Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Book of Miracles
BY: BJ Jensen
Isaiah answered, "This is the Lord's sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised."
~2 Kings 20:9
While my husband Doug and I were vacationing at a timeshare resort in Alabama one summer, the chlorine in the pool sent us shopping for protective swim goggles. Fortunately, there was a small sporting goods store at a little strip mall ten miles away. Luckily, they had two pair, one for each of us. As we were leaving the store, I felt compelled to go into a little jewelry store at the other end of the mall.
It was highly unlikely for me to be drawn to that type of store because I hadn't shopped in a real jewelry store since the long ago day we had purchased our wedding rings. Doug urged me to follow my whimsical impulse. It was totally out of character for him to want to shop, or to want me to shop. But, since we were on vacation, had no time constraints, and were on an adventure, we lightheartedly headed for the jewelry store.
Upon entering the quaint little shop, I was immediately attracted to a rotating display case that held gold earrings. I certainly didn't need another pair of earrings. I couldn't believe how I instantly spotted an adorable pair shaped like dolphins swimming in a circle. I smiled fondly remembering how our son Jay was always fascinated with dolphins, from the time he was a little boy to manhood. Sadness welled up in me as I contemplated the approaching anniversary of our beloved Jay's death.
"Why would a store hundreds of miles from an ocean carry a pair of dolphin earrings?" I wondered out loud to Doug. Seemed like serendipity to me, so I rationalized why I wanted the dolphin earrings; they would be a fond reminder of Jay, or possibly a birthday present to myself. Maybe the earrings could be considered a reward for all the hard work I had been doing in physical therapy to recover from my recent serious back surgery. If those weren't good enough reasons, I would simply purchase them as a vacation souvenir.
When the clerk showed us the pricey sales ticket, I quickly returned the unreasonably expensive gold dolphin earrings to the showcase and put the thought of purchasing them out of my mind. Doug was relieved.
Our mood returned to "we're on vacation" and we realized we were wasting daylight and swimming time. We headed back to the pool to put our new goggles to good use.
A vigorous workout provided us with a peaceful rest that night. I was slowly awakening at dusk, in a blissful state of semi-consciousness, startled by a voice. It was a familiar voice that sounded like Jay. I strained my eyes, but couldn't see where the voice was coming from.
"How ya' doing, Mom?" The unmistakable greeting shocked me; that was the way Jay always greeted me when he came home for a visit. "I want you to know I'm really happy here," the voice continued. "I want you to buy the dolphin earrings for your birthday."
Jay's voice persisted. "Use the money in my wallet in my briefcase behind the boxes in the workroom closet. Then, when you wear the dolphin earrings, you will be happy like I am."
The voice was gone as suddenly as it had come. I felt disconcerted, confused, yet warmed by what had just transpired.
I was reluctant to tell Doug about this extraordinary encounter because I wasn't quite sure myself what had happened. It was so precious, yet too unbelievable to share.
I reasoned that he would attribute it to my understandable stress at this time of year. I made the firm decision not to tell him, and felt relieved.
And then, before I knew it, the tale of the unusual experience poured forth uncontrollably. Taken aback by the outpouring and obviously skeptical of my story, Doug carefully assessed the situation with his trained legal mind and asked me very specific probing questions.
Satisfied that something miraculous had occurred, he calmly and assuredly said, "God often does amazing things in the lives of faithful followers to show them His love."
My levelheaded hubby reflected that the mysterious event might have been the delivery of a special love note from God and Jay.
Unbeknownst to me, Doug said he'd hidden Jay's briefcase in the back of the closet soon after his death eight years ago, without looking inside it. Doug reminded me that at the time of Jay's death, I was too inconsolable to deal with his belongings, so he put Jay's property out of sight. The briefcase had long since been forgotten.
Then, my usually frugal hubby suggested an extravagant plan. He wanted us to go back to the jewelry store and purchase the dolphin earrings with the understanding that if there were any money in Jay's wallet, it would help offset the cost of the purchase. I felt loved and warmed by Doug's thoughtful gesture.
That afternoon, the day before the anniversary of Jay's death, we returned to the little strip mall jewelry store and made our golden purchase. Surprisingly, the next day, as I wore the beautiful earrings, I realized that for the first time in eight years I actually felt warmed, peaceful and happy on the anniversary date of Jay's drowning.
When we returned to San Diego after our restful vacation, Doug and I headed straight for the workroom closet. There, behind some dusty old boxes, was the briefcase. We cautiously opened it together. Jay's battered brown leather wallet was in there, inviting our visit. We opened the cash compartment and removed the money.
I held my breath as Doug counted out the bills.
The total of the cash equaled the exact purchase price of the shiny gold dolphin earrings! Instant tears of gratitude stung my eyes for my miraculous posthumous birthday gift from my son.
~2 Kings 20:9
While my husband Doug and I were vacationing at a timeshare resort in Alabama one summer, the chlorine in the pool sent us shopping for protective swim goggles. Fortunately, there was a small sporting goods store at a little strip mall ten miles away. Luckily, they had two pair, one for each of us. As we were leaving the store, I felt compelled to go into a little jewelry store at the other end of the mall.
It was highly unlikely for me to be drawn to that type of store because I hadn't shopped in a real jewelry store since the long ago day we had purchased our wedding rings. Doug urged me to follow my whimsical impulse. It was totally out of character for him to want to shop, or to want me to shop. But, since we were on vacation, had no time constraints, and were on an adventure, we lightheartedly headed for the jewelry store.
Upon entering the quaint little shop, I was immediately attracted to a rotating display case that held gold earrings. I certainly didn't need another pair of earrings. I couldn't believe how I instantly spotted an adorable pair shaped like dolphins swimming in a circle. I smiled fondly remembering how our son Jay was always fascinated with dolphins, from the time he was a little boy to manhood. Sadness welled up in me as I contemplated the approaching anniversary of our beloved Jay's death.
"Why would a store hundreds of miles from an ocean carry a pair of dolphin earrings?" I wondered out loud to Doug. Seemed like serendipity to me, so I rationalized why I wanted the dolphin earrings; they would be a fond reminder of Jay, or possibly a birthday present to myself. Maybe the earrings could be considered a reward for all the hard work I had been doing in physical therapy to recover from my recent serious back surgery. If those weren't good enough reasons, I would simply purchase them as a vacation souvenir.
When the clerk showed us the pricey sales ticket, I quickly returned the unreasonably expensive gold dolphin earrings to the showcase and put the thought of purchasing them out of my mind. Doug was relieved.
Our mood returned to "we're on vacation" and we realized we were wasting daylight and swimming time. We headed back to the pool to put our new goggles to good use.
A vigorous workout provided us with a peaceful rest that night. I was slowly awakening at dusk, in a blissful state of semi-consciousness, startled by a voice. It was a familiar voice that sounded like Jay. I strained my eyes, but couldn't see where the voice was coming from.
"How ya' doing, Mom?" The unmistakable greeting shocked me; that was the way Jay always greeted me when he came home for a visit. "I want you to know I'm really happy here," the voice continued. "I want you to buy the dolphin earrings for your birthday."
Jay's voice persisted. "Use the money in my wallet in my briefcase behind the boxes in the workroom closet. Then, when you wear the dolphin earrings, you will be happy like I am."
The voice was gone as suddenly as it had come. I felt disconcerted, confused, yet warmed by what had just transpired.
I was reluctant to tell Doug about this extraordinary encounter because I wasn't quite sure myself what had happened. It was so precious, yet too unbelievable to share.
I reasoned that he would attribute it to my understandable stress at this time of year. I made the firm decision not to tell him, and felt relieved.
And then, before I knew it, the tale of the unusual experience poured forth uncontrollably. Taken aback by the outpouring and obviously skeptical of my story, Doug carefully assessed the situation with his trained legal mind and asked me very specific probing questions.
Satisfied that something miraculous had occurred, he calmly and assuredly said, "God often does amazing things in the lives of faithful followers to show them His love."
My levelheaded hubby reflected that the mysterious event might have been the delivery of a special love note from God and Jay.
Unbeknownst to me, Doug said he'd hidden Jay's briefcase in the back of the closet soon after his death eight years ago, without looking inside it. Doug reminded me that at the time of Jay's death, I was too inconsolable to deal with his belongings, so he put Jay's property out of sight. The briefcase had long since been forgotten.
Then, my usually frugal hubby suggested an extravagant plan. He wanted us to go back to the jewelry store and purchase the dolphin earrings with the understanding that if there were any money in Jay's wallet, it would help offset the cost of the purchase. I felt loved and warmed by Doug's thoughtful gesture.
That afternoon, the day before the anniversary of Jay's death, we returned to the little strip mall jewelry store and made our golden purchase. Surprisingly, the next day, as I wore the beautiful earrings, I realized that for the first time in eight years I actually felt warmed, peaceful and happy on the anniversary date of Jay's drowning.
When we returned to San Diego after our restful vacation, Doug and I headed straight for the workroom closet. There, behind some dusty old boxes, was the briefcase. We cautiously opened it together. Jay's battered brown leather wallet was in there, inviting our visit. We opened the cash compartment and removed the money.
I held my breath as Doug counted out the bills.
The total of the cash equaled the exact purchase price of the shiny gold dolphin earrings! Instant tears of gratitude stung my eyes for my miraculous posthumous birthday gift from my son.
http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Chicken-Soup-For-The-Soul/2011/03/A-Golden-Gift.aspx?source=NEWSLETTER&nlsource=49&ppc=&utm_campaign=DIBSoup&utm_source=NL&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=mail.ru
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