A Special Valentine

A SPECIAL VALENTINE

 

On June 11, 2011 God called Carl Anderson home after many years of illnesses and cardio events including a near death experience.

 

A few days after he died, Lyn, his wife for 35 years, receive a mailing from the local hospice. It was a printed message entitled, “The Colors of Honor." Lyn explained the message this way:

 

Scarlet Red:  you are deep in grief and in denial, “this can’t be true.”

 

Indigo Blue:  reality sets in, you are depressed and you realize your loss in permanent.

 

Soothing Lavender: This is when memories bring you comfort instead of pain.

 

 

A friend from work called and invited her to lunch for Valentine’s Day.  When Lyn arrived at the restaurant she couldn’t believe what happened next. Her friend handed her a Lavender rose and a message from Carl.  

(Carl had phoned the friend  just before he died. He told her what he wanted to say in the letter and asked her to bring Lyn a rose. He did not specify the color.)

 

The letter read:

 

“I know I am not here with you this Valentine’s day since I am in Heaven with our Father.

 

“My love for you is eternal and even though I am not here in the flesh, I will always be by your side in Spirit.

 

“Please remember the love we have shared, along with the laughter and joy. I wish I had more time with you. I want you to know that I will always love you and thank you for being my best friend and my wife all these years we have spent together.

 

“I will be waiting for you.

 

“Love, Your Husband."

 

 Adapted from Go Figure America

Shared by Lyn Anderson

Three Lakes Wisconsin

 

Monster Tornado

 

 

May 23, 2013 will long be remembered in Moore, Oklahoma as the day when 17 square miles of this city were blown apart by a Force 5 Tornado packing winds of up to 200 miles an hour.

 

The devastation was a mile wide and nearly 17 miles long. “It is amazing anyone survived this,” the Mayor said. Twenty four didn’t including nine children seven of whom perished in an older elementary school which was completely destroyed. Hundreds of people were injured.

 

But scores of children and their teachers did emerge from the wreckage of Plaza Tower Elementary. Several teachers were lying on top of numerous small children as the horrific winds tore through the school.

 

First responders, digging with their hands, were pulling children from the wreckage and handing them to arriving parents and friends who formed a makeshift bucket brigade.

 

One dazed teacher standing outside the debris told a television reporter, “I laid on top of four children huddled in a bathroom. One boy said, ‘are we going to die with you today.’ I shouted "No one is going to die.”

 

She paused and told her interviewer, “I did something I guess I’m not suppose to do as a teacher, I prayed-Lord don’t take these children today.”

 

Nurses at one hospital in the path of the tornado delayed labor for one expectant mother and stayed with her throughout the storm. They transferred her to an undamaged hospital where she safely delivered an eight-pound boy.

 

The medical staff immediately nicknamed the baby Twister. But his grateful mother had the last word and called him Emanuel, which means God with us.

 

From media reports

Moore, Ok.

Baby Catapulted out of van

Week of January 4,2015

                                                      "Watch Out"

 

We are driving home from lunch after church in a driving rain.  As usual, I’m sitting in the back seat of our van beside our six-month old baby, Rachel. She is strapped in her rear facing car seat and is having a serious crying episode.

 

After several minutes of trying to comfort her, I realize that she has a very soiled diaper. No wonder she is screaming. I said to my husband, Bob, who is driving,

 

“Brace Yourself, I’m taking her out of her car seat for a minute to change her diaper.”

 

I place her on the carpeted floor and change her diaper and remove her stained pants. I think I was still leaning over tying the dirty items in a Publix plastic bag when I hear Bob yell, “WATCH Out!”

 

Our van is T-boned, hit right in the back seat driver's side door. The impact busts out the window beside me and sends our van spinning in the middle of the intersection (Bahia Vista and McIntosh. Rd.)

“Oh my God,” we are in a wreck and Rachael is not in her car seat. Glass is raining over both of us.

 

 All I see is little Rachael in mid-air seemingly suspended there for a moment, her bright blue eyes looking right into mine. And then woosh…she sails out the window…floating like a frisbee through the rain…across that intersection landing in a puddle, on her bottom, screaming and crying.

 

I am yelling,, “my  baby, my baby.” My sweet Bob turns around to see about us only to find me pinned in my seat frantically pointing across the road screaming, “Go get her, please. Go get her.”

 

A kind man in a light blue sweater, who sees the accident, gets out of his car to help. He cautions about  not picking her up. Try telling a daddy he can’t pick up his crying  baby who has been thrown 30 feet, landing  inches from the metal base of  a utility pole.

 

Bob says he knew she was “whole” when he put his hands under her to lift her into his arms. The kind man in the blue sweater,  holds a poncho from sea world over Bob and baby and walks them back as I crawl over the front seat and out of the van.

 

The ambulance arrives with the EMT’s who see our baby bleeding from the mouth. They immediately strap her on a back board and take us all to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Several tests are made while we wait three hours for the storm to pass so that Bay Flight can air lift her to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.  Only a patient and flight crew can go in the helicopter. Our pastor drives us to St. Pete.

There are four days of MRI’s, CT scans and other tests. Everyone is amazed there are no broken bones, or internal hemorrhaging.

 

The bleeding from her mouth turned out to be a small glass cut. Doctors and specialist kept coming in and out of Rachel’s room, all amazed and totally not accepting that she is really ok. They all keep telling us that when someone is thrown from a spinning vehicle the ending is always severe injury or death.

 

Finally everyone agrees. this is a miracle.

Bob and I are so thankful that our baby was not seriously injured and following checkups have confirmed she is 100% fine. She truly was touched by an angel.

 

Lesson learned: Don't ever unbuckle your child while

the vehicle is moving.

 

Our baby is now teenager and we look at every day as a true gift. Thank you for reading Rachel’s story and pass it on. Choose to live your life every day to the fullest and with gratitude.  

 

Dundie Crisp                                                                                                                                   

Sarasota, Fl

Facing a Tsumani

Week of December 8,2014

In 1946, I was stationed in the Aleutian Islands as a chaplain for the United States Air Force. Our particular island, Shemya, was shaped like an oyster and was just large enough to have one important airstrip.

 

One night a tremendous earthquake broke open the deep water of the Bay of Alaska and sent tons of surge water (a tsunami) toward our island. The high flood water, higher than our island, was to hit us at 3 a.m.

 

We had 3,600 men on the island, but only one surface craft for 200. The idea of evacuation was abandoned.

 

Hundreds of men and officers gathered in the chapel on the high side of the island. Our highest elevation was about eighteen feet and we were warned to expect about forty feet.  Every light was on in the chapel. We had both large and small prayer services and the men periodically sang songs of all faiths and wrote letters. Many men sat alone thinking of their families and what the impending death by drowning would be like.

 

About 4 a.m. the wave came. There was a strong gush of wind and high water, but nothing like the predicted 40 feet. The island of Adak, lying 400 miles to the east broke the wave in two, with one half going into the Bearing Sea and the other toward Hawaii.

We were spared. Lots of water (ranging from15 to 18 feet) and a lot of mopping up, but there were no casualties. Not a single life was lost.

 The water came as far as the Chapel steps. Our faith had been lifted by total trust and dependence on God, and he came to our rescue.

 

Lionel W. Nelson, USAF retired

Shemya, Alaska

Copyright©2003, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

David vs Goliath Again

Week of December 1

 It is a modern day David vs Goliath. The battlefield this time is not Sokoh in Judah but quiet Montpelier, Vt. Goliath is not a nine foot Philistine but a major ice cream company and David is an Italian Ice vendor named Jimmy DePierro.

 

The stone in David's slingshot is a one page flyer from Jimmy protesting the decision of the Champlain Valley Folk Festival officials barring him this year, "because the sponsor of the festival (the ice cream maker) has asked that we not have venders that compete with their products."

 

The remainder of the flyer contrasts Jimmy's single cart $20,000 a year seasonal Italian Ice business with the multi-million dollar ice cream maker behemoth. It ends with a plea for justice.

 

A call to the phone number at the bottom of the flyer produces Jimmy himself. He can't talk right now because he is busy making Italian Ice. The festival officials called saying there had been a misunderstanding and he could participate as usual.

 

Jimmy's stone had found its mark. The giant on this sunny day in Vermont's capital is not slain but has been cut down to size.

 

 

The Biblical slaying of Goliath was witnessed by two large armies centuries ago and has been preserved for all time.

 

This Vermont version will not make recorded history and will soon pass into oblivion. However, justice did prevail again.

 

We can't help but think that God smiled over both battles. 

We'll bet an ice cream on that.(Ed)

 

Jimmy DePierro

Montpelier, Vt.

Miracle Baby

 Week of November 23, 2014

We are driving home from lunch after church in a driving rain.  As usual, I’m sitting in the back seat of our van beside our six-month old baby, Rachel. She is strapped in her rear facing car seat and is having a serious crying episode.

 

After several minutes of trying to comfort her, I realize that she has a very soiled diaper. No wonder she is screaming. I said to my husband, Bob, who is driving,

 

“Brace Yourself, I’m taking her out of her car seat for a minute to change her diaper.”

 

I place her on the carpeted floor and change her diaper and remove her stained pants. I think I was still leaning over tying the dirty items in a Publix plastic bag when I hear Bob yell, “WATCH Out!”

 

Our van is T-boned, hit right in the back seat driver's side door. The impact busts out the window beside me and sends our van spinning in the middle of the intersection (Bahia Vista and McIntosh. Rd.)

“Oh my God,” we are in a wreck and Rachael is not in her car seat. Glass is raining over both of us.

 

 All I see is little Rachael in mid-air seemingly suspended there for a moment, her bright blue eyes looking right into mine. And then woosh…she sails out the window…floating like a frisbee through the rain…across that intersection landing in a puddle, on her bottom, screaming and crying.

 

I am yelling,, “my  baby, my baby.” My sweet Bob turns around to see about us only to find me pinned in my seat frantically pointing across the road screaming, “Go get her, please. Go get her.”

 

A kind man in a light blue sweater, who sees the accident, gets out of his car to help. He cautions about  not picking her up. Try telling a daddy he can’t pick up his crying  baby who has been thrown 30 feet, landing  inches from the metal base of  a utility pole.

 

Bob says he knew she was “whole” when he put his hands under her to lift her into his arms. The kind man in the blue sweater,  holds a poncho from sea world over Bob and baby and walks them back as I crawl over the front seat and out of the van.

 

The ambulance arrives with the EMT’s who see our baby bleeding from the mouth. They immediately strap her on a back board and take us all to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Several tests are made while we wait three hours for the storm to pass so that Bay Flight can air lift her to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.  Only a patient and flight crew can go in the helicopter. Our pastor drives us to St. Pete.

There are four days of MRI’s, CT scans and other tests. Everyone is amazed there are no broken bones, or internal hemorrhaging.

 

The bleeding from her mouth turned out to be a small glass cut. Doctors and specialist kept coming in and out of Rachel’s room, all amazed and totally not accepting that she is really ok. They all keep telling us that when someone is thrown from a spinning vehicle the ending is always severe injury or death.

 

Finally everyone agrees. this is a miracle.

Bob and I are so thankful that our baby was not seriously injured and following checkups have confirmed she is 100% fine. She truly was touched by an angel.

 

Lesson learned: Don't ever unbuckle your child while

the vehicle is moving.

 

Our baby is now teenager and we look at every day as a true gift. Thank you for reading Rachel’s story and pass it on. Choose to live your life every day to the fullest and with gratitude.  

 

Dundie Crisp                                                                                                                                   

Sarasota, Fl

Pray Specifically

Week of November 8, 2014

 

 She is introduced as Miss Julie. You don’t use last names when you are homeless and running. She rode a bus to a southern city  with one suitcase and a few dollars.

 

 "On arrival I was directed to a shelter for abused women and given a meal. The next morning I went looking for employment.

 

“I found a restaurant within walking distance of the shelter. I was hired to wait on tables and within a couple of weeks I had enough tips to rent a small apartment.

 

"What I really needed was a car to go on interviews and find a better job. So I prayed very specifically for a four-door Camry  so I could take people to church with me on Sunday.

 

"I added boldly, 'Lord  make it a clean beige or brown Camry.' I had a car like that once."

 

“A few days later I received a call from the director of an organization called Gifts from God. a caring group that provides donated used cars to needy people. They had heard of my plight and called to say they had a car for me.

 

“When I arrived to pickup my car I was told the donor had taken it to a car wash.

 

 A few minutes later a car entered the parking lot and I knew it was for me and was truly a gift from God. It was a sparkling clean beige four-door Camry.”

 

 Julie

Philadelphia, Pa.