CHRISTmas Miracles Are Plentiful, and You Never Forget Them – Opinion

CHRISTmas Eve 2018 is upon us. For millions across the globe, it’s an opportunity to take a moment and think about many things.

The main reason the season is celebrated is Jesus Christ’s birth. This was predicted by Isaiah in the Old Testament. At that moment Immanuel truly became “God With Us,” and this became one of the greatest miracles ever recorded.

Now, miracles have happened in many shapes and forms since that first CHRISTmas Day, but the ones that happen right around CHRISTmas seem to stick out and have a li’l more meaning in the shadow of the miraculous event that occurred over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.

The one that occurred to me, at least, does.

This was eleven years ago, when I was in the Intensive Care Unit of Grosse Pointe in Michigan. My Mom had just undergone emergency surgery to drain pooled blood from her back. On the 23rd, my Mom had trouble seeing beyond two feet and was having difficulty recalling names.

The initial diagnosis was that she had a stroke caused “possibly” by a tumor that was on the back part of her brain. Because Mom had had colon cancer surgery many years prior and that she had received six months of chemotherapy, I was concerned that her tumor might be cancerous.

Mom was wheeled to the hospital on CHRISTmas Eve 2010 in order to have the blob removed and examined. Her doctor arrived to tell us that it was just a small pool of blood and they were able to remove it with no problems. The concern now was to determine if there was any damage to her brain and whether her memory and speech would have been affected.

Prior to, during, and especially after that surgery, I used to go to the chapel in the hospital to ask for the best outcome. These are times, as anyone who has even a semblance of faith knows, can be very difficult for your spirit and cause you to lose heart. Mom had an army praying for her, which not only strengthened her but also helped her family through these difficult hours.

The family was leaving for the night. I decided to stay in bed with my mother while she fell asleep. I sat quietly and watched T.V. The room was quiet. The plan was to sit down in the space and then get tired, I’d leave.

While I sat and watched the original ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ with Maureen O’Hara and a young Natalie Wood, I barely noticed that it was the Ted Truner colorized version. Colorizations of black-and-white movies were a popular trend for some time. Here it was, rushing towards midnight and CHRISTmas Day, with this classic colorized.

Mom had been asleep for several hours. This was because a procedure in which the skull is open and then vacuums in your head essentially sucking up blood in your nose is quite exhausting. Mom was awake just before midnight and was also sitting in her bed, watching the movie with me. I was oblivious to her being awake and she startled me when she posed the question that I will never forget…

I like this movie better in black and white, don’t you?

Her room had a television that was approximately 20-25 feet from her and seven- to eighteen feet in the air. Five hours prior, she couldn’t see beyond two feet. However, she now was offering her critique to anyone trying to modernize an old classic with Jimmy Stewart.

Simply put, it was a CHRISTmas miracle. All prayers had been answered.

The next day while she ate vanilla ice cream I mentioned to her that she had a number of people praying for her from a posting that had been done on Facebook and she looked at me quite nonchalantly and replied “I know” and started to list off names of people that HAD prayed for her.

She didn’t have time to log into her nonexistent Facebook account during all this. So I asked her how that was possible. Between eating the icecream, she told me that during surgery, her mind was flooded with names. One of them highlighted, then the next one did the same. Then, she listed off the names of three or four people who had posted that they were praying.

It is impossible to express the feeling of awe in words.

Mom was only four years old when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She is still here and a tremendous blessing to her family.

It was her quiet teachings that Jesus is real, that it was possible to get to know Him and to work for His salvation. She was able to witness the Lord’s miracles through her belief. It happened on the two-year anniversary of Jesus’ birth, over 2000 years ago.

Christmas miracles continue to happen, as my mom is the living testimony and so are I and many others. For the miracle of Christ the Savior on December 24, 2010, I am forever grateful to God, the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Sincere gratitude to everyone who prayed for her over the years. If I ever have the opportunity to return that favor, I will be happy to pray for you and any of your friends. Please let me know by email [email protected]It will be done.

The Lord has many more miracles to deliver, so let’s get busy asking Him.

We wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.