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CAME TO ME IN A DREAM
by Lois |
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| | Clarence Taylor died in an accident in 1979. Clarence was a loving young man, unafraid to show his love for his parents, even in public. His mom Lois says, "One very precious thing about Clarence was that he was very open about his love for us. One day when he was going to a swim meet I was at the Beauty Parlor right across from the bus depot. Clarence knew I was there and he ran across to say goodbye. I was under the dryer and he lifted it up said "we are going now Mom." He gave me a kiss.
| | The woman next to me asked, "How old is your son?"
| | I said sixteen. She said, "he must be one great kid. How many 16-year-olds would kiss their Mom in public?"
| | On another occasion Clarence was going to Prince George with some friends. I went out on the step to say goodbye and he kissed me good bye. A couple of the kids laughed at him and he became annoyed with them and said, "this is MY MOM you know."
| | Lois also recalls a family wedding. She said that again Clarence demonstrated his love and affection for his mom. "At my nephew's wedding I was standing alone and Clarence came up and tapped me on the shoulder." He said "Hello beautiful lady."
| | On a number of occasions after Clarence was killed in a car accident he returned long enough to communicate to his mother that his love for her continues on. On one of these occasions it was through a dream that Clarence comforted his mother.
| | Lois says that her family, her siblings, have always been close and planned many family outings together. She remarked, "A while after Clarence's accident we were together. I was really feeling his absence and that night I was especially sad and cried my self to sleep." That night Lois had a most uplifting dream. In the dream she was out camping with her extended family.
| | Lois says, " I dreamt we were all camping, something we did quite often. Everyone was there including our family, my sisters and brother and all their kids. I looked around and said "Oh, if only Clarence could be here." Just then he came around the corner and walked over to a table. He buttered some toast, put it down and came over to me. He put one hand on each of my shoulders then he looked at me and gave me the most beautiful smile. He said, "HE IS HERE!" Then he just faded away. I woke up so peaceful knowing Clarence had again come to me."
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| | Lois Taylor
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THE SEA SHELL
by Lois |
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| | The year we lost Clarence, we went to Maui in Hawaii. I was still very depressed and used to walk the beach. One morning I was very down and as I walked alone I was crying. I felt like I wanted to go into the water and keep swimming until I was way out in the ocean. This feeling was so strong.
| | Clarence was such a loving and giving person, he could relate to everyone from a two-year-old to a ninety-year-old. In high school he brought two young boys to me. He knew they were very unhappy in their homes. He said "Mom talk to them." One of these boys, Glen, told me years later that if it hadn't been for Clarence he would have killed himself. The three boys spent most of their high school days around our place. |
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I was talking to Clarence that day as I walked on the beach and I said, "please give me a sign you have not left us." I looked down in the water and there was this little shell. I picked it up and it had a perfect C on it. I knew Clarence had sent it to me as a sign. I was crying and the water was sloshing on the shore and still I was able to see this little shell!
| | I keep the seashell at my bedside. I only have to hold it to feel my son's love. I will never part with it.
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| | Lois Taylor
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Grandmother and the Rainbow
by Liz |
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| | It was the day of mother's funeral. She had died very suddenly. We all went to her hometown for the funeral and as so often happens, family members gathered afterward to unwind and let go of some of the tension. We were sitting on the riverbank after a brief rain shower and looked up to see a double rainbow. One of her grandchildren said, "Look, there's grandmommie up there painting the sky!" It made us all feel happy.
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| | Liz
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| Teri had the kind of father that we at Angels on Earth would definitely refer to as an Earth angel.
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| A Tribute to My Dad
by Teri |
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My dad was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 26. From the very beginning he had trouble keeping his blood sugar levels on an even keel. I can't even remember now how many times I witnessed his insulin reactions or watched the EMTs take him away by ambulance.
| | Dad was a sports fanatic when it came to basketball and baseball. He coached the baseball teams for my two older brothers. By the time my younger brother was old enough to play baseball, dad was experiencing some other health problems. Instead of being committed to full-time coaching, he opted instead to help out by being an occasional "ump."
| | Unbeknownst to his family, dad was beginning to suffer from dizziness and a lack of coordination. Never being one to complain, he kept these symptoms to himself. It began to be apparent to other people as time went by. The first time I personally remember anyone commenting on his condition was at a baseball game when my dad was umping second base. He was dizzy and staggered several times on the field and was accused of being drunk by the other team and their fans.
| | Shortly after this, his condition took a turn for the worse. He would fall in mid-stride. I remember being in the kitchen once when he fell backward. He didn't even bend at the waist on his way down to try and protect his head. He just fell straight back like a felled tree. He was also having more trouble with his legs and was using a cane as a walking aid.
| | We all knew there was "something wrong" with dad but were uncertain as to what it was. The medical profession didn't have the sophisticated testing then that they do now. The family doctor said he thought it was nerve damage from dad's blood sugar levels getting dangerously high so often.
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At the age of 41, my dad could no longer work. Thus began the process of trying to get disability. By this time he was using a walker and occasionally a wheelchair.
| | Over the course of the next several years dad's condition steadily worsened - his kidneys were beginning to fail. He was hospitalized to begin dialysis. His brothers and sisters were tested to see if any of them were a close enough match to be a kidney donor.
| | While we were waiting for the "potential donor" test results, a neurologist came in and told dad he had amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. They had also determined that dad's oldest brother was a good match to donate a kidney. Dad's brother was in his early sixties at this time.
| | After giving the matter serious thought, dad decided to cancel the kidney transplant. He said he just couldn't justify putting his oldest brother through such a serious surgery when it was now a known medical fact that his condition was terminal anyway.
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We understood his line of reasoning and respected his decision. So began the "beginning of the end." This decision was made in November. Dad continued with dialysis for several weeks afterward. He finally decided to stop going for dialysis. Naturally his condition continued to decline at a rapid rate. He admitted himself into the hospital on March 24, 1983. He passed away in the wee hours of the 25th. He was only 51 years old.
| | Several months went by and I was adjusting to the loss. I had to have a physical for my job. This included filling out paperwork on my medical history as well as those of my immediate family. The doctor began going over the paperwork and case histories I'd given him. He asked several questions about dad's illness (the ALS) because he'd never personally had a patient with that ailment.
| | After explaining the circumstances of my dad's illness and subsequent death, Dr. Anderson looked me in the eye and said, "Your dad was a very brave man. It would have been an honor to meet him. You must be very proud." Up until that point in time I'd not thought of my dad in that light. I swallowed the lump in my throat and thanked Dr. Anderson for opening my eyes to the person my dad was BEYOND being a husband and father.
| | And, daddy, I want you to know - I AM proud of you!
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| | Copyright 1999 -
T. Davis
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Heavenly Protection
by George |
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| | "My nephew and I had the task of taking some students on a 8-hour trip to Illinois to do some church work. They would be there for 4 weeks. As we neared Chicago, the highway became quite busy. My nephew was driving and I sat in the back, writing a letter. Everyone was in a good mood.
| | A big transport truck was attempting to change lanes and drove in front of us. My nephew decided to pull into the lane the transport truck driver was moving from. However, he could not see the traffic ahead. I suddenly had an very uncomfortable feeling that something serious was about to happen. I yelled, "D.J., slow down!" Everyone froze in the van as we saw the traffic stopped right where the transport truck driver was pulling away from. This was the reason why he chose to pull into our lane and we were about to slam into his original problem. D.J. slammed on the brakes and stopped just 6" short of the vehicle that was in front of us. Everyone in our vehicle was safe but emotionally drained. We were very thankful that our Protector was there with us."
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| | George Prins
Visit George's Home Page
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The Soul in the Box
(Light Humor by Mary Ruth) |
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| | When I was a little girl, my grandma Minnie died. It was a confusing time for me. After the funeral service everyone was so quiet. Generally when the family got together, there was laughing and joking amongst the group. This day was truly different as my father's mother had passed away.
| | I was really confused because I didn't know where grandma Minnie had gone. I only knew I wouldn't see her again.
| | I sat on my Father's lap and asked him where Grandma was and why she would not come back. My Dad said, " We all have a soul hidden in a box within each of us. When it is time for us to go home to God our box opens and our soul is released."
| | I pondered this answer for a few minutes. I finally asked my Dad, what happens if the box won't open for our soul to go to God. Poor Dad was stumped on that one (which did not happen very often).
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| | Mary Ruth
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Mom's Recipe
by Marylin |
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| | Back in 1969 and 1970, Type A flu was affecting a great many people, and Don, my husband, was very ill with it. I was reluctant to take him to the doctor because it was so "catching" and there was always a whole slew of little kids in our doctor's office. I didn't want to spread this flu to them.
| | I was using a lot of "old fashioned" methods on my husband, trying to bring him out of it. I had a special "flu chaser" soup that I had used previously and it had always worked. The ingredients for this particular onion syrup mixture had come to me at a time when I had what I call soul contact. I was listening to my inner self. This time nothing was working. Then I had a most revealing dream. I should mention that when this dream took place my mother and father had already died, but they became an important factor in the dream. Mom had died in December 1967 and my father passed over July 1968. In this dream dad, Don and I seemed to be going through mother's funeral service again. Dad voiced some concern about mother's well being and I felt the same. Then, almost immediately, we were going through Dad's funeral again.
| | Suddenly the scene changed and Don and I were traveling somewhere for a vacation. Just as suddenly, we were returning home very happy.
| | Again the scene changed and we were taking the Christmas tree out (it was a real tree, very small). Mother came through the kitchen door. I was very happy to see her and threw my arms around her, crying. I told her how worried I had been about her, the business of being buried and all. She said that was quite an experience but that she was fine. She had put weight back on and looked real nice.
| | I put the Christmas tree in a pot to grow. It was almost without needles! Mother said she had heard somewhere about a recipe for making plants grow fast. I remembered reading it somewhere, too. It was a few ounces of fruit juice a day, with two ounces of peach juice mixed with two ounces of cherry juice. Mom handed me a glass of the juice and I poured some on the tree and it began to take hold right away and the tree started growing.
| | Then Dad and Lassie (their little Chihuahua Terrier, who had been put to sleep two or three years prior to my parents passing) came in from the kitchen. I was very happy to see them both. Dad was healthy again and Lassie was her usual perky, loving self.
| | I think I was beginning to awaken at this point in the dream. It was so real and so wonderful for all of us (Janet and Johnny had come up from Texas to visit) to be together again. I began consciously trying to make the dream last longer, even though it was no longer so real.
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Don had been ill with flu for several days when I had this dream. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that Mother had given me an important formula (the juice mixtures) and that it just might help Don get better. I decided to try the recipe and it worked. He was completely well in two days and never got the flu again.
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| | Note: Dad had tried so hard on his death bed to tell me that we live in an illusion. In a semi coma he had waved his arm in the air and said, "It's a lie. This is all a lie." At the time I didn't understand what "this" was. But now I truly know that Life exists beyond death and even our dearly loved pets are there with us.
| | Marylin commented that this dream "had and has a great meaning with much love involved. I know that my Mother is waiting for me."
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| | Marylin Adams
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| Many of you are familiar with the Web Page, FOR GOODNESS SAKE that is also distributed as a free e-zine. For Goodness Sake features stories that demonstrate the goodness of people. Whether random acts of kindness or heroic actions or small good deeds, the stories are meant to uplift and remind us all that we are surrounded by goodness. Today we are featuring a story from that e-zine, and this is one that has not yet been up on their Web Site.
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| INTERNATIONAL GENEROSITY
by Shawn |
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| | In 1998, a photographer I had met in the city of Oaxaca only recently asked if she and her husband could accompany me to the village of Ejutla de Crespo where I do my research. It was the Day of the Dead and the photographer wanted to see what a village celebration was like. They said that they would drive me to the village if I agreed and since I normally take the bus, I said okay. It was during this visit to Ejutla that the photographer and her husband experienced first-hand the generosity of the people of southern Mexico. Here is their story:
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| | The couple dropped me off at the cemetery (where the celebration was taking place) and went off to find a place to park their relatively new vehicle. About two blocks from the cemetery, they pulled onto the side of the dirt road and parked under a tree. They were getting out when the owner of the house they had parked in front of approached them.
| | "You cannot park here." He said and the couple figured they were going to get a blast but they were wrong.
| | "It is much too dangerous. Someone will steal such a new jeep. Please, come. Bring your jeep into my yard." His son who had been watching the exchange swung the driveway doors open and gestured. The couple got back in the car and drove it into the yard. The driveway was hard-packed clay and the house had peeling paint. It felt run down but it was clean.
| | The photographer explained what they were in the village for and the man nodded. "Yes. To understand the real celebration, you must come to the village. The city folks have forgotten the truth." He proceeded to tell the gringos that the celebration would not really start for an hour or so. He invited them to have some food and drink and a little rest. As they ate, they talked. The man and his wife told them the history of the village and of the celebration. He told of his familyžs past and its present.
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The hour passed quickly and as the photographer and her husband rose to leave, the wife told them to wait a minute. She disappeared into another room and came right back carrying an enormous bouquet of marigolds and cockžs comb. She handed it to the photographeržs husband.
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"It is not right you should enter the cemetery today without a gift for the dead. These shall be your gift."
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The gringos must have looked somewhat confused since the wife turned to her husband and son. "We will take them with us." It was not a question. It was a statement that both of the men responded to by nodding.
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The photographer, her husband, the man, his wife and their son all walked to the cemetery. They spent the afternoon together and participated in all of the rituals and activities with the family. They were introduced to literally dozens of relatives (dead and alive) and were welcomed by all. They found themselves in the center of a huge celebration that lasted until dusk.
| | They returned to the home to get their car (they thought) and ended up having supper with the local family and visiting for several hours more. When I spoke to them later back in the city, the photographer and her husband were aglow, as they had experienced first-hand the Oaxacan family celebration of the Day of the Dead that as a result had taken on new meaning for them. I had to laugh when she admitted that because they were having so much fun and learning so much, she had forgotten to take very many pictures.
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| | About this writer:
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Shawn Haley is an anthropologist, writer, father of two and grandfather of four. He has five books published. His most recent two books, Day of the Dead: When Two Worlds Meet in Oaxaca and WAR ON THE HOMEFRONT, a look at spousal abuse, were published by Berghahn Books (New York) in September. He works in Canada and spends part of each year in southern Mexico.
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