For about seven years after my father died, we lived in my aunt and uncle’s house. It was a classy, old farm house with several outbuildings. A place of refuge that we loved. Some years after we moved out, the house and property was put up for sale. But prior to the sale, the television show that aired stories of missing people in an effort to find them was to fix up the house and then burn it down as part of the episode. The story of the missing person revolved around a burning house.
Backtracking a little before I get to my point, I will steal a bit from my book, “A Field of Miracles.” One of my brothers was a newspaper boy and mom would put extra papers in the backroom entrance “shed” of that house to recycle later. As she also stored the trash there, it was sometimes smelly. She occasionally lit a scented candle to dispel some of the stink. On one of the days she lit a candle, a couple of us had dentist appointments. So, when it was time, she picked up the children from school and drove the 20 minutes to the dentist’s office. The appointments took about two hours, after which they visited her mother-in-law before heading home. It had been about four hours since she had left the house. While driving home, she suddenly realized “she had left a candle burning on that pile of old newspapers…and there were several piles of newspapers stacked up against the one she had set it on. She drove the rest of the way home panic stricken, sure the entire house would be in flames or already burnt to the ground by the time they got back. When she drove into the driveway, her heart skipped a beat; everything looked fine. She got out of the car and went straight to the back shed. There, just as she had left it, was the little candle still burning. Not only had the papers not been ignited – the candle had not burned down at all.” The candle miracle made the thought of the TV people burning that house down very hard for my mom. She did a lot of praying over that. Then shortly before the episode was to be filmed, the person they were trying to find showed up. The episode was canceled and so was all the preparation for it.
Fast forwarding to a recent note one of my sister’s shared with us: “A story. When I bought wallpaper for my stairs and hallway it took a lot, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to afford it. I went to Thompson’s (local wallpaper store at the time) and there was a whole box really cheap. I loved it and I asked why it was so cheap. He said it was purchased for the house (our Aunt & Uncle’s house) that was supposed to be burned, but they didn't do the show.” (If memory serves me right – and it doesn't always – that wallpaper could have been sitting in that shop for at least a couple years.)
So, some of my sister’s walls are covered in the wallpaper that was meant for our one-time beloved home. What are the odds of that? A candle that didn’t burn down, a house that didn’t have to be burned down, and just the right wallpaper… The next generation of miracles. You can’t tell me there are no big or small miracles, wonders, extraordinary happenings (whatever you want to call them). I’ve known too many. And some of them are connected in an amazing, holy way. If you look at it – every day is a miracle. Breathe in the glory of life. Take advantage of every day – work, play, love, be at peace.
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