"The day is ending,
The night is descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead.

Through clouds like ashes
red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
Afternoon in February

Welcome to the February newsletter. I’m officially back. Like the images evoked by the poem, the month of January was like that for me; my day was ending and night was descending. By the Grace of God alone, I am truly back.

What is a Miracle?

WWhen we are young and innocent, we easily believed in miracles. We saw them often in Disney cartoons and “wished upon a star” when we wanted one to happen. The problem in that came in believing in what “Man” said in a politically correct atmosphere. We were lead to “Wish upon a star” rather than pray.

I’ve seen a lot in my life that had to be miracles but I was young and lived in a jaded world. There are every day miracles such as the birth of any creature, great or small, a beautiful sunset after a storm or the first flower after a harsh winter. Those are the miracles I took for granted in my youth, but they are something “Man” couldn’t create no matter how many stars he wished upon.

I had things happen in Vietnam that were either miracles or else I had a guardian angel. For instance, I survived two helicopter crashes. Sure that’s possible maybe once, but twice? Especially when you consider the fact that I was the only survivor both times. Others simply said I was lucky. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I prayed every day instead of wishing on a star every night.

In this world where political correctness has run amuck, prayer is removed from schools and any public place and parents don’t even teach their children to give thanks at meals or pray before going to bed. When they witness a miracle, they have to say it’s a coincidence because some nitwit might overhear and act insulted and start a lawsuit.

I am no longer young and I refuse to be politically correct where my faith is concerned. On December 10th, I had a second stroke. It struck exactly where the first one did and this was a bad one. There’s an old saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. Some things happened during my hospital stay that made my faith so strong that a nuclear blast couldn’t take it away.

Mary was told by the doctors to decide whether or not to let them operate. The prognosis either way was grim and she was told that I would be in a wheelchair the rest of my life and possibly unable to talk.

She took a third option that the doctors didn’t discuss; she prayed. She prayed together with a Christian nurse and within a short time I was talking and a final CAT scan showed no need for surgery. In fact, they said I should recover fully.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20

That was the start of a series of events that on the surface could be explained as coincidence by the cynics but to me were no less than the hand of God granting miracles. Some were small and short term but timed in such a way as to help others.

While in Intensive Care, I had so many needles stuck in me that my veins were being severely abused and on the second day it happened that my veins were becoming nearly impossible to find. One nurse, who was supposed to be the best they had at finding difficult veins, was called in. However after her third try, she was becoming frustrated and admitted to be near tears.

She wanted to quit but just as she was ready to leave, I grabbed both of her hands and without asking permission, I said a short prayer. Then I gave her a stern look and said, “Do it now”. She looked puzzled but proceeded and a vein popped up and gave itself to her. She said it went in so smoothly, like it belonged to a healthy teenager. She started to say, “I don’t believe it” but I stopped her and said, “Yes you do”. She agreed and started to cry. She told me her faith needed a boost that day and we thanked the Lord.

In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, [and] strengthenedst me [with] strength in my soul.
Psalms 138:3

Continued in Current Events