Lately, I have been surrounded by weddings of strangers, friends and the memorials of strangers and friends. It is often overpowering how close death is to us as we go from day to day. I sometimes feel the weight of life pressing me flat as if preparing me for the habitual grave. I don't equate death with rest but sleep. The big sleep. You can probably guess what I do on long dark, lonesome nights.
Today, I found what rescuers and negotiators call the "proof of life" at the birthday for a cousin with a remarkable story all on her own. I can tell you a few things.
Amber has been given a new life from God. She is making good use of her own personal miracle. For me, Amber's story begins on a Maundy Thursday several years ago. For those of you who are religiously educated or go to a church that acknowledges Maundy Thursday- the significance of this might occur to you. To the rest of you who are about to start Googling this, I will explain what Maundy Thursday represents to me and many Episcopalians and probably several other high churches do too.
To be brief, Maundy Thursday is the day in which Jesus (who I call the Christ) shared the Last Supper with the Apostles and then was betrayed by Judas Iscariot as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He would have been delivered to the Sadducee and Pharisees for trial and torture. It is marked by a evening/night time service in which all this is read from the bible and the altar and the church is stripped of all decorations, icons, relics, clothes, etc. It is a solemn and often heart wrenching service for me. Each year, I relive what I have imagine happened to Jesus that night and what happens to all those who have been betrayed and delivered into the wills of evil and hostile men. It seldom passes by each year, that I don't weep for what was done and what is still being done by men to other men, What was done to Jesus.
Okay, not so brief.
Amber had a Grand Mal Seizure on Maundy Thursday and for all intents and purposes died. Well, maybe died is too strong a word. It seemed a weak word for all those who were there that night. She was at Children's Hospital after taking an overdose of a powerful drug. At the time no one knew why or how. There was a lot of finger pointing and speculating. Through it all, one man had faith and held on to hope. Others hoped and gave up. I did. Others may have held on, but only her father held the line and refused to accept what seemed unavoidable.
The result?
In my view, Amber died that night and was reborn. The mystery and miracle of all this did not escape me.
It's my story of what happened. I suspect some people might disagree with me. I was there. I held her hand as I was sure she was slipping away from hope. I was there to see her open her eyes and look around at her new world. It did not solve world hunger or even make peace between her parents. It did not take affect immediately and her recovery has been slow and at the same time amazingly fast.
This is what I know as I sit here at the computer after going to her 16th birthday party.
What happened to Amber that night in April saved her father's life.
It gave hope where there was none.
It helped bring a lot of people together who would have always been strangers.
It brought the power of God into the lives of all of us, those who believed, those who only thought they believed and found they didn't and those who had not known to believe but now could.
If that is not a miracle. If there is no God. If there is only what the Atheists would have us believe it is still as un-explainable as phenomenal as unprecedented as anything I have ever seen or live through in my life.
To me Amber is the promise of what all of us can be, can achieve if we choose to believe that it is possible.
So that is a lot to take in, but as Father Ross would say: "I got one more for you."
Sometimes miracles and love are right in front of you and you don't realize that you are looking at them.
I think about all the life that was around me today at Amber's party. It was held at My cousin Gary's house which was filled with happy people- well 99% of them were happy unless you count for the brief dramatic crisis-es of the really young children.
I will give you this proof of life in parcels.
1. 3 young girls, sisters. Amazing beautiful and surprising to someone like myself who can see them from over here. Their parents are fortunate though I wonder how often their father looks up from breakfast and know what a gift they are when they aren't feuding with each other and with their brother. The 4 of them must remind their mother, my cousin that some prices are worth paying every time. Theirs is a miracle all on their own and I am grateful that I am allowed brief glances into their lives. I can only hope that I might somehow help to enrich theirs as they have enriched mine.
2. 2 sisters, both mothers in their own rights, both successful although it probably is hard to see how successful at times. But again I am looking from way over here, I do know that the appearance often comes at a great cost to them and those around them BUT I am fortunate to have them to talk to and consider it my good luck to have someone to beat @ words with friends on a daily basis (oh and share books and thoughts with too).
3. There is this woman who always puts this idea in my mind that I should have a tiny book of Domestic Saints nearby. She is long suffering, always patient, never perfect but always loving and endearing and the best person one could hope for on a stormy day. She makes the best Chicken Casserole and Chicken Salad to boot.
4. Family- love them, dislike them, you might even want to hate some of them from time to time. I have to remind myself (since I believe in this stuff) that Family is a gift from God. If you have a family, most of the time they are worth finding, forgiving, and loving. Sometimes not but almost always better than having known. Just remember this, Family is not necessarily people who are blood/kin to you. My family includes people I am not related to directly.... well this is Tennessee- so you never know I may be a cousin after all.
That's it from Mike, I am off to write certain fiction and tell some awesome lies.
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." (John Wooden)
Today, I found what rescuers and negotiators call the "proof of life" at the birthday for a cousin with a remarkable story all on her own. I can tell you a few things.
Amber has been given a new life from God. She is making good use of her own personal miracle. For me, Amber's story begins on a Maundy Thursday several years ago. For those of you who are religiously educated or go to a church that acknowledges Maundy Thursday- the significance of this might occur to you. To the rest of you who are about to start Googling this, I will explain what Maundy Thursday represents to me and many Episcopalians and probably several other high churches do too.
To be brief, Maundy Thursday is the day in which Jesus (who I call the Christ) shared the Last Supper with the Apostles and then was betrayed by Judas Iscariot as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He would have been delivered to the Sadducee and Pharisees for trial and torture. It is marked by a evening/night time service in which all this is read from the bible and the altar and the church is stripped of all decorations, icons, relics, clothes, etc. It is a solemn and often heart wrenching service for me. Each year, I relive what I have imagine happened to Jesus that night and what happens to all those who have been betrayed and delivered into the wills of evil and hostile men. It seldom passes by each year, that I don't weep for what was done and what is still being done by men to other men, What was done to Jesus.
Okay, not so brief.
Amber had a Grand Mal Seizure on Maundy Thursday and for all intents and purposes died. Well, maybe died is too strong a word. It seemed a weak word for all those who were there that night. She was at Children's Hospital after taking an overdose of a powerful drug. At the time no one knew why or how. There was a lot of finger pointing and speculating. Through it all, one man had faith and held on to hope. Others hoped and gave up. I did. Others may have held on, but only her father held the line and refused to accept what seemed unavoidable.
The result?
In my view, Amber died that night and was reborn. The mystery and miracle of all this did not escape me.
It's my story of what happened. I suspect some people might disagree with me. I was there. I held her hand as I was sure she was slipping away from hope. I was there to see her open her eyes and look around at her new world. It did not solve world hunger or even make peace between her parents. It did not take affect immediately and her recovery has been slow and at the same time amazingly fast.
This is what I know as I sit here at the computer after going to her 16th birthday party.
What happened to Amber that night in April saved her father's life.
It gave hope where there was none.
It helped bring a lot of people together who would have always been strangers.
It brought the power of God into the lives of all of us, those who believed, those who only thought they believed and found they didn't and those who had not known to believe but now could.
If that is not a miracle. If there is no God. If there is only what the Atheists would have us believe it is still as un-explainable as phenomenal as unprecedented as anything I have ever seen or live through in my life.
To me Amber is the promise of what all of us can be, can achieve if we choose to believe that it is possible.
So that is a lot to take in, but as Father Ross would say: "I got one more for you."
Sometimes miracles and love are right in front of you and you don't realize that you are looking at them.
I think about all the life that was around me today at Amber's party. It was held at My cousin Gary's house which was filled with happy people- well 99% of them were happy unless you count for the brief dramatic crisis-es of the really young children.
I will give you this proof of life in parcels.
1. 3 young girls, sisters. Amazing beautiful and surprising to someone like myself who can see them from over here. Their parents are fortunate though I wonder how often their father looks up from breakfast and know what a gift they are when they aren't feuding with each other and with their brother. The 4 of them must remind their mother, my cousin that some prices are worth paying every time. Theirs is a miracle all on their own and I am grateful that I am allowed brief glances into their lives. I can only hope that I might somehow help to enrich theirs as they have enriched mine.
2. 2 sisters, both mothers in their own rights, both successful although it probably is hard to see how successful at times. But again I am looking from way over here, I do know that the appearance often comes at a great cost to them and those around them BUT I am fortunate to have them to talk to and consider it my good luck to have someone to beat @ words with friends on a daily basis (oh and share books and thoughts with too).
3. There is this woman who always puts this idea in my mind that I should have a tiny book of Domestic Saints nearby. She is long suffering, always patient, never perfect but always loving and endearing and the best person one could hope for on a stormy day. She makes the best Chicken Casserole and Chicken Salad to boot.
4. Family- love them, dislike them, you might even want to hate some of them from time to time. I have to remind myself (since I believe in this stuff) that Family is a gift from God. If you have a family, most of the time they are worth finding, forgiving, and loving. Sometimes not but almost always better than having known. Just remember this, Family is not necessarily people who are blood/kin to you. My family includes people I am not related to directly.... well this is Tennessee- so you never know I may be a cousin after all.
That's it from Mike, I am off to write certain fiction and tell some awesome lies.
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." (John Wooden)
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