The GIFT

So, it was 1978. The LORD had  guided me to help a young mother and her sister through some tuff times for them. The Husband of the sister worked in a chemical company that produced famous brand Shampoos and Body lotions and the like.

A few miracles had taken place while we all walked a very difficult road together for a season and The husband wanted to do something for me to repay their gratitude. How silly I thought, I hadn't done anything but pray for them and help them through a hard few years.. The husband and his wife had come to my attention through her sister and we all experienced the GRACE of GOD in miraculous ways together over a four year period. It all had nothing whatsoever to do with me. It was the LORD who blessed us all! I was just the blessed human who experienced the miracles along side these folks.

The husband would not take no for an answer from me! He kept offering me money, gifts, and the like, to repay me for my kindness.  I kept turning him down, firmly no! No favor I pleaded, PLEASE, stop!

He was so determined to do something for me, thinking I deserved it somehow. He was really very sweet, and thankful.

So being that he worked in management for a major chemical company he choose to do something for us in a practical manner. He drove by my home very early one day and left two, one gallon bottles of the company's most famous shampoo and conditioner on the door step.  I was passing the front window that morning and I saw something go by the house,  and looked quickly out the window as he dropped off "something". I then watched him get into his car, close the door, and then Drive away,  I got up from the kitchen table and went to the door wondering what had just happened here? I saw the two gallon jugs sitting there on the bricks with a note and curly colored confetti attached to them. The note read "please except SOMETHING for our gratitude", we love you! After I read the note, I laughed and said to myself, "well now this is a great gift", we can surly all use this! 

With that I closed the door and went into the house and put the shampoo and conditioner in the shower and didn't think of it again!

It just left my thoughts.

We used the "gift" every night with every shower, my husband and my two boys and myself. I marveled at how having a gallon of this stuff really made a difference as it seemed to never run out.

I thought to myself, from now on, I'm always buying in this bulk size!  It lasts forever! And again I forgot about it.

Life went on and showers happened every night!

A year later I was at the store and I was going over my grocery list. I thought to myself, gee, I'm so sick of that gallon of shampoo, perhaps I should get something new? I was sick of looking at the big jug on the shelf in the bathroom! But then I thought, "well, it's more frugal to wait until it runs out I guess, were not millionaires, I won't spend the grocery money on shampoo if I still have some left, It does smell really good and heck, we have hardly used any of the conditioner"!

So with that I again just forgot about it.

A year later, YES, a year later, I looked at that large jug of shampoo and conditioner and said, "HEY, wait a minute here, this is still half full"! "How can that be"? "What's going on here"? I asked my boys and husband if they remembered the kind husband two years ago that dropped this off to us as a gift? They all said, "yes", I said, hey guy's, that was two years ago! We still have shampoo and conditioner left! This is a miracle! There is no other way to explain it. My oldest son Jason said "Mom, I use that every night" I said as do I, and I use it on your brother, and my husband said I have also only used that stuff! We all sat there quietly for a moment and then just burst into laughter! Why? Shampoo? Really?

YES, really! It was an anointed gift. GOD showed us great favor.

We to this day still talk about the miraculous shampoo incident.

Miracles happen every day, we don't always recognize them but none the less they happen!

I'm grateful, very grateful to see how GOD cares for us in ways we would never expect!

It's hard to believe I just forgot about it over and over for two years. I wonder if the LORD allowed me to "Not recall" how long we were using the "gift" so we would experience that wonderful moment together?

Truth my friend is always stranger than fiction!

Awakend By Fate

So, it was 1959. I lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My Mom had packed us 4 kids into the car for a quick trip to Florida. We all thought that was wonderful! We were traveling at night and in the hot summer months of the year. Our car did not have air conditioning back in those days. It was uncomfortable, but the windows were open and we were heading to Florida!

My parents were getting a divorce and my Mom decided to visit her parents in Miami so she could work a few things out for the future.

I didn't really understand what the divorce thing was all about. I was just too young.

We had travelled all evening and it was time for Mom to take a rest from all the driving. It was still dark as I heard the tires pull onto a crunchy, rocky road. I remember being the only one awake, I looked around the car seats, I didn't want to get up yet, so I kept my eyes closed, the engine of the car was still running.  I was still very tired and it had cooled down a lot through the night I thought. So I stayed snuggled together with my sleeping siblings. We were in an older car, with a big back seat. All my siblings were sound asleep. Unaware of what was transpiring.

After being parked for a while, I heard my Mom start crying. It was soft but desperate. I was so small I could not see over the big front seat to where she was in the drivers seat. She sat looking straight ahead. I could see her profile from where I was in the back.

I tried to get up but thought maybe I should stay quite. It wasn't often I heard my Mom crying. It was a bit weird for me. I sat up a bit and peeked out the window but did not speak a word. The window was open and I could see a huge empty unpaved area that we were parked on. It was all white, like sand or shells or something I thought. I had no idea where we were. It wasn't a home or a restaurant.

 I looked over at my mother, still not speaking and looking straight ahead. She hadn't noticed through her crying that I was awake and looking about. Her hands were firmly on the wheel as she cried softly. As the night darkness was leaving somewhat and the morning was now arriving I could almost see clearer out the window, but it was still dark.

It appeared we were on a huge piece of property that was over looking a cliff.  A huge deep cliff!

The car still running, I heard my Mom start to roll the car slowly closer towards the edge of the cliff. Then all of a sudden she stopped, as if she was reconsidering something! She did this a few times. I sat wondering what was happening here?

She started again....

My eyes widened as she did this as I thought to myself, we are rolling pretty fast here, doesn't she see the cliff there in front of her? She still did not acknowledge me being awake.

I was now fully sitting up in the back seat. 

Her hands were firmly gripping the steering wheel as she continued to cry her muffled crying. She stopped the car again! She seemed to be arguing with herself. Shaking her head. Again we started rolling closer to the edge of the cliff. We were pretty close at this point, I could see the depth of the cliff now from the other side of the deep hole, it was getting a bit brighter outside. It seemed as if this was taking a very long time.

I was now wide awake, and fearful!

All of a sudden I spoke, and to this day I can't completely explain what I said to her. I said in a very wimpy pleading voice  "Mommy, stop the car, don't do this, PLEASE Mommy, don't do this to us"!

I absolutely shocked her! She did not know I was awake and watching her. She slammed on the brakes and turned towards me. She said to me, "do what"? "What am I doing"?

Then she broke into heavy crying. Now the light was getting brighter outside. It seemed to me we were on some work sight she had pulled into to rest up. My older sister woke up a bit moving around in her seat in the front, completely unaware of what was going on.

My Mom turned the car wheel away from the cliff immediately and drove quickly away from the edge. She spoke not a word.

As I look back now I'm sure it was because if my older sister would have seen where we were at that cliffs edge she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs in fear!

That morning once back on the road  again with my sister back to sleep, my Mom said to me,

"we won't ever talk about this to anyone".

 

I said, "O.K. Mom".

I stayed awake the rest of the trip to Hialeah, Florida to her parents home and so did my Mom. I remember being afraid to fall asleep actually since she was so upset. What I thought was odd though, was that the next morning she pulled into a Graveyard under the shade trees for us all to get out of the car, stretch our legs and have a bite to eat from the picnic basket she had in the trunk, and I'm sure to also rest her weary eyes.

 

I will never forget this experience. My siblings all thought this was weird how we stopped at the graveyard. We still talk about it from time to time when we all gather.

We laugh about that crazy time Mom stopped at a graveyard to rest and have lunch. 

 I now think she pulled into that grave yard because she was very grateful we all were alive and she had been thwarted in her plan to end all of our lives because of the pain she was suffering going through that divorce.

 

I have never spoken of this to anyone since it happened in 1959. I don't know why. For many years I forgot about it. I tried to bring it up to my Mother one time in the 80's while we were both alone chatting in her home in North Carolina. She said she had no idea what I was talking about? So I left it at that. I guess she was never going to admit that this had happened. I'm sure the pain was way to deep in her soul. I can't imagine how she must have felt! After all, she was at least 6 months pregnant at the time with my little sister. 

I often would think of this day and be so grateful I was awakened that night!

Sometimes even as children we are led to intervene in the course of the future for our lives and others. I am grateful our lives did not end that way, that night! We were all protected by the only one who has our last breath in HIS hands! At HIS timing.

Not anyone else's.

Thank GOD!

 

The Test

So, it was 1978, I was a busy Mom raising two amazing young boy's. I couldn't have loved these boy's more. They were so precious. So well behaved. Such a joy to watch over. I often said I was the most blessed woman alive to be the mother of these boy's. Not only were they wonderful but they were both so handsome. Just adorable. The oldest was 5 at this time and the youngest was 3. They were to put it very simply

"My life".

I'm sure all mothers feel this way about their children. I was just very verbal about my love for them.

 

One very cold night in December in St. Petersburg, FL I had put the furnace up pretty high to keep the rooms warm but the boy's room was always oddly cold. 

After tucking them in this particular night, I decided it was to cool in the room for them and gathered up their little blankets and pillows and moved them into our bedroom and made a soft

bed for them next to my side of the bed for the night.

It was much warmer in our room and I knew if I had left them in their room, they would have kicked off their covers through the night and been very cold.

We all fell asleep shortly after I made the "move" and we were all snug like bugs in a rug.

 

It was around 3:00 a.m. in the morning when I heard someone call my name "loudly", "Teri".

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes as I tried to see who it was.

Who could that be I thought to myself?

I didn't see anyone. I thought maybe I dreamt that?

Then I laid back down because I was so tired I didn't fully wake up.

My name was called a second time. "Teri"

Again, I sat straight up.

This time I was wide awake!

I was sure I wasn't dreaming this time.

I heard that! For the second time!

It wasn't my husband calling me as he was sound asleep still. There was a small dim night light on in the room and I looked over the side of my bed and there were my two son's sleeping like angels.

So, who called my name?

I sat there a moment longer and I heard a very clear, firm male voice say to me, very matter of fact "are you ready"?

 

I instantly somehow knew what this meant.

I also know knew who was speaking to me!

I was being asked if I was ready to leave this life!

To come away.

To leave everything I had come to love, My husband and children and our safe little home. My family and friends and the wonder of this earth. I seemed to sense this was "that time" I've heard of, when we die and leave this planet.

I was more than wide awake now,  I was so taken by surprise!

I hadn't thought it would come to me so soon, and I wasn't even sick!

 

I looked back down at my two amazing babies sleeping so peacefully. This was a true heartache, I didn't want to leave them. Their beautiful faces are etched in my mind just as they were at that moment that night. It was as if time stood still for a me. I remember every minute detail of their soft innocent little faces. I drank in their angelic little forms knowing this was my final goodbye for this life.

I had made my decision. I would go with GOD towards home on the other side of the veil as "HE" beckoned me to.

I glanced over at my husband and then I looked up and saw a white illumination in the room with me. It was so comforting.

The voice seemed to allow me to take in all my thoughts without prodding me to hurry.

Then I slowly brought my knees up to my chest as I sat in bed and held them tightly to me. I whispered to the light,

"is this going to hurt"?

Then without waiting for an answer, I closed my eyes tightly and said, "Yes, I'm ready, please make this fast"!

 

I sat there on the bed for a whole minute in this position. My eyes still closed tightly. I was just waiting for the end to come!

It was then I heard the voice speak again to me and say,

"Teri, lie down, go back to sleep".

And like a little trusting child responding to her daddy, I said out loud,

"O.K.", and I laid back down and immediately fell fast asleep.

 

I woke up the next morning and sat straight up in the bed.

I had full remembrance of what happened through the night!

The children were already up. I sat there going over what happened through the night. I was completely stumped!

What was that all about? What happened? Why had the LORD come to take me, but then didn't?

What did I do wrong?

 

My mind was full of questions. Then as if answering me, I was reminded of a verse in the Bible where  Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac, and the LORD prevented it. It was much the same thing, I understood, except I was the one leaving in this case.

 

I have spoken to the LORD many times of this incident and am resolved to simply trust HIM in what HE does in my life.

Some people would attribute this incident to a paranormal happening. But I give the glory to GOD.

HE never ceases to amaze me.

This is a strange world we are in which HE made, and many things happen that we may never understand until we get fully on the other side of the veil.

I choose to simply trust HIM!

The Morgue

So, It was 1976. I had been with a group of friends from church and we had been doing a musical Jam all morning with the band.

 It was a very hot summer day and we had just finished our jam.

I was packing up to get ready to head for home. The church was about 3 miles from my house, I stood out on the street in front of the church next to my car saying my good bye's to everyone when another friend pulled up in a van. I didn't know him well, but I'd seen him at church before. He was a tall dark haired guy that was always hanging around and helping people. He got out and came over near where we were all standing and said that a young married couple from another church in town had just lost their child to a drowning accident in South St. Petersburg, in their back yard pool.

He was crying and had asked for prayer for the family.

The father of this young child was a very close friend of his and he was just shocked that this had happened. 

I was so crushed to hear this news. I thought of all the sweet friends I had and how I loved their children! I could relate to what this guy was feeling. I was moved in my Spirit. Even though I didn't know the young couple, I could not help but feel their pain. I asked how old the baby was and my friend said about 2 1/2 years old. A little boy. Pain just gripped me in a way that actually surprised me. I felt so bad for these two young parents, and for this broken man standing in front of us. I had little boys. I was just speechless.

After we all prayed for comfort for this man and his friends, we all exchanged phone numbers with the man to call and pray with him and to stay in touch about the funeral that would be upcoming.  So we all got back in our cars. I said my goodbyes and headed home. The entire drive home I just keep thinking about the young family. What could I do to help ease their pain. I thought to myself, I'll pray for them all day. Maybe I can make them a meal or two? I'll seek GOD for answers for them, so they don't blame themselves and live in torture the rest of their lives.

 

I got home and shared the news with my husband and kids. We all prayed for the young couple. I looked at my beautiful young sons praying earnestly for this baby boy and this situation and my heart just broke. They were so precious.

After dinner that night I got the Bible out and read for about an hour. I read that GOD could raise from the dead, I had read this many times before but today those words came alive for me.

HE is the same GOD today that HE was then so what would the difference be if I believed HIM today for a miracle as they did back then? It was obvious to me that this was my answer!

 

I called my friend who had come in the van to the church and asked, where did they take the boy after he died? He mentioned that he had heard the coroner had taken him to Bayfront Medical Center in downtown St. Petersburg. I asked what the child's name was. He revealed it to me. (I won't mention it here to protect this young couple). 

I shared with him that I was going to the Hospital morgue to raise the child from the dead! I was feeling led to go. My friend was stunned, he asked me how I was going to do this? I said I believe in miracles and I'm asking GOD for one now! I'm going to do it just like they did back in biblical days.

We prayed together again.

I hung up the phone.

I got in my car in pure faith and said to my husband, I'm going to follow the instruction in the Bible to a "T" and call upon the name of the LORD to save this baby boy and bring him back from the dead. Just as had been done in the Bible!

That really shocked him, but he said he believed that faith in action could do just about anything!  I agreed.

My husband prayed for me and said he would stay home with the children. So nothing would hinder me.

Off I went, alone, to Bayfont Medical Center. Full of Faith!

Towards the Morgue.

 

When I got there, I saw this massive large Hospital building, It looked bigger than it ever did before! I parked my car in the street parking. I went into the building with amazing faith, I had prayed all the way there.  I felt as if I were being guided. I did not feel like I was alone! I headed straight down stairs looking for the morgue.

I couldn't find it. I searched the entire floor for a sign leading to it. Then all of a sudden I saw a tall, thin older man, a janitor, moping the floor at the end of a long hall, he was humming some tune, I walked up to him and asked him where I might find the morgue.

He smiled at me and then looking straight into my eyes,

 his eyes got real big and he said to me "Why is a pretty young girl like you looking for the morgue"? I explained my sad story to him briefly and said I felt as if the LORD would guide and instruct me once I found the little boy. He looked at me in utter amazement and replied again with a big smile on his face, "well now, who am I to get in the way of the LORDS plans"?

He said, you know I could get in a lot of trouble for this?

But I believe you're story, I do think the LORD has sent you.

With that he said "Follow me".

And so I did.

We went down in the elevator to another floor. Then as we were headed down the long shiny clean hall he turned and looked at me and said "Have you ever seen a dead body before"? I said "no".

He asked me if I had ever been in a morgue before? I said "no".

He said you are one brave little girl to come here all alone. I replied, I wasn't alone at all and I simply had no fear, I trust the LORD completely. HE is with me, of that I am sure or I would not be doing this!

 I am a bit concerned as to what a dead sweet baby boy will look like however I mentioned.

He said, don't worry honey, he will just look as if he is sleeping, that's all.

Finally, after a long walk we came to the door. A huge stainless steel door with a brass sign, "M O R G U E".

 

The older man tuned to look at me and asked me again, "are you sure you want to go in there"? I said I was never more sure of anything in my life.

Do you want me to go in with you, he asked? I said, no, Thank you, I'll be fine. He said what are you going to do when you find the little boy? I said I'm going to pray and breath life back into him like they did in the bible! GOD will do the rest!

With that he nodded at me as if to say O.K., and told me not to stay to long as it was very cold in there. I said, O.K. I won't. Then he took a key from the ring of keys on his chain hanging by his pocket and he unlocked the door. He then opened the huge door for me and in I went. He looked at me again and said, "you sure  bout this honey"? I just smiled back at him he seemed to understand my smile, he then said, I'll just be out here in the hall then, waiting on you. I replied, O.K., and walked inside. The doors closed behind me. They made a loud bang as they closed. It was very cold.

Here I was, alone in the morgue. It was huge, It was all stainless steel and very clean. It had an odd smell, but not a bad one. Just real different, like you would expect death to smell like, I guess.

I looked around the huge room. It was well lit. There were steel beds protruding like shelves from the walls in the room. There were many bodies all draped in white linens. Maybe about 7 bodies. I walked from one side of the room to the next. But they were all adult bodies. There were no little bodies wrapped in the morgue. No infant sized bodies anywhere. I was so upset. I stood in the center of the room turning each way over and over again. I checked each bed. No little boy! 

I cried out loud to the LORD and said,

"Here I am LORD, where is he"?

I stood in the middle of the morgue taking in all the sterile sights.

I waited for  an answer. I felt I heard GOD say to me,

"Teri, he is not here".

Then silence!

I just stood there.

Then I asked GOD again, where is he?

I felt the LORD tell me,

"he has already been taken to the funeral home Teri".

I ran out of the morgue, and I saw the janitor at the end of the hall. He stopped what he was doing and with wide eyes asked me, "what happened"? I said the boy isn't there!

He's already been taken to the funeral home.

The Janitor said well, I can't help you with that. So I thanked the janitor and I asked him where could I find out which funeral home  they had taken him too? He replied, they would know that at the upstairs desk for the morgue. I asked him where that would be, which floor?  He asked me not to mention that I had gone inside the morgue. I promised him I would not say a word about it, he then told me how to get to the desk upstairs.

I ran up the stairs from the Morgue and found the desk. I inquired at the desk about the arrangements for the little boy. The older lady at the desk said his body was taken that morning to a Funeral home in Tampa, Florida.

I asked which one? She finally told me, but, only after a long conversation I had had with her to convince her to please help me!

 

I drove towards home. I had no idea where the funeral home was in Tampa. I didn't know that city at all at the time. I knew I would get lost if I drove their alone. I had never been to Tampa alone before.

Doubts were creeping in.

If the child was taken there in the early morning, chances were the autopsy or preparation for the funeral would already have been preformed, I thought. I just cried out to GOD, why had I been so late? Why hadn't I gone to the morgue yesterday, or earlier in this morning? I started crying.

I was so upset. I so wanted to raise that child from the dead for that young family. My heart just broke.

 

I drove home and shared my whole experience with the my family.

I called the friend that had told me about the child's death and explained that I was unsuccessful in my attempts to raise the boy from the dead because he wasn't there!

 He replied to me, through his tears and crying, you were not unsuccessful. You were very successful actually. He said, I could not have done what you just did. I don't think anyone of us could have. We were all praying for you and your amazing faith.

The LORD wanted that boy home for whatever reason, otherwise I believe you would have raised that child today!

This is why he wasn't there Teri. Had he been there, you would have had your miracle!

 

To this day I look back on that experience and wonder if that sweet boy would have been there would I have raised his body through faith from the dead. I do truly believe it would have happened.

I also believe that janitor was more than just a janitor, he was part of the divine appointment to allow me to exercise my faith that day.

I will always be blessed from this sad experience and someday I look forward to meeting that little boy face to face.

 

  

The Miraculous Trip

 

It was 1968. My oldest sister was living in Gainesville Florida while managing a department store there.

I was there checking out the college and looking for work along with her. We were room mates for the time being. It was wonderful. She came home one evening to tell me she had been transferred to Tampa Florida and had already begun the transition to Tampa.

 

I decided to head back to St. Petersburg, looks like the sister time was going to end abruptly. The trip from Gainesville to St. Petersburg is about 170 miles. So, I mentally prepared myself for the move. 

My sister had already packed up her belongings and headed to Tampa the week before I left.

I stayed in the apartment for a week or so while she got things together in Tampa.

It was late the night I gathered my belongings, closed up the apartment and headed out to Interstate 75 heading South.

 

I had no money in my wallet and I glanced down at the gas tank and noticed I was on empty.

I thought to myself, this isn't good. I'm already 20 miles down the road and I just now check for gas? What am I doing?

I guess with all the things going on with moving and packing I forgot to check the most important thing, the gas tank!

So, I started to pray!

I wasn't "good " at praying. I didn't do it much in those days, but I thought I'd give it a try tonight. I was alone, I was afraid, and I needed help! There were not many cars on the highway. I felt so alone. I was fearful of running out of gas and being stuck alone on the side of the road in the dark. But I kept praying, "PLEASE, if you're up there GOD, PLEASE help me now".

 

I wondered with each exit I passed if this would be the one I should pull into and call for help? I kept thinking, But I've prayed, I've asked for help so maybe GOD will come through for me, maybe I should just have a little faith? Wouldn't pulling over mean giving up? I didn't know for sure how "HE" would take me serious if I stopped the car. I Just decided I  wouldn't doubt, so I kept on driving, it was a long, lonely drive.

Please GOD get me home!

I remember thinking I hope HE hears me. I hope HE knows how afraid I am! The miles kept passing, the exits were going by one by one and my trusty Dodge Dart just kept plugging along. It hadn't even sputtered or missed a beat.

The trip took so long though. I didn't remember it taking so long before coming into Gainesville. Why was going back  home taking so long?

I passed so many exit's. It seemed like forever!

The moon was full and it was just beautiful. It made such an impression on me that night. I kept looking up at it as I drove! It comforted me because it was so bright it was almost surreal. Like a big comforting spot light in the night sky.

I must admit though, I still did feel a bit nervous wondering

when I would finally get close to home. I felt as if the night were almost magical. I had cried on and off  wondering how my car was still flying down the road on empty! This was just miraculous! How could I have gotten this far? Why hadn't I run out of gas yet? It truly was a miracle.

I couldn't remember when the last time was I had put gas in that tank? I thought it had been awhile.

I tried to remember going over and over it again in my mind, as I kept on flying down the road but it seemed like it had been a week or so before I left Gainesville.

How was this possible?

 

It was now about twelve midnight.  I'd been on the road for over an hour. My gas tank still read "EMPTY".  I had never had a problem with my gas meter before. It wasn't a mistake. I was on empty! I was clearly in a conundrum here.  I kept staring at it thanking GOD for getting me this far! I started singing little songs to HIM and blessing HIM for keeping me safe. I laughed and felt really stupid. I kept talking to HIM as if HE were right there in the car with me.  Over an hour had past.

Finally I saw the sign to exit for Tampa ahead. I was so relieved! Finally a sign I actually recognized. I hadn't travelled the state that much. And hardly ever alone, so I really didn't know where I was. I only recognized the cities closer to my home. I felt a bit safer just seeing that Tampa sign. But I wasn't safe yet! Driving at night just made everything a bit more challenging as well.

I was so sick of all the advertisements I had seen all along the way thus far. Peanuts for sale, Gas stations and Motels, stop here, go there, all the beaches had advertised and Gator Land, and Coco Beach? It was so far away I thought, why advertise way over here?   Ron Jon surf shop, Geeze, they just never stopped. They were all just cluttering the highway back in those days, it was like a color assault! Signs were everywhere. I hadn't ever noticed that until this night!  And all the cob webs covering all the signs I could see from the lights surrounding them  made me extra fearful, had I gotten stranded, I wondered if the bugs would eat me alive before someone came for help!

 

I was now entering into the city of Tampa. All the bright lights made me feel safe somehow.

I found myself driving over the Gandy Bridge and then into my city! I could hardly believe my eyes! I was so close to my Mom's home.

I kept thinking, if worse came to worse I could almost walk home from here. I was so relieved.

(It would have been a really long walk).

I only had to stop at a few lights. I was getting closer, closer, Please GOD get me home I prayed!

Then that magical moment. I pulled into my Mom's driveway after being on the long road home and you cannot imagine what happened next. Before I had a chance to shut the engine off, the car simply sputtered several times and shut off itself!

I was out of GAS!

You ask me If I believe in GOD? My answer, Oh YES!

I believe in GOD and I also believe in Miracles!

This is one of them!

 

A Life of Blessings and MIRACLES!

 

So,I was just 16 years old.

I had met a new group of friends who went to another school in town and they were a bit different to say the least. They had a different way of looking at things than I did. They had a rebellious side to them that showed, but they seemed O.K. I knew I should steer clear of them, but they also seemed nice. I started to hang around with them every now and then and I found that they were pretty much like everyone else, the only difference was, was they were more vocal about what they believed. Different. They stayed out longer and talked a little to rough perhaps. But they became friends none the less and I guess I had to respect them in a way.

What can I say, I was young and an extremely shy introvert. They all seemed edgy, like at that time I thought I might want to be.

After being around these friends I ended up seeing some things that I didn't like much however as well.  I felt I had my own path to follow. I was making more of an effort for my future than most of them were. It was time for me to move on.

I decided to stop hanging around with them. 

 

But not before I ended up being impregnated from hanging around one of these  controlling, ruff young men. I broke off my friendship with him a bit to late.

 It was horrible for me how it all happened.

Life had just taught me a very sad lesson.  

 

I immediately changed to a new group of friends at my own school.

The old adage "Bad friends corrupt good morals" is TRUE!

I found this out the hard way.

So, here I was pregnant from the bad choices I had made. 

My Mom had me enroll in a certain home called Florence Crittendon to stay there until my child was born. I lived there 24/7 and went to their private school for seven months.

My daughter was born right after I turned 17.

I grew up really fast.

 

The terms of the unwed mothers home I was in, was that they would put your child up for adoption in exchange for covering your hospital delivery and schooling finances while you were there.  So my Mom made all these provisions, without my awareness of this.

I had no idea that these terms had been made behind my back.

My Mother was very upset with me and did not visit me while I was there.

I was young, there was a lot of things I didn't understand.

After my daughter was born, she was taken from me and adopted out to a family in Florida. The money for her adoption paid for my hospital delivery and private schooling. I had no idea where she was adopted out to or what her new name was. 

I always wondered about her. This had all been so strange.

There were many sleepless nights and troubled days that followed.

 

For 26 years I worked hard on  trying to find her. I often went back to the place where the adoption took place, but they would always ask me to pay them $75.00 dollars for any information they might have. Then they would come back with the same answer over and over again for years, "We have no new information for you".

 I would inquire almost every year.  Every year I would pay them, and I heard the same thing, we have no new information concerning your daughter. I would leave my phone number and my address again and again and again over the years.

 

About five years had past. One afternoon I was flipping through a magazine and I saw a picture in the magazine of an adorable little girl standing looking out a window eating a spoonful of peanut butter as the rain slid down the window while she peered out.

Something gripped me!

Lord I feel as if this is her!

It's just my imagination I told myself!

I starred at that picture for over an hour. It looked a little bit like me when I was young. I wondered if it was my daughter?  Could it possibly be? That would be an amazing coincidence if it was. Something about that picture caused me to connect with it! I wondered if she was even still alive? Was she O.K.? Did she live in Florida? What were her parents like?  Where is she? These thoughts and many more would just haunt me.

It was all so sad. I never wanted to be alone without her, and yet, here I was. All alone.

 Looking at the picture in the magazine I laughed and said, yeah, right, that would be impossible. It can't be her. It's just my imagination. But I wish I just knew if she was O.K.!

I ripped the picture out of my magazine, and kept it in my Bible for the longest time. I would pull the picture out over the next few years as I would pray for her, over and over again. I would pray for my daughter and hope she was in good hands!  I know it seemed silly. But I did it none the less it was a discernment I was having when I looked at that picture. It truly gripped me!

 

Twenty six years after my daughter was born I still had not been able to find her, it was now 1996.

One day as I was sitting at my desk at work, I heard a strong audible  male  voice say to me,

"Teri, go to the orphanage, inquire about your daughter, Now"!

When he said NOW it was very strong and commanding.

I stood right up and went into my boss and said, "excuse me, there is something I have to do right away. I'll be back in a few minutes". He looked up at me and said O.K., he didn't question me at all,  and with that I went to the  parking lot, got in my car and drove quickly to the orphanage. Again I inquired about my daughter. To my shock and surprise the same now very old woman behind the desk, the same woman I had spoken to many, many times before, got up and walked over to a file and came over to me and requested I pay her yet again, the $75.00 dollars. Once I paid her, she handed me a phone number and a manila envelope.

 I started crying.

 

I was shaking so hard I almost fainted, I was very weak at my knees. I turned around and walked slowly to my car in utter amazement. I sat there remembering the Voice that told me to come NOW! I was so grateful and yet so amazed at this. I opened the information in my car and read the letters in the manila envelope.

I read it over and over again.

I had found her! Thank you GOD! I had found her! Finally after searching for 26 years.

The voice that came to me spoke the truth!

I was in possession of her phone number and address. Just like that!

Just as he suggested!

It felt amazing, surreal, anointed!! 

 

I made the call that night. I made plans to fly out to see her.

 

When I got there to her, we spoke of so many things. We just went on and on and on. We cried, we laughed, we starred at each other. It was like looking into a mirror. She looked exactly like me in every way!

She was so beautiful to me. She spoke and acted just like me.

 

She mentioned she was a child model. She told me about all the different companies she modeled for. She mentioned a peanut butter modeling job. I almost fainted! I gasped and said Really! I then described the picture I had taken out of the magazine so many years earlier. She confirmed to me, it was in fact her! She remembered everything about that job, even though she was so young.  That was one of her favorite modeling jobs as a child she told me. I started crying. The picture I had been led to in the magazine, the picture I had kept in my Bible, was in fact, my very own daughter. It was GOD'S way of showing me that she was O.K., healthy and happy.

 

What peace I have now as I look back over my sometimes unfortunate life. I have been guided and vocally directed my entire life.

I am grateful to GOD for his kind care of me here.

I am thankful for HIS care over my children as well.

This truth is much stranger than any fiction I have ever read!

 

The Death of Jonathan Livingston Seagull

 

So, it was a Thursday in 1985. It was a beautiful warm summer day.  I spent most of my lazy, crazy, hazy summer day reading a good book. "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach.

I had just finished the book and was in deep thought about the lessons in this story. You know how that goes when your into what you're reading. I had a lot of emotions thinking back on that story. I was on my journey. I was learning to fly. I was seeing the truth in so many of the chapters come alive for me. I was understanding, finally!

 

I had an appointment to attend a study that night and I was so excited about it. I wanted to share some of the amazing truths I had just received. So I finally laid the book down and started getting dressed. It was about 5:00 o'clock in the evening and my meeting started at 6:30.

I threw a peanut butter and honey sandwich down my throat and rushed off to the shower. I made my way to the car by about 6:00 p.m. and headed down 30th Avenue North in St. Petersburg, FL. The meeting was at a girlfriends house and I liked to show up early and help her get ready for the 25 or so people who showed up every Thursday night each week to study the truth together. 

I loved all my study friends and always wanted it to be a welcome and interesting discussion.

Tonight I was on Coffee and dessert duty!

 

While driving to the meeting I was deep in thought. I was going over the book and actually crying. It was so profound. I was getting close to my friends home, I was about 6 blocks away when all of a sudden I see this amazing huge Seagull flying at my car from the North. I looked up at it and cried out in amazement "Jonathan"!, no sooner had the words left my mouth and this particular Seagull swooped right down at my car and in front of my hood and my car hit and killed this Seagull instantly. I screamed at the top of my lungs, Nooooooooo! Then I think I went into a bit of shock actually. I felt the bump of this Seagull under the tires of my car. I looked back in the rearview mirror and saw feathers flying in the air. I saw blood, I was still screaming. I pulled my car over to a side street and stopped and looked back. I was in utter disbelief that this incident had just taken place! I just finished the book! How can this be that I just killed this amazing bird? I could not believe that only an hour ago I finished this incredible book and now I killed Jonathan with my own car!

I felt as if I had been chosen to kill this bird. He literally committed suicide by swooping right down at the hood of my car. He was aiming for me! I'm not kidding, he was aiming at the hood of the car! I was only doing 40 miles per hour! I mean come on already, how did that happen!

Why did that happen?

I was numb. I was crying so hard. I was all alone standing by my car on this side street and trying to grasp why something this strange was happening to me?

Eventually. my tears turned to numbness in me, I got back into my car. I headed on towards the study the additional 5 blocks to my friends house. It was now 6:30. I thought I was going to be early, I thought I was going to help set up for the study.

I was now late and very broken hearted.

 

I shared my story with everyone at the meeting, they were all shocked as well, saying "OH my what a horrible thing to have happen".  One man said, I read the book and haven't even seen a seagull yet!  My friend Rosemary just  laughed and laughed and said something like this could only happen to you Teri, you always have strange things happen to you!  I was just in disbelief. My friend Dr. Leo said he was so sorry I had an experience like that, he laughed and said, only you Teri, It could happen to only you.

I had had so many strange things happen in my life, my best friends knew if strangeness was going to happen, it would certainly happen to me.

We moved right along to the Study topic of the night,

"Perfect Love", how fitting!

 

I look back over my life and ponder all these crazy things I have experienced. Talk about drama! I was experiencing drama before drama was popular!  I guess I was chosen for that strange interaction with that particular Seagull at that particular moment. Coincidence?

I seriously doubt that! I have been driving since I was 14 years old here in St. Petersburg.  I have NEVER hit not even one curb, needless to say one Seagull! In all my life even to this day, I have still never killed another bird with my car.

Thus the above picture. The other Seagulls looking at me as if to say "What did you do"?

This is truly a strange world we live in! Lot's of lessons to learn.

You can't make this stuff up. That's how bizarre my life actually is.

Carry on now.... 

 

The Unseen Hand

 

I was so young when I had an awkward experience that really opened my eyes to the high strangeness of this life.

I was 9 years old. My Mother and I were in a rented apartment in St. Petersburg, FL.

In those days it didn't seem to be as big a deal to leave your children alone or unattended for small amounts of time. It was a different day and time, things didn't seem so dangerous back then. Maybe we were just more naïve? Or perhaps I could simply be trusted. My Mother was always working hard to keep us a float and sometimes she worked as many as three jobs at a time. I must say. She was always busy.

 

There were many nights I would fall asleep alone and hear her come home a few hours later to check  in on me, kiss me goodnight and then start her ironing job by the radio or sometimes watch our little T.V.

I always knew it was her arriving as I usually was woken up by the sound of her car puling up to the apartment making all the racket that little Tempest could make! It was always a big relief to have her home.

 

One night as I lay asleep, I was awoken by a hand on my forehead. I felt it  touch me and move down my cheek to my chin, my eyes were still closed. it was as if to caress my face. This happened two times and finally I opened my eyes.

There was no one there!

The hand had just left my face and there was no one there!

I immediately called out to my Mom in fear, and yet there was no answer. I became very afraid! Extremely afraid!

I sat up and grabbed my blanket close to my face and felt the area I just had caressed by who? By what? I could not understand how this could happen! Being so young I was almost bewildered by the experience. Later that night my Mom came home to find me awake and fearful. She asked me why I was up? It was an angry voice  coming from her that night. I wasn't sure I wanted to share this with her because she was already upset about something. I had waited all night for her to get home, and now, I said nothing. I was so relieved she was home, I just said "I couldn't sleep". I lay back down and fell fast asleep in the comfort of her presence.

 

Many years have passed since this experience.   I have always wondered, what was that? Why did that happen? Who was that?

What did it mean?

I believe many things like that happen to teach us to overcome fear.

To guide us and mold us into what we are quickly becoming for the next phase of our life. To prepare us for the life preordained and chosen for us.

 

I am grateful. If we live long enough, everything comes full circle and all questions become known.

 

Today, I understand.

 

 

The Seraphim and The Doors

So it was 1983, I had had a very powerful experience with two Seraphs (Angels) a few years earlier.   An Angel had appeared to me and I had been taken out of my body and brought to a city where two HUGE doors were presented before me. I was promised the doors to be opened according to the timing of GOD himself.

He had made this promise to me and spoke to me through the Angel HE had sent to deliver me to the city where the doors were.

I had shared this with a handful of close friends and family in 1976 when I had the experience and then we never spoke of it again.

 

Odd and amazing spiritual happenings were very prevalent in my life in the 70's, and now I was soon to add the 80's to that list.

 

So anyway, my older sister was down visiting from Wisconsin with her two twin daughters, my sweet adorable nieces and her son, my nephew. The twins were three years old and as cute as could be. My sister wanted to spend some alone time with our Mother as her visit was coming to an end, so she asked me if I would babysit the children for her. Mom and her could spend some much needed alone time together. I jumped at the chance to have these sweeties over to spend some time with Aunt Teri.   

After my sister and Mom headed off to the beach and a nicely planned lunch I settled into a time of singing and coloring with these little darlings. We sang songs and laughed and colored for over an hour. I needed to get some lunch for the girls and their brother started, so I gave them all a colored pencil set and asked them to draw me something special.

I could see the girls laying on the tile floor coloring away and drawing, they were making such sweet little conversation with each other as twins do, and their brother was off coloring alone. It was truly adorable! As I prepared the sandwiches and loaded them onto the plates both of the girls ran up to me holding their pictures they had drawn for me. I put the plates down to look at what they came up with. To my shock and surprise, I saw two doors. Two HUGE doors! Each twin drew one door! They matched almost perfectly, and in front of the doors they drew big yellow fire! This was amazing as this is what I saw as the Seraphim were standing in front of the doors the LORD had promised to me years earlier in 1976. That fire was the protection of "The HOLY SPIRIT" who was guard over the promise spoken to me by GOD!

I was fascinated how these two little three year old girls could draw these doors! They were huge doors, just as I had seen. Then they put the yellow fire in front of them! This was beyond odd to me.   

I didn't know what to think but I knew this was not a coincidence.

As is with most things done in Faith we walk expecting and here it was. I knew then that the LORD was reminding me of the promise he had made to me.

It has been said that the LORD works in strange ways. I am here to tell you and attest to that fact.

Yes, HE does.

Many years later I look back to see how faithful HE has been to me. The wisdom and insight HE has given me.

My life hasn't been perfect, but this I know....I am never alone!



The Voice of GOD

It was 1976, I was at church in Clearwater, FL.  I was sitting in a large room with about 85 people. I was up against the wall in the third row back. The chairs were all in a semicircle. We had a visiting preacher in town. He was a very kind man. Sincere and very focused on his sermon.

Everyone was enjoying the scripture verses he was sharing. It was a much needed message for guiding us through life in difficult times.

I was just another person in the crowd listening to what the preacher was saying.

And then everything changed.

 

As I was sitting in my chair looking forward and listening, I heard a strong, comforting, kind voice in my left ear whisper loudly, "stand and share this scripture, Now! Then he spoke the scripture in my ear as well".

I looked behind me and there was no one there. I thought perhaps it was someone in the row behind me who spoke this in my ear.

 My heart was racing. I just heard an audible voice and there is

"NO ONE THERE"!

I thought, who said that? I looked to my left, it was a beige brick wall! I looked at the woman sitting next to me on my right and said, did you hear that? She looked at me as if to hush me, as she was focused on the preacher. She didn't answer me. How could someone speak into my left ear? I was sitting up against the wall!

I shook my head and said to myself, turn to that scripture. As I flipped the pages of my bible to the requested scripture, something made me stand up! Literally stand right up! Right in the middle of this man's message. I was so embarrassed. I was shaking a bit. I heard the voice again say, READ the scripture. But this time it was more in my head than audible.

I just started reading the scripture out loud. The man stopped speaking. I obviously interrupted him. He stood with a peculiar smile on his face as he watched me reading.

After I read the scripture out loud for all to hear, something amazing happened.

He asked me why I read that scripture? I said "I have no idea sir, The voice from the wall whispered in my ear and told me to read this so I did"! The mans smile grew on his face. He looked down at the floor and said softly, I have been struggling all week with this message. I had wanted to share what you just read.

That very scripture.

I decided to read what I was reading. I struggled thinking what I chose was what I should read instead. But GOD obviously wanted me to share what you just read to us all.

He said you don't know me. You had no way of knowing this. ONLY GOD

knew what was truly in my heart. And now,

the HOLY SPIRIT

has moved you to share this for my benefit.

He thanked me for being faithful.

 

I sat down in utter amazement of what had just happened. I kept rethinking this, WHY did GOD choose me? Why not a well versed leader of the church or someone in authority? I was blessed but shocked as well.

The understanding came to me at that moment,  GOD will choose those who are willing.  Regardless of the outcome we have to walk in Faith.

What I took away from this experience was that GOD will use us if we are open to HIS SPIRIT. I pray I never change. I pray HE uses me  for HIS glory until my time on earth is finished.