Gift of a Miracle

Totally unselfish, sacrificial Love from a grieving family to a total stranger is a gift that I never expected to receive. I was one of thousands of qualified people in line waiting for a lung transplant. I was totally surprised, delighted, grateful and awestruck that such a life-changing gift was mine. It was an exact match for me from a young person in an auto accident in North Carolina. I was notified at 6am and in surgery by 4pm. My amazement on awakening and breathing unassisted was beyond my expectations. God’s love and that of a stranger were full of wonder and joy.

I have experienced God’s grace on many occasions, but two really stand out in my mind. One involved my Mother’s acute renal failure, severe acidosis, cardiac and respiratory arrest at the age of 88 and her complete recovery following anointing and prayers by our past Rector in the Howard County ICU. An earlier miracle occurred on a road-trip during an ice storm, with 4 young children in the car, about 30 years ago in Upstate New York, when I lost control of the car at night and spun into 4 lanes of upcoming traffic facing in the wrong direction. Out of nowhere a man appeared turned my vehicle around in the middle of the thoroughfare, while all other cars avoided a collision with us. He then left abruptly. To this day, I cannot understand how we were rescued.

Our Lord enters our lives frequently, but I feel that we often miss his presence. I want to seek opportunities to give and serve, and to re-imagine a true community of love.