resembles not the pastoral peacefulness of a Heaven many of us envision, but New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour. I was expecting clear, specific and enlightened communication from the afterlife, something along the lines of….

Mr. Edward I’m getting a message from a Donald Westlake.

Woman in the Audience Oh my gosh, that’s me! I mean that’s my grandfather!

Mr. Edward He

concession speech in Iowa.

Not so on Crossing Over. If you’re looking for enlightenment and Heavenly insights from the great beyond, you’d have better luck getting it from recently deceased Global Crossing than Crossing Over. The dead, who appear to struggle against a din of spiritual chatter to capture the attention of Mr. Edward, conjure up an image of an afterlife that resembles not the pastoral peacefulness of a Heaven many of us envision, but New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour. I was expecting clear, specific and enlightened communication from the afterlife, something along the lines of….

Mr. Edward I’m getting a message from a Donald Westlake.

Woman in the Audience Oh my gosh, that’s me! I mean that’s my grandfather!

Mr. Edward He

e pastoral peacefulness of a Heaven many of us envision, but New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour. I was expecting clear, specific and enlightened communication from the afterlife, something along the lines of….

Mr. Edward I’m getting a message from a Donald Westlake.

Woman in the Audience Oh my gosh, that’s me! I mean that’s my grandfather!

Mr. Edward He wants you to know, Elaine — it is Elaine isn’t it?

Elaine Yes!

Mr. Edward He wants you to know that there is nothing to worry about and to let go of all your problems because they are meaningless. He wants to assure you that your husband Dave will get the job with Citibank. He also wants you to know that Heaven is an incredible paradise and to let go of fear — for you and your loved ones will all be together again for eternity — which in most cases is perceived as a good thing. (laughing) I added that last part, Elaine. OK, let’s take a quick break and then we’ll be right back with more of Crossing Over!

Here’s what you get on Crossing Over:

Mr. Edward I’m getting something for a Tom, Tony, a common T sort of name. Tammy, Timmy, Tootie…

Man in the Audience My name is Pete.

Mr. Eward Ah, that explains the strong “T” sound. There is someone in your family who has passed from a tumor or blockage of some kind…

Pete My Uncle Ray had a heart attack last year. Had a blocked artery, I believe it was.

Mr. Edward He wants you to know about a light bulb or a lamp on a boat, perhaps a sailboat or a schooner, maybe a raft, canoe, hydrofoil? Anything nautical and electrical…

Pete He had a table lamp he made from one of those old ship in a bottle kits. I broke it when I was visiting his house years ago. I must have been six or seven years old. I can’t believe it’s him!

Mr. Edward He wants you to write your aunt a check for $33 dollars to replace the lamp you broke. He wants you to know that he’s OK where he is,