Grace Moments by Dolores Martin

THE DOVE AT HER WINDOW



Her heart was breaking. She was in extreme anguish.



Carol was pushing herself to work in her kitchen rather than crawl into bed and try to escape from what was bothering her. As she looked out her kitchen window, she saw a dove fly right up to the window and look directly at her.



THE DOVE HAD THREE EYES!!!!!!!!!!!



An intense feeling of warmth and love replaced the anguish. Carol fell to her knees and started to pray. She thanked God for all of her blessings and put aside all negativity.



I met Carol many years ago on a beautiful, white sandy beach. We were in awe looking out at the incredible, clear blue water of the Carribean. It is a view that I never tire of. We used to see one another every year at this same place.



Our conversations have always been light, funny and interesting. Nothing HEAVY. We enjoyed this yearly banter and recognized one another as women of faith and love of family and life.



One year, I noticed a deep sadness in her. We did not have the opportunity to talk at that time. She kept to herself. The next year, she was not at this beautiful spot.



There she was.....the following year and back to her smiling, vibrant self. We immediately gravitated to one another on the beach and looked out at the clear blue water of the Carribean.



She then looked at me and said, "I know that I can share this with you." I normally do not talk about this because I do not want people to think that I am crazy".



Her instincts told her that I would understand what had happened to her.

As she shared this beautiful revelation with me, I felt so much love and warmth radiating from her. She now attended daily Mass and also built a small chapel in her home. She and her husband had developed a strong friendship with the resident Priest in this beautiful country.

A new Church was being constructed in this area and she and her husband made a special donation to this Church. Whenever I attend Mass there, I see what they did for the Church.
Due to circumstances, they are no longer visiting at the time that I am there, but I always am reminded of her when I walk into this Church.

I am so grateful that she shared her story of faith with me many years ago. Her comment that she did not talk about her revelation because she did not want people to think that she was crazy is a comment that I have heard from many people. Many of us have experience revelations. They are there for all to experience.

WE ARE NOT CRAZY!!!!!!

People with open minds and hearts experience messages and signs all of the time. They are all around us. It is simply for us to receive and acknowledge what is shared with us. This is part of our growth. This is part of our Spiritual awareness.

God has given us free will. We can open up our minds and hearts to his love and gifts or we can doubt the validity of these occurrences. He loves us and watches us grow. I believe that He is totally delighted, just as all proud parents are when their children finally get the message.

I find that in this day and age, more and more people are willing to open up and share their spiritual experiences. What a wonderful gift they are sharing. Their experiences may be heard by someone who really needs to hear about this. Someone who will look at the world around them and be more aware of messages and signs. Someone who needs to hear. Someone who will have a life altering moment from their encounter with someone who loves and cares enough to share a revelation.

Grace Moments by Dolores Martin

WHY IS LIFE SO HARD, WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING

Recently I came into possession of a poem written by a young woman whom I have known for many years. She has granted me permission to publish her writing but not to use her name.

I believe that this was written after the death of her father while still in his forties. Her parents were divorced and things were not easy. Since then, her mother died in a tragic car accident while falling asleep at the wheel of her car while driving home from work. Her mother was a beautiful woman in her forties.

This young woman was pregnant with twins. Shortly after her mothers tragic accident, she was in a car accident as well. Her twins were born premature. One twin has cerebral palsy.



The Grace Moments in her life all come from her Grandparents who are up in age but still the rock and foundation of her life. They have never, ever let her down. Their strength is.......I cannot put it into words except to say that I truly admire them. They are ANGELS on earth.

They have a firm belief in God.


LIFE

Why does life always seem so bad
I look to the past and see what I had
I had a father who was never around
but when we were together, love is what I found

I had a kitty, her name was Pepper
I thought for sure, she'd be around forever
I have great Grandparents but they are not young
Another 10 years and they might be done

I have a Mom, she's a great lady
But I never see her and it drives me crazy

I have a step father who loves me like his own
That is something that's always been shown

My little brother is my best friend
I'm scared that someday that will end

I love my big brother
But we never talk or see each other

I love my little sisters and they love me
But their two girls, I never see

I'm worried about who God is going to take next
I always pray that he leaves who's left

It seems to me that everyday I cry
Over someone else that died

Well this is all I have to say
But please God, leave who's here today.


This young woman, with the help and encouragement of her Grandparents is doing well. She and her husband have weathered the bad times and have been able to purchase a home.
She was able to find a direction that provided hope for the future. She was able to find a job
that is productive and fullfilling.

The children, with loving support of family are doing well.

Grace Moments by Dolores Martin

GONE FISHING

I have sorely neglected our home on Cape Cod this summer. My kayak and golf clubs were in the mini van and so I set out for the Cape on August 10. I arrived late due to the weather and also a number of cell calls that came in while driving. Each time, I pulled over to a scenic area to chat. When one is retired, one need not rush to a destination.

Bright and early the next morning on August 11, the door bell rang and rang and rang. I put on a robe and answered the door. There was eight year old Johnny.

"Hi, Dolores, welcome back". He was excited to fill me in on what transpired since I had been gone. He noticed that I had not planted a vegetable garden this year. I hugged him and he said that he would see me later.

Ten minutes later, while still in my robe and drinking coffee, the doorbell rang. "Hi Dolores, here are some fresh vegetables from our garden". Once again, I hugged him and he left.

Forty five minutes later, after coffee and getting dressed, the door bell rang. "Hi Dolores, Corey wanted to say hello". Corey is nine. We visited for a time.

Later that afternoon, the door bell rang. (I still had not unpacked the van). "Hi Dolores, do you want to go fishing tomorrow with me".

Johnny looked at me with his big eyes and long lashes and big smile........I melted and put all thoughts of work and unpacking out of my mind and said, O.K. He told me that he would pack a lunch for us and we would have fun.

After dinner, the door bell rang. "Hi, Dolores. Could we check out your fishing pole and George's fishing gear in the garage."

We went to the garage and went through all of the fishing gear and made our choices for the next day. We agreed to meet at noon. I needed to do laundry. He then asked if he could come over early since his brother was taking sailing lessons and he wanted to hang out with me instead. I told him that he could come over early but that he would have to entertain himself while I did some work.

When he left, my daughter called to find out how I was handling the day. You see, August 11 was the SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF GEORGE'S DEATH. Little Johnny was George's friend. He and his friends lovingly referred to George as, "George of the Jungle".

I told my daughter that I did not have too much time to think about the significance of the day because of Johnny's visits. She and I discussed what happened prior to my leaving home on the 10th.

I was putting several files into my briefcase to work on while I was away. One file fell to the floor and a card fell from this file. This was a business file. What was this card doing in it? The card was NOT a special occasion card. I opened the card. It was from George. It said, "I am looking forward to our long trip to Florida and then to Cancun and back to Florida again. I love you very much."

THIS CARD WAS THE LAST CARD THAT I HAD RECEIVED FROM GEORGE PRIOR TO HIS DEATH.

On August 7, I published the blinking red light and now this!!!!!!!!

WE ARE GOING FISHING............

Johnny arrived bright and early. Instead of waiting until noon, I finished up a few things and off we went. We stopped at one area to catch turtles, frogs and minnows. We tried to fish but the area was not conducive to casting. We lost some hooks, bobber and sinkers.

"Let"s go to crab creek, exclaimed Johnny!" I thought for a moment and agreed.

GEORGE WENT TO CRAB CREEK EVERYDAY. He caught dinner everyday. He was known as "CRABBING GEORGE" at this location. He had a special spot where he placed a chair in the water and enjoyed his favorite pastime. He always caught enough crabs to share with others. It cracked me up when he told me that he bartered steamed crabs for his haircuts!!!!!!

HE WAS ENJOYING RETIREMENT.

We arrived at Crab Creek and I could visualize George in his favorite spot. It pleased me to no end to remember how much he loved this spot and the enjoyment it brought to him. ALSO THE FUNNY STORIES........

Little Johnny smiled at me and he told me how many times George could be found at Crab Creek.

Due to circumstances, I was not always at the Cape with George. I had responsibilities back home that required attention. I was not fully retired.

We enjoyed ourselves at Crab Creek, but did not have much luck catching fish or crabs. WE ALMOST CAUGHT A LARGE SEA GULL!!!!!!!

Johnny had a great cast. The line went so far that it flew to the other side of the creek. He snagged a large tree. We had a fishing line tight rope going across the Creek. I chuckled to myself as I imagined little critters doing a balancing act walking across this line.

WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? Johnny yelled for help and I tried to unsnag the line to no avail. I could not unsnag it from either side of the creek. It was determined that we were going to have to sacrifice another bobber, hook and sinker. We had to cut the line.

There were people on the other side of the creek watching us. Probably wondering which one of us would fall in the water first.

It was time to cut the line...

OH NO!!!!!!!! A large sea gull was dive bombing for a fish and was headed straight for the line. This poor little creature of God could hurt himself if he flew into the line.

Everyone who was watching this scene yelled at the same time and startled the gull. The gull pulled up just in time to miss the line and only lost one feather.

THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL......We quickly cut the line.

The rest of the morning went like that. I could just see George and God in Heaven looking down on us and cracking up laughing.

It was finally time to go home. We packed up our gear and left.

Later that day, Corey came over with Johnny. He had a great day with his sailing lessons. Next year, he would be finished with lessons and told me that he could take me sailing.

I HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE WITH SAILING if this happens.

Men my own age have stopped asking me to be their sailing partner. If I ever finish, "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY THROUGH LIFE," you will understand why.

Grace Moments by Dolores Martin

THE BLINKING LIGHT

Today is my birthday. August 7. I was going to write about how the number 7 has played a part in my life. It is a lucky number for me in many ways. I have decided to write about that on another day since there are many twists and turns to that story starting at birth.

My mind is pre-occupied with many things at this time since George died on August 11, 2006. For those of you who read the story of Revelation, you know just how close he and I were. He was the nicest person that I had ever met. Many people share that sentiment with me.

He gave of himself and never asked for anything in return. We felt blessed for finding one another and our connection was instant and also a grace moment.

I was thinking of George and how I have felt that both he and God have been instrumental in so much of what I have been doing especially since the end of September, 2007.

I had promised him that I would do different things in my life. He had asked me to do at least one new thing a week in the journey of life without him. I honor his memory by doing that, starting with my three month journey beginning last November.

He was such a wise man both at home and in business. He left a great legacy.

My life is very full. There is meaning to it. AND I AM DOING THINGS THAT I NEVER DID BEFORE. I am growing in so many ways. I am an accomplished woman who thought that I did a lot in life. Thanks to the wisdom of George, I realize that there is so much more to do. He is guiding my path.

My work on this earth is not finished and I tend to get involved with things that are beneficial to those around me. When I want to throw in the towel and just play in retirement, something happens that propels me into another worthwhile project.

So I work hard and I play hard. That is something that George and I did together and we had a successful marriage.

BALANCE was important to both of us.

I was thinking about him and missed hearing his voice. I also was in serious thought about a presentation that I will be making in a few days. I was really over-thinking the issue and was pondering just how he would handle this important meeting. He would give it a KISS. Keep it Simple Stupid!!!!!!

I was working at my word processor and was distracted by the blinking red light on my phone. This blinking light was becoming more and more distracting. I had been ignoring phone calls so that I could work without interruption.

This blinking light is beginning to annoy me.

I picked the phone up to listen to my messages only to find that there were no current messages.

I pushed the button to erase whatever was causing the light to continue to blink and pushed the wrong button.

GUESS WHAT I HEARD...........

It was an old message from George!!!!!!! He was laughing and wanted to share something with me. He was at our home in Cape Cod. I was to meet him there in a few days. He told me about the days events and some funny things that had happened.

He ended the message with the words that I had heard every day of our time together on this earth.....I LOVE YOU......

After George died, we left some of his messages on our voice mail. Eventually these messages were recorded for our children and grandchildren to listen to.

The little ones and future generations could associate a voice with the pictures of George. Deb recorded these messages quite a while ago. I thought that she had erased all of the messages once she recorded them. She thought that she had as well. Apparently one was left on our voice mail.

WHAT A GREAT BIRTHDAY PRESENT........

Grace Moments by Dolores Martin

I normally publish on Thursday. I find that there are Grace Moments in our life everyday and may from time to time write about the days events.

Today was such a day. The experience was a simple one, but it had an impact on a strangers life. Only he knows to what extent, but I thank God for allowing me to participate in a special moment with a stranger. Another child of God. My brother in FAITH.

SOMEONE NEEDED ME, BUT I DID NOT KNOW IT.........

On occasion, I will attend Mass on a week-day. Today was such a day. The chapel was almost filled to capacity. Father Pat delivered an excellent homily and by coincidence addressed an emotion that was foreign to me until recently and that I needed to reflect upon.

After Mass, I needed to return to my home office to prepare for an extremely important presentation that I will be making. I had hoped to finish this work prior to my next meeting this afternoon.

SLOW DOWN...RELAX...YOU ARE ON THE VERGE OF BEING OVEREXTENDED.......

Instead of rushing from Church, I interacted with a fellow parishioner over coffee in our social hall.

I was facing a clock on the wall. Tick, tock went the clock and I really had to go.

One of those feelings that I have learned to listen to was coming over me as I went to my car. It kept telling me to drive down to the car dealership where I have been test driving a new car. I am awaiting the 09 model to come through and have no desire to purchase the vehicle yet. The pull was very strong. My birthday is next week and I thought to myself; treat yourself to an early birthday present. I pushed my practical thoughts aside. The pull to the dealership was strong. Why else should I go there if not to treat myself.

I pushed the thought of all the work waiting for me in my office and followed this urge.

I have a great sound system in my current vehicle and I turned up the volume to listen to Tom Jones as I accelerated faster than usual out of the Church parking lot. The highway was calling to me. Let your hair down, listen to the music and drive. And drive I did!!!!!! Unlike my usual conservative self.

As I approached exit 6, my practical side took over and I aborted the plan to drive to the car dealership. Sams Club is off that exit and my 20 year old television is dying a slow death. I decided to put it out of its misery and purchase a new one. I was almost past the exit but was able to make a sharp turn and correct my course. At the next stop light, one could also re-enter the highway. As I veered into the lane to take me to Sams Club, the car wanted to go straight. Straight would take me back to the highway.

O.K. WHAT IS GOING ON? WHAT THE HECK, GOOOOOO WITH THE FLOW!!!!!!

I arrived at the dealership and was wandering around the parking lot, checking out colors and interiors. My practical side is looking conservative. The child in me is looking at the hot cherry red color that this car is featured. At my age?????????

A salesman approached me and we chatted. I told him that I had talked to another salesman there and that he had called me off and on. I did not have his card with me, but would like to work with him since he had already spent time with me. We went into the showroom. The salesman that I had previously worked with was not in. Another new car salesman came to assist me with questions. We joked around for a short time and shared a few good laughs.

I made it clear that I was not purchasing a vehicle today and would eventually meet with the gentleman who I had previously worked with. That was fine with him.

He asked me to join him in his office to update my information. While there, I said that this was a spur of the moment visit. I had just attended Mass and for no apparent reason, had an urge to visit their showroom. He asked about my Parrish. He told me that he had not been to Church recently but that he had a need to make a visit. There was a Franciscan Chapel nearby and he stopped in this morning to say a prayer. I had said that I just published an article that addressed the need to visit the tabernacle.

The jokes subsided. The conversation took on a very serious tone. He was hurting and conflicted. Deep emotions were troubling. He wanted to talk, but did not know how to start. I shared a story with him about a family who is going through several difficult health issues all at the same time. Some life threatening and or life shortening. The look on his face told me that their problems were far worse than his.

I had asked him if he had heard the story of the CROSS ROOM. He had not heard this story. I told him the story.

He reached over his desk and took both of my hands into his. He looked me in the eyes and said thank-you. THANK-YOU. He told me that he needed to hear what I had to say. The timing was perfect. He was also going back to that chapel today. He needed to call upon his FAITH even though he had not been to Church recently. He also told me that he was now going to call his sister in another state.

We hugged one another.

I NOW HAVE THE ANSWER AS TO WHY MY VEHICLE NEEDED TO DRIVE TO THIS DEALERSHIP AND HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN.

On the way home, I felt like singing and dancing. The music from Abba filled the air. If anyone had looked into my vehicle, they would have witnessed an older woman, singing and moving to the beat of the music and making a fool of herself. The cd disc changer moved on to another cd. It played a cd that I had forgotten that I had put in.

The car was now filled with the music of Amy Grant, Rock of Ages. Songs of hymns and faith. The song playing was: GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY and another called: SWEET WILL OF GOD...........