How Miracles Occur ” Part 2 – A True Miracles Story
Ever wonder why miracles, the answer to prayers, almost always seem to be refused? Our pleas for help appear to fall on deaf ears or they are heard and are issued an instant thumbs down? The reason is simply that we don’t allow them into our lives. Open your mind to the possibility that miracles are happening around you all the time.
There is so much wonder around us that we take it for granted. We call it luck or just nature and fail to give credit to a Spirit of the Universe that keeps our toenails growing and rivers flowing.
What if we, ourselves, are spinning off miracles in our wakes like birthday sparkler candles? What if what you view as coincidences are the miraculous manifestation of a prayer or a dream; yours or someone else’s. The following story is a true one.
Some years back, the streets of Los Angeles were home to a very mean drunk by the name of O’Sullivan. He was so violent and disgusting that even the street missions had banned him. One day, he placed a call to a 12 step program for help. A fellow named Bob responded. It took a while but he finally found O’Sullivan in a chilly, damp and filthy room in the basement of an abandoned tenement. O’Sullivan was drunk.
Years of hard drinking had taken their toll on O’Sullivan. There was nothing much more to the man than a reeking bag of bones. He had soiled himself and what passed for a mattress was soaked with urine. Bob had been this way himself so he dragged an old chair as close as he dared to the bed and told O’Sullivan of what it had been like, what happened and what it was like now.
His story involved telling of jails and hospitals and institutions. He spoke not only of pain and sorrow but also of miracles and recovery and well being.
By the time Bob had finished O’Sullivan was asleep. Bob stood up and pulled a filthy sofa cover over his sleeping audience. He shook his head and walked away. He had done what he could.
Bob had always been disappointed in his visit to O’Sullivan. He had lived the life the man had lived and had hoped to help him. He shared his disappointment in a talk he gave some years later to a convention of drug and alcohol councilors.
A young, impeccably dressed young man approached Bob after his talk. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes spoke of much laughter. The stranger took Bob’s hand and shook it vigorously.
His sparkling smile widened as he said, “I want to thank you, Sir.”
“I can think of no reason for you to be thanking me,” Bob said, mystified.
“Lady Luck saw to it that I walked by the open door of this banquet room just as you talked about your visit to O’Sullivan.”
Bob stood motionless. Where was this heading?
The young man was having difficulty controlling his voice. “You see, that night, I was coming down off the worse debacle I had ever been on. I was frozen in fear, withdrawal and the DT’s. Several miracles brought us together that night. You did not fail. I heard every word you said. I did what you said worked for you and I haven’t used or drank since. That’s why I wanted to thank you.”
Bob couldn’t make up his mind if this young fellow wasn’t still stoned on something. “Young man,” he said, “you have to be mistaken. O’Sullivan was much older than you are now and someone put a fatal knife wound into him some weeks later.”
Tears filled in the young man’s eyes. “I was hiding under the bed.”
Many times when we pray or ask for something, the answer seems to be no. Nothing happens. Usually, the Divine takes a little time to rearrange things for us to get what we asked for in the most loving way that is best for all concerned. Other times, like in this story where quick action was required, people meet, conditions change, new ideas emerge and miracles happen.
Confucius once said, “Any fool can count how many seeds are in an apple, but, who can say how many apples are in one seed?” And that is what happens in our lives. We affect others as others affect us and the beat goes on. It is our choice whether we call happenstance luck or the answer to a prayer or the answer or manifestation of someone else’s.
There is no way for us to know what we are creating moment by moment. Therefore, I try not to figure out “who might be hiding under the bed” when I pick up a piece of garbage in the park or smile at someone for no reason.
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