Sisters are Forever

"IS MY SISTER, IRENE, TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING"?    That was the thought that ran through my head when I saw my name, DOLORES MARIE, jump up from a grave marker near where Irene was to be buried.  I stopped in my tracks and after this jolt, looked down at the grave marker to reread it.  In small words, was engraved, "Sister Marie Dolores".  Irene was my big sister.  She lived over 230 miles away from me in Pa. and we would talk often via phone.  We did not need to speak to know what the other one was thinking.

 Irene suffered a stroke several months ago and passed away in the hospital shortly afterward.  This was just months after our beloved brother, Joe, died.  Irene had said at that time; Who would be next?, not realizing that she was going to be called HOME shortly after.  Both were in their 80's and lived full lives.

I have been blessed with good health and my recent check up showed all was well with me.  What was Irene trying to tell me?  At the celebration of her life after the funeral, I joked with some of my relatives about what I saw at the cemetery.  The thought would not go away that Irene was trying to get a message through to me, but, still I wanted to confirm this thought.

We had discussions about lottery tickets over the years.  I rarely, if ever, win anything over the cost of the ticket.  She, on the other hand, would purchase scratch off lottery ticket, when she needed money to pay a bill and so many times, she would win enough money to pay her bill.  Hmmm, I thought...............just maybe.................she would let me know from Heaven that SHE WAS TRYING TO GET A MESSAGE THROUGH TO ME via a scratch off lottery ticket. 

I tend not to jump to conclusions and have a habit of double checking my thoughts and actions.

We stopped to fill up my gas tank prior to returning to New York.  While my Grandson, filled up the gas tank, I told him that I was going to purchase a lottery ticket.  I said that if I won anything more than $5.00 that I was going to make an appointment to see my primary Dr. when I returned home.

I WON $100.00.

My Dr. smiled as I told him what I had experienced.  He examined me and found nothing to warrant concern.  BUT, after all of these years as his patient, he knew of my belief in Spiritual messages.  He did not share this belief but respected me.  To ease my mind, he said that he would order an ultra sound of my carotid artery.  I did not have any symptoms of a problem and so we both thought that the ultra sound would show nothing out of the ordinary.  BUT IRENE HAD WANTED ME TO DO SOMETHING...........................

The test results showed that I had a 90% blockage of the carotid artery and required surgery.  The results were not what my Dr. and I expected.  He scheduled an appointment for me with a vascular surgeon.  Since I was symptom free, the surgeon ordered additional testing since he said that there could have been an error with the ultra sound.  The additional testing, confirmed the 90% blockage and surgery was scheduled. 

My primary Dr. has told me more than once, that because of my experience, he has made some changes in his practice.

Thank you, IRENE.

I have a sister, Marie.  She lives in Pa. and she visits the cemetery often.  Her curiosity, after I had told her about the grave marker, prompted her to look at it.  She called me shortly after.  She had asked me if I had looked at the grave marker next to the one that prompted me to see my Dr.  I replied that I had not.  The grave marker next to the one that I saw was , "SISTER IRENE".

LOVE

Special occasions are many. Do we send flowers...do we purchase a special piece of jewelry.....a night out on the town..........a romantic dinner? Someone sent me a letter a few years ago that I thought was the perfect gift. I would like to share it with you. Dear Dolores, As I move toward the last days of my life, I should like to share one thought with you. Enclosed is a copy of "FOR THE LOVE OF A WOMAN", which I composed and gave to Coleen last year. When you are with someone you love and that love is reciprocated, life can be wonderful. The love of a woman is wonderful to behold. It brings together all of God's gifts, and makes us whole. God in his infinite Wisdom made women soft and tender, yet strong and understanding. The Love of a woman is expressed in more ways Then there are stars in the heavens. The most wonderful of all is the simple act of Touch, for this action speaks in all tongues, embraces all Religions, accepts all philosophies and blends them into every fibre of our cycle of life. Whenever I feel lonely, and that loneliness floods my psyche, I reach out and touch you. Whenever there is yearning for companionship, I reach out and touch you. Whenever deep, dark thoughts invade my mind, I reach out and touch you, and sunshine floods into my life. Whenever there is a desire for sensuality or understanding, I reach out and touch you. The trials and tribulations of life are erased in that magical moment when, I reach out and touch you. Crises become mere diversions when, I reach out and touch you. I thank God for his intercession when He set up the conditions by which we met. Whenever I reach out and touch you, I look to the Heavens....and say Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.

THIRSTY

ARE YOU THIRSTY? These words were very familiar to Jan. She had heard her mother-in-law say these words to every homeless person that she encountered.

Jan and her mother-in-law enjoyed a close relationship. Mary, was a very compassionate, understanding woman and Jan felt blessed to have Mary in her life.

Mary believed in helping the needy. She would stop and offer food or drink to those in need. She was trusting. She saw only the good in people.

"There but for the Grace of God, go I". Mary reflected on her Blessings.

Jan was not as open or trusting as Mary. She was far more cautious and not inclined to offer a homeless person food or drink. Jan admired her mother-in-laws' loving, caring ways. But, they were not her ways.

This gentle, kind, loving woman entered Gods Kingdom last month. Jan misses her mother-in-law.

Jan and her husband were traveling. She looked out the car window and saw a homeless person sitting outside a convenience store. As she looked at this man; she became VERY THIRSTY. She told her husband to pull into the parking lot as she needed something to drink. As she exited the car, she immediately approached the homeless man and asked; "ARE YOU THIRSTY"?

He said that he was. She purchased a drink for both of them.

AND SHE KNEW THAT MARY reached out to her from Heaven and touched her Spirit.

MOMMY, PLEASE HELP

The little boy tugged at his mother's arm and asked her to help the lady with tears in her eyes. He was watching a woman plead with the volunteer at the animal shelter to give this litter of stray kittens a chance to be adopted. The policy of this shelter was that the kittens must weigh one and half pounds before they could take them.

"Bring them back when they have gained weight." If only it were that simple exclaimed Maureen!!! She then proceeded to explain that she and her husband were only in California to attend a wedding. They lived on the east coast.

They were scheduled to fly home a few days ago but changed their flight to give them time to find a home for these kittens.

This shelter was their last hope. They had been to other shelters as well. Maureen offered to pay for food to fatten up the tiny kittens. "Rules are rules", said the volunteer. We cannot take them until they are bigger.

Joan and her son, Pat, were known to those at the shelter. They lived near a park where they often saw homeless animals. If possible, they would bring those animals to the shelter to be adopted. Today, they brought in three puppies. Properly fattened up to meet the weight requirements.

Joan approached Maureen and her husband; she offered to take these kittens home with her until they gained weight. Little Pat had a big smile on his face when he said that he would feed the kittens.

The volunteer watched this exchange and offered to provide shots for the kittens. This she was able to do. Maureen gave Joan money for cat food and thanked her for her kindness. She then told Joan that they tried to bring the mother cat as well but she ran away.

Maureen and Stan were staying at their sons home for a week while their son and his new bride were on their honeymoon.

Stan was reading on the patio, when a beautiful, young cat, nuzzled his leg. He proceeded to pet the cat. The cat looked undernourished and so Stan fed her. The cat ate every morsel of food and drank all the water. She was really hungry. Next day, the same thing happened. On the third day, the cat entered the house and checked it out.

Maureen asked the neighbors if they knew who this cat belonged to. The cat appeared to be a stray. On the fourth day, the cat showed up with a kitten in her mouth and placed the kitten by the bowl of milk. Then she went for the rest of her kittens.

Maureen and Stan were dumbfounded. They found themselves adopted by a mother cat and her newborns.

This posed a problem. Their son would not return for a week after they left. His new bride was allergic to cats. So Maureen and Stan knocked on doors in the neighborhood to see in anyone would take the cats.

No luck in finding a home. They were directed to several animal shelters miles away.

Finding a shelter who would take the family of cats proved to be difficult. The shelter where they met Joan and her son was in a city miles away from where they were staying. They were so grateful that Joan and Pat volunteered to take the kittens.

Problem solved...................or so they thought......................

SURPRISE!!!!!Mother cat was there to greet them upon their return to the house. She was not alone...............She had another kitten with her. They were hungry.

Stan fed the two cats while Maureen called the shelter to ask them for Joan's phone number. The shelter would not give out her number but did agree to call Joan on their behalf. The shelter contacted Joan and she in turn called Maureen.
YES................she would take the mother and kitten (who needed to put on weight)

Getting momma cat into a box was not an easy task. She meowed the entire trip.

They took the cats to Joan's home and momma cat was reunited with the rest of her kittens.

Maureen and Stan had only a few hours to catch their flight back to the east coast. Mission accomplished.............just in the nick of time.

Good news a few weeks later. Kittens gained weight and were adopted.

BEAUTY

The young pretty blond smiled and tried to understand what the Mayan native was trying to tell her. They gestured to one another but she did not understand. She looked around and asked if anyone could interpret what was being said.

A small group of people had been watching her and someone stepped forward and said, "they are trying to tell you that you are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside."

She blushed as she hugged the person who looked up and kept smiling at her.

These people were strangers to one another but they recognized a good, loving heart. What did this young woman do to attract their attention?

She did what she normally did. She showed concern and love for her fellowman.

This was part of who she was. It was part of her strong Faith in God. She treated others as she would like to be treated herself. She did not know that she was doing anything special.

Why she stood out in the Yucatan at that time is that they had rarely seen a tall, hazel eyed blond in their area. And so they watched her as she smiled and laughed and helped a young child out of the mud puddle that he fell into. They watched as she smiled and helped someone else. They watched her every movement. And they liked what they saw.

She had never considered herself beautiful but that day and that comment made her feel beautiful. She was not concerned about her physical beauty but she was so touched that her inner beauty was recognized. To her, that was most important.

THE WORLD HAS BEEN TOUCHED

A personal friend and co-worker of my son, George Michael, stopped by his home in California to spend some time with my daughter-in-law. While she was there, she wrote this poem in a short time as a tribute to my son. I would like to share it with you.

When you were born, the world smiled...

You made us laugh and gave us joy
with your keen sense of humor

You made us stronger because of the
strength you exemplified

You made us think beyond all possibilities
because you believed in us

You always "ROOTED FOR THE UNDERDOG", caring
so genuinely for others..You taught us compassion.

You made us better people by gently leading by example,
mirroring a kind heart and perseverance
for love and life

The world has been touched my you...

Your Spirit will remain in our hearts and
Your memory will always be with us.

I had planned to just publish this poem but numerous thoughts flew through my head. Memories. Mike's (George Michael) spirit has touched a number of people since his passing. They have shared happenings with me. I need time to filter what has been shared with me. On Saturday, there will be a Mass and celebration of life for Mike in our old hometown of Warwick, N. Y. A place that I often referred to as God's Country.

An old friend of Mike's wanted to do this for him. The Church service and tribute to his meaningful, short, painfilled life was in California and was a marvelous tribute to an outstanding young man. (nominated for outstanding citizen of the year three times).

I was touched that his long time friend, Mike Hazard, wanted to open up his home and arrange a Mass for those on the east coast who wanted to say farewell to a good friend. St. Stephens Church is the Church that had the most meaning to my son. It is almost as if Mike made his wishes known from the spirtual world as to how this is coming together. I will share a special event at St. Stephens that had an impact on my sons life at a later date.

Mike was born in St. Anthony's hospital in Warwick. That was an event as well. I did not want to go to the hospital until my husband could go with me. He was playing a baseball game that night and the guys rarely came home when the game was finished. They usually celebrated their win for a time.

My sister, left our home to hasten George (husband) to get home. I will leave it to your imagination as to how she did this. When George arrived home, he decided to make a thermos of coffee. He expected to wait at the hospital for the birth of Mike. As he had with our first child.

Mike was born approx. one half hour after we arrived at the hospital. When I mentioned that we cut that one close, George sheepishly pulled a baggy from his pocket. It contained a pair of sterile gloves and a clean shoestring that he had been carrying around with him in case he had to deliver our baby. No wonder, he was not concerned as he took his time making coffee.

I LOVED THAT MAN....................

The next morning, I realized that another friend had given birth to a baby girl as well. We started to socialize..................and then all of our mutual friends from the town started to show up. It was celebration time at the hospital...........until our Doctors stepped in. And limited the number of people who could come in.

When Becky wrote, THE WORLD HAS BEEN TOUCHED , she wrote what I have always known about Mike.

THANK YOU so much for giving so much comfort with your words. You captured who he was.

ABSENCE

I have not written a story for some time due to being totally involved with family who live in different parts of the country. Those who know me, are totally aware of my commitment to family. Two of my sisters and now me have lost a child. These cousins are in Heaven along with my husband,parents, brother, sister, aunts, uncles and many friends. I come from a large family. FAITH keeps us going and we are there for one another.

I was in Pennsylvania holding a newborn at his Christening as people were trying to reach me concerning the death of my son at his home in California. I was the Godmother at this Christening. Birth................Death..................

I am too, too raw at this time to write more, but a few people, who knew Mike approached me and told me of his appearing in their dreams before they were notified of his death. They shared what transpired in their dreams. There are at least two other tangible happenings that at some point in time, I will write about.

John Hunneman (Hunneman@Californian.com) wrote in an article for the North County Times about my son, George Michael Martin. The article tells a little of Mikes work and his impact on the now large city of Temecula. Mike lived and worked there for only 5 years and relocated in 1995 to Northern California. The article was titled, That's What Friends are For. And how a farsighted group of volunteers made a difference. The work that Mike did continues. This article was published August 26. 2010 . An article published back in 1995 was titled UNSUNG HERO. I wish that I could find a copy of that article about Mike. When I read it years ago, he took it from me before I could make a copy of it. He knew that I would show it to everyone. He was such a great man of humility and downplayed his good work. JUST LIKE HIS DAD........................They felt that I talked and shouted the good news more than enough.

When my husband passed away in August of 2006, Bishop Howard Hubbard told me that George (my husband) was playing golf with GOD. I responded, and cooking with JESUS. Both father and son were gourmet cooks and played golf. Those few words have provided a great amount of comfort to me over the years. Both George and his son, George Michael (Mike) are now playing golf with GOD and cooking with JESUS.

SMILE

Have you ever had one of those days when you wished that the work day was over? Your routine was the same, day in and day out.

Marge was feeling down and out this day and finally the work day was over. She simply wanted to go home, kick off her shoes, and relax.......................

Her job was boring but IT PAID THE BILLS....................

Prior to going home, she had to shop for a number of household necessities. There was a large warehouse shopping store on her way home where she could get what was needed.

She noticed other grumpy faces as she shopped.

So she smiled as she passed one couple. They looked at her, hesitated for a moment and then smiled back.

That felt good.

The next person she passed looked confused and she asked if they needed help. They did and a conversation started that was mutually beneficial.

That felt very good.

This continued as she shopped. Now she noticed as she kept smiling; more people smiled with her. More friendly chit chat.

She slowed down her pace and realized that she did not have to rush home. This shopping experience had turned into just what she needed to feel good that day. AND ALL BECAUSE OF A SMILE.......................

She finished shopping and looked at her watch. She was still on schedule. The extra time spent interacting with others actually took very little of her time. The SMILE took no extra time.

Time to check out. The lines were long. KEEP SMILING......................

They opened up more cash registers and she was through in a short time.

NEXT..............

Marge was in a long line of shoppers waiting to exit this large warehouse shopping store. You know, the ones that check your receipt prior to existing the store.

She could not help but notice that the person checking the receipts looked tired. No smile on his face. Same routine with every customer. Take their receipt, check their basket and thank them for shopping there.

When it was her turn to hand over her receipt and have the contents checked, she gave him a big smile. She looked at his name tag while he was checking her basket. When he returned her receipt, she said, "THANK YOU MARTY. She was the only one who addressed him by his name and with a smile.

He smiled back with a big, big smile and said, " AND YOU HAVE A VERY, VERY GOOD EVENING"

A smile, a personal acknowledgement, cost nothing and yet produces huge returns. Both in feeling good yourself and making someone else feel good. It may be the only smile or kind word that they have had all day.......................or as in the case of many..........................the only smile and kind word that they have had in a long time.

By the time Marge returned home, she was in a much better mood then when she left work.

IN MEMORY

Memorial Day has passed and yet my mind is filled with thoughts of our brave men and women who have served our country. Some, I have had the privilege of knowing. Many family members and friends have served our country well and with honor.

All have made a great impression on me.

Whenever I see a member of our armed forces, I say a private prayer for them. I ask God to bless them and keep them safe. I include their families in my prayers.

I also say a prayer for the walking wounded. Those who are no longer in uniform and have returned to civilian life. I say walking wounded because many carry scars that one cannot see. Their minds and hearts are forever altered by what they have witnessed and endured in battle.

Most will not talk about their inner pain; they put on a happy face. But they never forget.................

I remember a good friend who was an extremely handsome, charming Irish-American. I remember his smile and wit. I also remember his broken heart and anguish at being one of the few survivors of his Marine battalion in battle overseas. He could not get the picture of his dead comrades out of his mind and always questioned why he survived. He survived in body but part of his heart and soul died in battle that day. It affected him his entire life.

We remember those who have passed away. We need to respect and honor those who have survived and yet that does not always happen in the reality of life. These brave men and women give so much to us. What do we give back?

While in the San Diego airport, a couple of weeks ago, I watched a young man in uniform hug his young wife and baby. I could not help but wonder if he was being shipped overseas as he boarded the flight that I was on. I wondered about his family
and hoped and prayed that he would return to them, healthy in mind, body and soul.

So many who serve, do not return whole...................

Remember the living as well as the dead..............Pray for those who keep us safe.......support their brave efforts. And when they return, help them in their adjustment to civilian life............

CURIOUSITY

The breathtaking display in the clear blue sky of southern California on Thursday, May 13 shortly after 12 noon keeps popping up in my mind.

The timing of the young woman talking to me about her Mother and this extraordinary display in the sky was a Grace Moment.

I am a firm believer in signs and messages from the spiritual world. This was not always the case with me. I used to attribute much to strong intuition, common sense etc.

Many things amaze me. And my natural curiosity about the unusual leads me to research. I look for answers. Facts. I explore. I feel like a little child in a candy shop when I learn something new. Eager to share with others.

For some happenings, there are no logical answers................WE SIMPLY BELIEVE OR NOT..................FAITH IS A POWERFUL GIFT.................ALTHOUGH, I have been hit over the head, a few times when I strayed from this belief.

The sky spectacular of the 13th. lead me to asking others what they saw. One woman lives in the desert. Her husband had called her to tell her what he saw at approx. 2:00 P.M. He saw the rainbow colors form a complete circle around the sun.

I googled the rainbow colors and came across a number of pictures posted of rainbow colors in the sky north of where I was. These pictures were taken in the Los Angeles area at approx. 2:00 P. M. None of the pictures were anything like what we witnessed shortly after 12:00 P.M. The colors were fading, formation was drifting.

Then another site brought me to some research about unusual sky activity and the occurrence of earthquakes being done thousands of miles away. They were looking for information of happenings during the time frame in question. Another tid bit to spur my asking questions. One woman that I talked to had experienced an earthquake of slightly over 7 at her home in Carlsbad.

In spite of all my searching for answers and research, I could not find anyone who saw what we saw. I really missed not having my camera that glorious afternoon.

If anyone who reads this can shed some LIGHT on the subject, please contact me.

(Original story: A BURST OF LIGHT)