It is good to see so many getting signs

[lilyjohn]

I finally got a chance to read a little here and try to catch up. It is very hard once I get behind and there are so many new people. I want to be supportive but I just don't always have the time to read much less post. Most of the things I have posted recently (about Johnny's last days) were written months ago. Day after tomorrow will be two years sense he died. I am having a very hard time handling these dates and the memories that go with them. Something else is on my mind as well and that is the reason for this post.

I see more and more posts by people talking about signs that their loved one is still with them. It really does my heart good to see that. I think much of the reason for that is that it validates the experiences that I have had. It also gives me hope about what my fate will be someday. I just can't accept that a person can be so vital and alive one minute then ceace to exist.

We hear about miracles all of our lives. We are told about eternal life and profess our belief in those things. Yet when we are given so much evidence that points to those things we try to rationalize them away. I think we are all guilty of that. I know that as much evidence as I have had there are times I still try to find other reasons for the things that have happened.

I posted about my praying hands being lost and the way I found them. I know that could only be a miracle. I think when they were lost a year ago someone maybe God or Johnny or even both knew that there would be a day when I would need a miracle, something that I couldn't explain away, to get me through a hard time. To give me a reason to go on and believe. Finding those praying hands like I did and where I did gave me that.

The truth is there are miracles taking place around us every day. We just have to open our hearts and minds to see them. Our pastor's wife has become a good friend. She is living proof that miracles happen. She had Utiran Cancer that spread throughout her body. All reason would say that she shouldn't be her today but she is and for the third year she has tested cancer free.

Anoter example is the fire that swept through here just 3 months ago. Where I live was completely surrounded by fire. It rose up the mountains at least 800 feet all around us. With all of that only two homes burned here in the park and 26 within the whole area of the fire. Yes we had some brave and determined fire fighters but had that fire swept straight through and not skipped large sections they could never have saved anything. Now I look around and see the new growth as a sign of renewal. Life is once again rising from disaster. Isn't that what eternal life is? I have come to know that eternal life does exist. It is not a fairy tale or something vague that will happen someday. Eternal means on going or everlasting. It doesn't mean stopping then restarting. Life continues only in a different form and eternal life is only a breath away.

Maybe it is because God has been taken from so many things in our world that He is just using another way to make his presence known. Maybe these things have been happening all along but now we are more willing to acknowledge them. Whatever the reason we are being told and shown that life is eternal and our loved ones are always near.

When so many disasters were going on in our country I made the comment that maybe God was trying to tell us something. Maybe He was giving us a not so gentle reminder that He is still in charge. I saw something that supports that idea.

After Ivan swept through the Florida Panhandle a picture was put on the news. There had been two seperate signs that were damaged with half of each being ripped away. One half was imposed on the other so the new message the two halves made was "This is God. We need to talk."

Each and everyone of us here have become personally aquainted with the monster known as lung cancer. Our lives will never be the same. Now we are acknowledging that many of us are getting signs from our departed loved ones. Maybe that is our sign that says "This is God. We need to talk."

God Bless you all. May the signs continue and give us all peace during this difficult time of year. As hard as it is and as many things that try to turn Christmas into something that is all about money we need to always remember what the real reason for Christmas is. Christ gives us the promise of everlasting life. Maybe it is time for us to accept it and testify to what we have seen and what we know.

[cindi o'h]

thank you, That was so beautifully put. Keep the faith. Love can never die.

Cindi o'h

[kim]

What can I say, you just said it all. I think we all are here for a reason, and when that reason is acomplished we move on to our reward; being forever at our Savior''s side. The thing hard about that is that some get their jobs finished before WE think it's time. If everyone thinks really hard, I'm sure you can think of something good or life changing has happened after the passing of a loved one. After my mom passed, I got my husband back, a new man. He said my mom's passing affected him more than I will ever know. Now he wants to BE for us instead of just existing. My mom gave me this miricle in her passing. My oldest sister has quit smoking now, mom prayed with her the night before she died, that God would help her quit, and he did! Like you said, it's not that they aren't here, it's just on a different plain. I'm kinda excited to know that when my time is done that I'll be in a wonderful place with my mom, and it will be forever!

Thank you for posting your thoughts, they brought joy and comfort to my day!

[cathy]

[nikkala]

I just wanted to share one of my "signs" When my mom was diagnosed with lc she was 38, I was 21. I found out I was pregnant the same day she was diagnosed. That night my mom grabbed my arm so tight and told me "no matter what all thru my life I would feel that" and at my darkest moments I can feel her holding my arm so tight and I can feel her love. My daughter had just turned 2 when my mom died, a month later she had an "imaginary" friend. The things she would do with her "friend" were just like things my mom would do with her. She would even describe my mom when I would ask her what she looked like. It has been 9yrs since I lost my mom and I still see signs everyday that she is with me. The love doesn't stop just because of death.

Lisa

lung nodules/awaiting next ct scan

Lost mom to LC 7/13/95