The Power Of Miracles

 

Tonight’s episode of the 6-part National Geographic miniseries, “The Story Of God” with Morgan Freeman is sadly the last.  But I am very happy about the topic they chose to end the series with:  The Power Of Miracles.  And how fitting.  To talk about miracles on a day many of us are celebrating the miracle of motherhood.

Do I believe in miracles?  Kinda yes, and kinda no.  Yeah, I know that’s not really an answer but it’s where I stand.  Or sit I guess since it’s on the fence.

I spent some time researching what a miracle is.  Not just on the usual dictionary type sites, but on some religious, scientific, psychological, and philosophical ones too.  Read some articles on accredited news websites.  And read some more on some random sites too, just everyday folks sharing their opinions on the topic.  What I found was it depended on how the word was defined whether I bought into its existence or not.

To be honest, I thought the researching would be easy.  I thought it would just confirm what I was taught being raised in a very religious home.  But it actually created more questions for me.  If it’s a miracle that so-and-so is somehow cured of a life-threatening disease, then what is it when so-and-so-and-so isn’t?  What’s the opposite of a miracle?  Can only God (or whomever other religions believe in) perform miracles?  Is it just divine intervention or does humankind have a role in the matter?  Is was mortals call a miracle simply God (or whomever) getting their way because they’re going to no matter what we do to try to help or hinder their efforts?  If the so-called miracle at hand is something that we say is a ‘one in a million’ act or experience, why is it labelled a miracle and not simply that one in a million?  If science can explain the miracle, does that take away its miraculousness?

I don’t have the answers to any of the above questions.  But what I do know is that my mom believed in miracles.  Big time.  And she had just cause to I guess.  On two occasions, she lost all of her vital signs and was ‘brought back to life’ through medical intervention.  The first when she was giving birth to my oldest sister, her first child.  The second when she had her first heart attack, which just so happened to occur while she was at a hospital.  Sadly, I have to say she was there because she had just found out I had tried to kill myself.  I was a teenager drowning in the despair of depression.  They brought her back to life while in the very next room, they were working on me to make sure I didn’t lose mine.  To this day, I thank God and the medical professionals who were with us both.

And to reinforce her beliefs in miracles, she says I was the result of two as well.  The first being that she even got pregnant with me at all given that I was conceived during her period and with a diaphragm in.  I guess she called me ‘one in a million’ legitimately.  The second for me because I too lost all of my vital signs after I was hit by a car while riding my bike as a child.  Mine happened in the operating room just as they were about to open me up to see where I was hemorrhaging internally.

Well, I think that’s enough deep thoughts from me on the topic of miracles.  As always, I’m looking forward to the episode tonight to reveal a little more for my contemplation.  In the meantime, I’m going to reference just one of the many definitions I found for miracle.  This one’s from the Oxford Dictionary:

An exceptional product or achievement, or an outstanding achievement of something.

 

Mom – you were an exceptional human being and now you are an exceptional angel to me.  You achieved things in your lifetime I couldn’t even have imagined anyone could do, not the least of which was raising me, and mostly on your own no less.  I was a challenge, I know, but for all of the walls and barriers I constructed, you rose to the challenge, broke them all down, and pulled me out.  You sheltered me from storms and you showed me where to find the sun.  You loved me when I couldn’t love myself.  If that’s not an outstanding achievement, then I don’t know what is.  You were and are a miracle to me.  Thank you for being the carrier of the miracle I get to call my life.

Love you mom.  Always have.  Always will.
xxoo  Marianne

 

For more on the show tonight airing at 9 pm ET / 8 pm CT, check out NatGeo’s website.  And don’t forget to watch the video with the Pastor, Rabbi, and Iman at the diner.  Another great coffee chat.

 

Image source:   Serge Melki user on flickr.com, CC2.0 Generic

Note about the picture …

To many, the rays of light streaming through the clouds are called ‘God Rays’.  My mom called them that too and believed that it was the souls of the recently passed making their way up to heaven.  I adopted her beliefs and I always see them within a couple of days after hearing of the death of someone I know.

 

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Listen to music.  It could save your soul.  Be kind.  It could save someone’s world.  Wear a hat.  It could save your life.