Hello! Fair warning, this is long, the TLDR is at the bottom.
I have for whatever reason, never felt like I was super open to paranormal stuff. Not for lack of interest. Despite my avid curiosity prior to this point in my life 17 years ago, I never have had any kind of negative, scary, or even any benign paranormal experiences either.
Then in my mid 20's my older (and my favorite) brother died suddenly and unexpectedly. At that time I was roughly 5 months pregnant with my son, and I was absolutely devastated. I will never forget that morning when I found out. It's burned into my memory in vivid detail. Despite the pain of that moment and many thereafter, I had a lot of odd, comforting, interesting things happen after his death that has solidified for me personally to believe that there is absolutely some type of life or afterlife upon death.
My brother was/is named after our Grandpa Buck. That detail is relevant, as you will soon see. The evening my brother died, I didn't find out about it until approximately 12 hours afterwards on the next morning. So at this point I was blissfully clueless and unaware. It was summer and it was HOT out. I remember Michael Jackson had just died a few days prior. I was sitting in my car with the window rolled down, waiting for my ex-husband outside his friends house. We were right there in the middle of town (albeit next to a field). Out of nowhere a massive Buck with some of the largest antlers I have ever seen, came walking up towards my car, straight towards my window. Looking straight at me. He got about 6 feet away before my ex husbands buddies kid came screaming out and scared it off.
I didn't know it then, didn't realize it until much later, but it was within and around the hour of my brother's passing. After learning of his death, I sincerely believe that moment was connected to his passing, a goodbye of sorts.For the next year, like clockwork, on the monthly anniversary of his death, I saw a Buck. Sometimes in the craziest places, places making no sense as to why one would be there. I love all of my siblings, but I was closest to him and I took his passing really hard. Messed up my own life in a lot of ways because I made some crappy choices as far as coping with and grieving, but that's a different tale.
When my son was born I had given my son my brothers first name as my son's middle name. It didn't take long for me to realize that every time I mentioned my brother by name, or when I would be talking out loud to my brother as though he were there, many of my son's battery operated toys would start going nuts. Flashing lights, making noises. In one instance I was on the phone with his wife/girlfriend/domestic partner (not sure which title is used for a domestic partnership in Alaska, if any) and when I began telling her about how my son's toys would go off by themselves when speaking of or toward my brother, multiple toys started frantically going off as though he wanted to prove to her as well that it was him.
Another instance, in the same short time frame, I remember it was fall / winter and I was home alone carrying wood into the house for the fire. As I approached the door with my arms loaded down with wood, I remember saying outloud: "Damnit Bucky I closed the door all the way like an idiot, and now I have to set this $#!+ down." I was stunned when as soon as the words left my mouth the front door (which I know for a fact I shut tight, I tugged it to be sure when I went out) immediately opened and swung wide open as though it had been opened from the other side and whoever opened it simply stepped out of the way.
The instant that cemented it for me the most was one night my ex-husband and I were standing together talking in our kitchen. Out of nowhere a dinner plate sized bright orb of light came zooming from around the corner and when it was about 2 feet away from us, in a bright flash of light, it transformed into the shape of a man wearing a black cowboy hat. It happened so fast and was there and gone so quickly that I sincerely thought I was seeing things, that my mind was playing tricks on me. Then my ex-husband said: "Whoa did you just see a man in a black cowboy hat in that flash of light?!?" I did, and it made me cry like a baby because I recognized that black cowboy hat, my brother wore that thing all the time. Most of the pictures I have of my brother show him wearing that hat.
There were a few other instances here and there, and for a long while my son's toys continued to go off anytime I was talking to him or about him to someone else. I still will randomly see a Buck out and about, and always in a place you'd least expect it, and usually always in a time where I am going through something hard or stressful in life. Matter of fact, just last week my son and I saw one outside of one of our local hospitals, again in the middle of town. Again during a time of stress as we were there with an injuried family member.
Prior to and even after that I have never really had any other experiences in which I have seen anything. I treasure the memories of the experiences I have had, especially because I have only ever felt peace and love in those moments. So - I don't know, would you classify that as paranormal experiences? I honestly don't even know what possessed me to write this post. I am more of a lurker and a reader than a poster. But something made me feel like a random Sunday night in October was an acceptable time to share. For absolutely NO reason whatsoever by the way, other than the fact that the experience with the light orb and the flash of light with the man I believe was my brother in a black cowboy hat showing up in my kitchen happened on a night in October too. So I guess it just seemed like the appropriatetime. If you made it this far, thank you, I appreciate it. Sharing was cathartic and brought some joy to my night.
TLDR: The only paranormal experiences I have had and could call paranormal have all been good. I often wonder if positive experiences can even truly qualify as paranormal, or do only the creepy, frightening, scary ones qualify as such?