Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always materialize when requested\u00e2\u20ac\u201dat least in the way or form we desire. And they often arrive when least expected. Sometimes miracles go unnoticed because we simply don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t recognize them. <\/p>\n
According to Wikipedia, the word miracle<\/em> means \u00e2\u20ac\u0153something wonderful.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It indicates \u00e2\u20ac\u0153an interposition of divine intervention by which the ordinary course of operation of nature is overruled, suspended or modified.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all experienced what we would consider miracles. Our family was blessed by a miracle just before Thanksgiving when a driver on a cell phone missed a stop sign and slammed into the truck my granddaughter, Staci, was riding in, on her way home from classes at Fresno State University. The truck spun around and then rolled toward a full-running irrigation ditch. Thankfully, it hit a power pole because my granddaughter was pinned inside the wreckage upside down for over 30 minutes. It’s sickening to think of the outcome if the truck had rolled that additional few feet into the irrigation ditch. <\/p>\n The first highway patrolman to arrive on the scene had little hope that anyone had survived this crash. The heavy-duty, duely Ford truck was a tangled mass of metal. A few hours later, I spoke with my granddaughter on the phone. Staci was on her way home from the hospital with her parents having suffered just a slight concussion and a small scrape on her hand. Her friend, who was driving, escaped without a scratch. <\/p>\n A few days ago, I was finally able to hug my beautiful granddaughter when they visited for our annual family holiday gathering. Everyone wanted to look at her, touch her, hug her and tell her how much she is loved. And she seemed to have a deeper appreciation for the family as a whole and for each cousin, aunt, uncle and grandparent individually. After the emotional greetings, Staci handed each of us a little crystal angel as a reminder of the miracles in our lives.<\/p>\n This was a miracle of newborn baby-status. It was especially meaningful to my daughter and her husband because they had already lost one child. As my daughter said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The day of Staci\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wreck was the worst day and the best day of my life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She was told, that evening, to expect the worst, but she got a miracle, instead.<\/p>\n I wonder, do we diminish the power of miracles when we attribute miracle status to some of our everyday occurrences\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto our creative expressions, to our success after a particularly difficult writing assignment, to an exceptional book sales record? Are we even aware of some of the miracles in our lives? Where did the courage to speak so eloquently about your book in front of your church group come from? How did you come up with the storyline for your novel? What caused the publisher to issue you a contract? <\/p>\n I have clients tell me that they were somehow mysteriously led to me. One client said recently, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am so thankful that I found you. Your editing style is an exact match for my project.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Another told me, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I feel as if I was led to you\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat you were chosen to work with me on this book.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I often receive book manuscripts with messages that are meaningful to me. Are these connections created through fate? Some miraculous means? Or are they simply a result of my diligent promotion? But wait, what causes me to promote in the manner that I do? Was I spiritually inspired to write a particular article for a specific newsletter? Is it kismet? Are these things predestined? If we could read the story of our lives, would each of these twists and turns be documented? Now this would certainly constitute a miracle, or would it?<\/p>\n I happen to believe that life and living is a miracle. The wonderful and scary creatures and critters in nature are miracles. I observe everyday miracles in my gardens, in the gestures of my neighbors, in the love within our family and even in the daily activities and occurrences in my writing and editorial work. Yes, I believe in miracles\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlarge and small. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all celebrate the miracles in our lives this beautiful Christmas day.<\/p>\n Merry Christmas Everyone!<\/p>\n