Saved by an Angel (21 page)

My eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was too grief stricken to sleep in the room she had shared with her sister, so we moved her bed into our room. Two Sundays later, she said that she had seen Emma the previous evening, and felt comfortable returning to her own bedroom.

When I asked what had happened, Elizabeth replied that Emma had stood at the side of her bed and said, “Don’t be sad; I’m all right now.” I asked if it was a dream, and my daughter said she had been sitting up in bed talking to her sister, so it couldn’t have been.

Then Emma’s best friend (who had called to her from across the road) came to me a couple of days after and excitedly said that she, too, had seen Emma. My daughter had said to her, “Don’t be sad. It had to happen, and I’m all right now.”

Chapter 7

V
ISIONS OF
J
ESUS AND
O
THER
A
SCENDED
M
ASTERS

T
HE
C
ROWN OF
M
ARY
by Tia Johnson

I dreamed that I was in a museum looking at a painting of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. Out of nowhere the painting slowly moved. The Virgin smiled at me, extended her right arm, and handed me a magnificent red crown with gold trimmings and a diamond-shaped piece of gold jewelry at the top … and then I woke up. I was so amazed that Mother Mary had given me a gift.

A few days later I was with my brother at a Burlington Coat Factory store. He wanted to look around, and once again something amazing happened … I saw miniature statues of the Virgin Mary with that same crown on her head. I nearly jumped out of my skin! I’d gone to Catholic school for a number of years and had
never
seen an image of Mary with that particular crown. I’d seen her depicted with a blue-and-white cloak over her head or a golden halo, but never this crown. Oh, was I amazed. What validation! Here I thought that it had been a gift she’d chosen for me—I didn’t know that it was “her” crown she was giving me. What an honor.

A
N
I
NDESCRIBABLE
L
OVE
by Janine Cooper

I was living in Santa Monica in a single-unit guesthouse. During the month of June, it was often foggy, so my morning ritual was to look out the window upon awakening to see if bright light was shining in.

On this particular early morning, I had a very vivid and life-changing dream. Or was it a dream? In the “dream,” I sat up in bed and glanced at the window. There on the rice blind was the shroud of Jesus—just his face, about three to four feet in size. I said to myself, “Hey, that’s Jesus!” And just as I did, his face came in very clear, and a bolt of white light shot out of it right at me. The light had a paralyzing effect on me! I sat in bed and looked at my hands, and they were frozen stiff. I remember that my jaw was clenched, too. It was almost as if I’d had a seizure, but the feeling was one of total bliss.

I was not afraid at all. In fact, I had never felt more loved in my life. It was as though the light was
made
of love. As the feeling of being paralyzed eased up and the light faded away, I heard a voice say, “This is just a small sample of the power of God’s love.” The light withdrew, and the vision of Jesus faded away.

I awoke, sat up in bed, and sobbed for about half an hour! It was as though I had received a major healing, a gift of what is available to us anytime we ask. And it is so powerful! It was by far the most amazing and meaningful experience I’ve had in this lifetime.

N
EVER
A
LONE
by Kimberly McCright

When I was in college, I moved in with my grandparents since they lived in the same town as the university I was attending. After several months, I still hadn’t made any friends or had any dates. I was very lonely. All around me every day there were couples and groups of friends.

I grew very depressed, and one day while I was in the shower, I just broke down and cried. I became angry with God, wondering where He was, since I felt so cold and alone. I prayed to Jesus, and I begged him to come into my life and help me through this difficult time.

At I pulled back the curtain to step out of the shower, I saw an amazing sight. The mirror was completely fogged up, except for an outline of a face with long hair, a beard, and a mustache. I could also see the outline of eyes and a nose. It looked just like Jesus!

I couldn’t believe my eyes and just stood there staring. I felt a wave of warmth and love and knew that I was never alone. I can’t describe the healing that took place at that moment. I felt so blessed that Jesus would show himself to me in this way, to let me know that he is always here, always listening.

The fact that this happened to me, a “nobody,” really made me feel special. I realized that each of us is equally important in God’s eyes; we’re are all deserving of His love, and He never leaves us. Since then, I have never felt lonely. Very soon after that incident, I met my best friend, who introduced me to my husband.

A S
AINT BY
M
Y
M
OTHER
’
S
S
IDE
by Virginia E. Perry

My mother was hospitalized with leukemia, and after repeated, fruitless blood transfusions, the doctors and my sister finally decided it was her time to join Papa in heaven. Mama was afraid to die, for she thought the devil was waiting to grab her. By phone, I tried to reassure Mom that only friendly faces and Papa would be on hand to greet her on the Other Side.

I was unemployed, living in California at the time. Needless to say, I was greatly saddened that I didn’t have the plane fare to be with her. I meditated on the situation, finally seeking help from my dearest guide, St. Therese. She has even appeared to me once or twice while I’ve helped ailing friends.

Boldly, I asked St. Therese to go to my mother since I couldn’t be there. Months after Mom’s death, I was talking with my sister, Ramona. She volunteered the information that a sweet little nun had kept constant vigil by Mom’s side. When I asked about her, Ramona told me the color of her habit, and that her name was Sister Therese! Thank you, God and dear St. Therese. You have never failed to answer my prayers!

“I
S
J
ESUS
O
VER
Y
OUR
H
OUSE
?”
by Sherry L. Gunderson

I had recently read Doreen’s book
Angel Visions,
and I started praying that I might have a vision of my own. Nothing happened immediately, but about a week later, I had a dream that I really didn’t understand at the time. In it, I was awakened from my sleep by a call from my friend Ernie.

“Hello?” I answered the phone.

“Sherry,” he asked, “is Jesus over your house?” He said it with such amazement in his voice.

I was lying on my back with the phone to my ear, looking at the ceiling and shaking my head as I answered, “No, I don’t see Jesus.” This dream didn’t make any sense to me. In fact, I took it to mean that I wasn’t religious enough.

A week later as I drove home from work, a colorful glitter in the sky caught my eye. I glanced to my left and saw what looked like the face of Jesus surrounded by a yellow light. I remember peeking over my sunglasses, asking myself if the other drivers around me could see what I was seeing.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to turn right and head north, as I was just a few minutes from my house. I was surprised that a vision of Jesus was still in the clouds when I arrived. The only difference now was that he was looking up instead of straight ahead. I also noticed that he was wearing what looked like a bandana (I have been told that it was the crown of thorns). I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

My sister’s friend Pete was outside near my car. I pointed to the sky and asked him, “Tell me if that is Jesus, or am I seeing things?”