Stories of Miracles Abound Do miracles still happen today? Joan Wester Anderson says yes. For proof she offers her anthology, Where Miracles Happen: True Stories of Heavenly Encounters (Ballantine Books). It contains actual experiences of readers across the nation describing miracles occurring in daily life. Miracles come in many forms. For Dorothy Nicholas of Greenwood, South Carolina, for example, who worked evenings at a self-service gas station, it was prayer that summoned a miracle. She dad to create a new sign for the station, so she prayed that she would come up with the proper slogan. Feeling that God wished to be known to others, she scribbled out the words "God is Our Security Guard--Always on the Job." Soon afterwards, Dorothy moved away from that town and that job. Thirteen years later, Dorothy met and befriended a young man. She received from him a confirmation of her miracle. The man possessed a rather rough past, having spent time in reform school, and had decided one night thirteen years previous to rob that very gas station. After stealing his father's gun and car, he drove up to rob the woman sitting there. After reading the sign, however, he found himself not only unable to go through with it, but turning towards God for guidance. That night had changed his life. Dorothy's prayer had yielded a wonderful miracle. Sometimes miracles involve loved ones who have passed away. The Waddle family was living in Connecticut when they received news from afar that young Ashley Waddle's great-grandmother had passed away. Though Ashley and her "Nonny" had a very special relationship, they hadn’t seen each other for several months, so Ashley’s parents decided to keep the news from her. The following morning, however, Ashley came bounding down the steps, bubbling about how Nonny had come to visit her in her room the previous night! The Waddles knew they had experienced a miracle. Nonny had come to say good-bye. Perhaps the most incredible miracle, however, involved a pair of teenage girls who, having lost track of time, found themselves in a dangerous area, alone at night. They decided to race for their car, knowing there had been several recent cases of assault and rape. When the girls heard footsteps behind them, they fled, reaching their car just in time to shut and lock the doors. When the car failed to start, however, the girls panicked, praying for a miracle. To their surprise, the car started and they pulled away from their attackers. It wasn't until the following day when their father checked under the hood that he realized just how miraculous the girls' night had been. The car's battery had been completely removed. Miracles can take many shapes and forms. A miracle, by its very nature, defies logical explanation. Oftentimes the only proof of a miracle's existence is the indescribable feeling of grace that inevitably follows. The people who shared their stories with Ms. Anderson experienced that feeling--it was a miracle for them. (Digest by Kim Linn, Atlantic University.) |