Well even though I am a middle aged woman now, I can remember the events of my third Christmas as though it were yesterday. My dad and my mother had told my two older brothers and I to go and lay in their bed and be real good and go to sleep so that santa could come and leave gifts. They were waitin up for my grandparents to come in. Well, I became a believer that night, but not in santa claus. I was laying in the middle of my two brother, who were both sleeping, and I saw a beautiful, glowing, cross, hanging above the bed. I tried to wake each one of them up to see that cross and they both told me that there was nothing there, to shut up and let them sleep. I lay there quietly for a while and then decided to tell my dad, who was apastor. I thought for sure he would listen to me. I got up and shared with
my dad and he said, 'That's nice honey, go back to bed'. Well I began to
tell my dad that that grandma and granddaddy weren't going to come. I told
him that they were hurt and crying and that they couldn't come. He told me
to hush up and go back to bed before I made santa angry.
I remember turning to return to the bedroom and I was really sad that no
one would believe me. I was dragging across the living room as I went and
there came a knock at the door. Daddy jumped up and said, 'see, there they
are now', but I knew that it wasn't them. Two uniformed police officers
stood at the door and when my dad opened the door, saw them standing there,
he turned around, gathered me in his arms and told me he was sorry, that he
should have listened.
My grandparents had been in a car wreck, their car and the trailer they were
pulling had gone over a cliff and they were badly hurt.
I know that God, (or my guardian angel) were trying to prepare us for the
news. Never doubt who the Lord will use to deliver a message. He has worked
like this several times in my life.
Pat J. Thornton thornpj@mail.auburn.edu
