Mary Ann's Vision:
On Tuesday night, before Ash Wednesday, 2009, I said a
prayer. I asked my daughter Lauren to send me a sign from heaven. Any sign,
just to let me know that she was okay. My beloved daughter Lauren (she live to
call herself beloved daughter) had been killed in an accident five days before
I said the prayer.
I had always hoped that there was, but I wasn't quite sure
if there really was a place like heaven. I certainly had no clue of what my
idea of heaven was at this point. To be honest, I didn't like to think about it
much at all, because it meant thinking about the fact that people die. I hate
that fact. It used to scare me worse than almost anything. I never wanted to
die and I certainly never wanted to consider my children or my husband
dying.
Then, my worst dear came true. My beautiful 17 year old
daughter died in an automobile accident. In one instant, our lives were changed
forever. So, in what I thought at the time was my greatest grief, I asked
Lauren for a sign.
I drew a bubble bath and talked to Lauren while I soaked.
She used to come and talk with me while I took a bath, and I would do the same
with her. I always thought of it as our quality time, and I think she did too.
I felt her presence, it was a warmth that envelopes me, especially around my
arms. It felt just like she was hugging me. So I told her that it was okay if
she couldn't send me a sign, because I could feel her with me.... "but
please baby, if you can, send me a sign"...
I've heard that some people get birds, or butterflies. I
just needed a sign between she and I. I needed something that I could look at
and think of her, and a sign to know that she was okay.
I got so much more.
The next morning, Ash Wednesday, my thirteen year old
daughter London, was reading at mass. I really did not want to go to church,
but I knew I had to be there for London. She was so strong and did an excellent
job reading during mass, even though her heart was still breaking at the sudden
loss of her "big sissy".
After mass, all of the children at St. Mary's Assumption
School said a rosary for Lauren. I noticed Mary Ann Carmouche coming to the pew
behind my husband Terry and I as the rosary began. When the rosary ended, Mary
Ann tapped us on the shoulder and said..."I have a confirmation for you"....
She proceeded to tell us of a vision she had while praying
the rosary. She said that she was leaving church after mass, and the Lord told
her to come back and pray with Terry and me. So she did. She explained that she
closed her eyes, and had a vision. She said...." I don't know if it will
mean anything to you, but this is what I saw"...." I saw Lauren with
your grandparents, Mama Lou, and Papa Taft. They were walking in a field.
The wind was blowing in their faces, and they were so happy!"....
Mary Ann's face was just beaming! Her eyes were closed
and her head was tilted back, just as if she were feeling the same breeze she
was describing on her face. She used her hands to tell the story. Small
gestures, to suggest the wind and blowing grass.
We just absorbed every word in complete awe. I mean, there
we were, in church on Ash Wednesday, receiving a vision of our beloved daughter
( she live to call herself that) in heaven! I just couldn't hear the
words fast enough!
Mary Ann continued, she said..."they are walking and
holding hands"... She explained that it was Papa Taft (my grandfather) on
the right, Lauren to his left, then a dark haired girl to the left of Lauren,
and finally, Mama Lou (my grandmother) all the way on the outside left side.
She said that they were walking through a field of brown grass. The grass had
wildflowers growing in it. They came down a small hill, to the edge of a pond.
Floating on the pond was a large lily pad, with a frog sitting on top. She said
that the lily pad also had a purple hyacinth flower growing on it. Then she
said that Lauren bent down. The frog made a "ribbet" sound, and then
Lauren made the same "ribbet" sound back to the frog. Lauren began to
laugh, and the vision went blank.
I was in shock! I knew right away that the answer to my
prayer was a frog. I was so uplifted! It felt as if angels were holding me up
under each arm. I couldn't wait to get home so I could go find a picture of
Lauren and a frog that came to mind.
In the days following Lauren's death, we had poured through
our family photos. I remembered seeing a picture of Lauren holding a frog. That
picture had popped up on me several times as I was looking through the family
photos. That was my first frog connection that I made. Little
did I know that I would be showered with frogs! I had no idea how many frogs I
had around the house. Suddenly, they seemed to be everywhere! What a
blessing! A sign from Lauren everywhere I looked, telling me that she was
okay.
Tara Rodney
10/11/10
