Mystical Anecdotes
Each Six Sentences or Less
I’ve been told these mystical anecdotes:
When I was 15, I was riding in the school bus window seat. I saw the autumn leaves rush by, colors the brightest I have ever seen. I heard someone say, “Look and see.”
After waking up from surgery, my grandfather held my left hand. I immediately recognized him as I opened my eyes. I closed them briefly, then opened them again to find a smiling nurse holding my hand.
I had just turned 40. Remember that I was living by myself then. It was August 10. I will not know that date. I went blind. I could see nothing at all. What could I do? I went to sleep. When I woke up, I saw the cat at the edge of the bed. I could see.
My mother died on a Wednesday. It took everything I could do to go to worship that Sunday. I found the pew as the first hymn was sung: My Song is Love Unknown. This was my mother’s favorite hymn. That may not mean much to you, but it meant everything to me.
No one knows this: This was when I was trying to decide whether we should move to Atlanta. You know that job would pay a lot more. I mean a lot. I’m walking on the beach. The kids are behind me. I look down at the sand. Written in the sand was the sentence, “Stay put.”
In a dream, I encountered my father wearing a white shirt and grey pants. He said, “You can stop missing me if you want.”
You may refer to it by any name you choose, but I refer to it as God. Driving from South Bend to Dayton. I could not see out the window, even with the wipers at high. I prayed, “Please make the rain stop.” I swear, in a minute, it stopped. And then, I looked ahead, and I saw three rainbows ahead. Three!
If something like this moments has happened to you, please be humble.
For these, there is always this:
I prayed and prayed that the chemotherapy would work for Phillip. I prayed. We were waiting for the results from one more MRI — or CT scan — I don’t know. The doctor came in and sat on the edge of the bed. He said, “It’s time to go home now.”
