Find the Diamond Light in You

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Part One.......................................1My Divine Happening............................1Akeeya.........................................3Ella Pearl.....................................6Dove...........................................9Spirit.........................................11House..........................................13Roses..........................................15Nun............................................17Therese........................................19Black Silk.....................................21Witness........................................24Church.........................................26Testimony......................................28Song...........................................30True Love......................................32Rocking Chair..................................34Wreath.........................................37Miracles.......................................39Gift from God..................................41Neighbor.......................................43Felice.........................................45John...........................................47Vision.........................................49Library........................................51Children.......................................53Message........................................55Warning........................................57Bible Verses...................................59Part Two.......................................61Spirit Man.....................................61Old Woman......................................63Beloved Brother................................65Sisters........................................66Fishing Trip...................................68Dinner for Three...............................70Olive Oil......................................72Sanctuary......................................75Queen of Hearts................................79Gulf War Zone..................................82Tribulation....................................83Somewhere over the Rainbow.....................85Three Deaths...................................89Tweety.........................................91Part Three.....................................95Letter.........................................95Child..........................................98Seven..........................................100Prophet........................................104Three..........................................108Mara...........................................111Nellie.........................................113Jenny..........................................115Part Four......................................117Angel..........................................117Presence.......................................119Easter 2001....................................123Piece of Chalk.................................126Birth..........................................129Angel Man......................................131Phone Home.....................................134Man on a Tractor...............................136Emily..........................................138Kentucky Mountain..............................141Conclusion.....................................143

Chapter One

Mother was very religious and took me to church before I could even walk. Father was a businessman and a proclaimed atheist. I went to church faithfully, more duty bound than anything—always doubting.

When I was seven years old, I became bedridden with the measles. Shortly after that I was exposed to three polioviruses. To the doctor's amazement, I didn't get any of the viruses! Forty years later, I have been diagnosed as chronically ill, with deterioration of the central nervous system! In 1989 I became paralyzed on one side of my body. I cried for days, and then I cried out to the Lord to help me. Through prayer, meditation, and physical therapy, I learned to walk and speak again.

Two weeks before Christmas, 1992, I was in deep prayer; suddenly all of my inner bodily energy began slowly, steadily withdrawing through the base of my skull! I couldn't move and was completely filled with fear. I was floating in a long, black tunnel! It felt as if I were inside a deep cave with furrowed black edges surrounding my entire body.

As I started to float up the tunnel, I could see jagged edges along the way. I became even more frightened! Where was I? Where was I going? At the end of the tunnel I could see a bright light shining through what looked like a doorway! When I drew nearer the light, an overwhelming peacefulness began to fill my whole body. I awoke and decided to have a cup of tea, hoping I had only been dreaming; however, when I resumed sleep, I again found myself in the black tunnel! When I awoke this time it was with the realization that this was a divine happening!

I decided to ask a nurse friend who works for the Cleveland Clinic about her professional experience with patients who have had a near-death experience. She told me she firmly believed in what I had experienced. She then proceeded to tell me that many of her cardiac arrest patients—those who had died and been brought back to life—had been in the tunnel and seen the light! Also, some had seen a garden with a pathway, and some had heard a voice gently speaking to them.

I have no history of heart problems, and I wasn't having any kind of pain or sickness during my sleep that eventful night. However, on the same night I was in the tunnel, four miles from my home my eighty-three-year-old father was having a mild stroke and was ill twice during the night!

Perhaps I was in the tunnel when Father was ill and near to death. Perhaps I was there to make this known to myself: fear not death, for there is a God and a hereafter. Even after I told my father about my experience, he still did not acknowledge the existence of God.

My hope is that someone out there will read these writings and the material will help them acknowledge the reality of our Lord. He is most certainly there for all of us; and yes, there is life after death!

Chapter Two

Since my near-death experience, I have begun to pray for more strength, wisdom, and purpose. Because of the illness, I was only able to work a part-time job. I prayed often for the Lord's help, and He answered my prayer by sending a boarder to me who was to become the son I never had! He was an Asian boy, and his name was Akeeya. The Lord had brought him to me from a place located in a distant land, halfway around the world, to help me in my time of need!

My daughters were surprised that I so willingly welcomed this young man into my home. I assured them I was not afraid for him to live with us; he was indeed a gift from God!

During the year Akeeya was with me, he reminded me of many things I had forgotten. He was humble, quiet, moral, intelligent, and very traditional in his thinking. These are qualities people need to regain. He was a young man, yet mature beyond his years. It was difficult for me to understand how someone so young could know so much about life.

I often teased him about his sounding like a man ninety years old because he so impressed me with his vast wisdom. He shared much with me about politics. Since I had been busy raising my children, I didn't have the time to fully understand the political realities that were occurring at the time. I vividly remember one...