Maggie’s Gift
It all started on the night that my friend Steve, Aunt Carmel, and I went to see the “angel lady”. The three of us rode to Marksville with different thoughts on our minds and in our hearts. Steve and Aunt Carmel had been to see Sondra Abrahams a few years before. I had seen Sondra Abrahams on EWTN a couple of years ago, and I was very excited and nervous to see her in person for the first time. The evening was very special and spiritual. We started with a rosary and then Sondra gave a talk about her death experience, and her visions of heaven, hell, and purgatory. Sondra spoke at length about the forgotten souls in purgatory, and she reminded us to pray for them as much as possible. After her presentation, Sondra spoke personally with anyone who wanted to speak with her. She told many people the name of their patron saint, or their guardian angel. She also told people if their relatives are currently in purgatory or in heaven. As we waited our turn to see Sondra, we shared our reasons for speaking with her, and consoled each other in the event that we didn’t hear what we hoped we would hear. We watched as a couple that we knew received the news from Sondra that their son was in heaven! It was amazing and thrilling to see their faces as they heard news of what their hearts had been telling them.
I felt like I already knew in my heart that Lauren was in heaven, so I was a little bit scared to ask Sondra for confirmation because I feared that her answer would make me doubt my heart and possibly undermine the faith I had found. But when my turn came, I couldn’t help myself, I had to hear her say that Lauren was in heaven. I needed confirmation again, even though my heart already knew. She told me that Lauren was definitely in heaven! She said that Lauren was waiting there and that she would be very excited to meet me when my turn came. Sondra said that our reunion would be joyous, beyond my comprehension. I looked into Sondra’s kind and beautiful blue eyes as she told me how wonderful it would be on the day I get to see Lauren again. My heart swelled as if it would burst. I thanked Sondra for the peace she had given me. Although I felt like I knew where Lauren was when I spoke with Sondra, her description of our reunion was a gift that I will always treasure. As I walked away, I prayed that Steve would receive the same wonderful news that his beautiful daughter had made it to heaven and was waiting for him.
Steve had seen Sondra a few years before, right after his daughter Maggie had taken her own life. Sondra made it clear during her talk that souls who commit suicide must start out in the lowest levels of purgatory. When Steve and his wife Tina saw Sondra for the first time, Sondra told them that Maggie was in the lower level of purgatory. She told them that they should pray for Maggie, and have masses said for her to help her get to heaven. The news was devastating to the newly bereaved parents, and they left the church in tears.
Steve’s wife Tina couldn’t come to see the angel lady on the night we went. So Steve went up alone. I could not tell by his reaction what she told him. I impatiently waited in the back of the church for him and his news. He asked me about Lauren first, and I told him that she confirmed that Lauren was definitely in heaven. He was so genuinely happy for me. Then he told me that Sondra told him that Maggie was on the highest level of purgatory. She said that Maggie would make it to heaven on Dec 25, or even Dec 8, with enough prayers and masses. Steve asked Sondra how he would know if Maggie made it to heaven, and she told him that he would get a sign, probably a dream, but some kind of sign to know that she had made it to heaven. Although it wasn’t the news he wanted to hear, it was still great news! Steve and Tina had been praying for Maggie, and their prayers were working! Soon she would be with God in heaven. For a bereaved parent, there is great peace in knowing that your child is in heaven. If they can’t be with you, there is no other place that you would want them to be besides heaven.
I was very happy for my friends, and wanted to help. I decided to get as many prayers and masses said for Maggie between that November night and Christmas as I possibly could. I began burning holy candles for Maggie, next to Lauren’s candle. I asked my family and friends to pray for Maggie. I prayed for Maggie every day, several times a day. I reminded my children to pray for her as much as possible to help her soul reach heaven. I called Maggie’s best friend and my cousin, Callie to tell her about praying for Maggie to get to heaven. As we spoke, Callie began to cry, and I realized that there was a lot of pain still connected to Maggie’s death. I began to understand that Maggie getting to heaven was bigger than just a gift of peace for her or her parents. It was going to touch a lot more people. But I still didn’t realize that it would ultimately be Maggie’s gift to us all.
On the morning of Dec 8, 2011, I woke up with a giddy feeling. It was going to be a special day, and I knew it. Maggie was supposed to go to heaven that day. As I got dressed for church that morning, my attention was caught by a movie clip that played during the morning news on Fox and friends. It was the clip from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. During the clip, a bell that is hanging on the Christmas tree begins to ring, and the little boy says, “Look Daddy! Teacher says that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!” I was struck for a moment, and then I smiled to myself thinking, I guess I will be hearing a bell today.
It was a special mass at St Mary’s, celebrating the feast of the Assumption. The bishop was saying mass. My whole family was there, and we were all praying for Maggie. As mass began, Tina and her mother entered the church and sat in the pew right next to me. My heart fluttered because I knew it was all coming together. This special mass was being said in Maggie’s honor, and we were all in prayerful anticipation of her special day. My son T.J. had an opportunity to speak with the bishop after mass, and he asked the bishop if Maggie had made it to heaven. The bishop answered T.J. saying that he didn’t know, and that no one knows God’s timing. It was a sobering reminder to not get too caught up in predictions and the timing of everything.
To all of our dismay, the day of Dec 8, 2011 came and went with only one small sign for Aunt Carmel. She heard the song Maggie May in her car that afternoon. But there were no dreams, or bells. Other than the song on the radio, it seemed to have just been another day. I think all of our spirits fell a bit because we had prayed and believed and hoped so much. The next day, Dec 9, my daughter London called my cellphone. She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. She said, “Mama! I asked Lauren for a sign to know if Maggie made it to heaven, and since then, I’ve seen about a hundred frogs!” She was insistent that I tell Steve and Tina. She wanted them to know that Maggie made it to heaven, and that she had gotten her sign. Reluctantly, I wrote it all down in an email and sent it to Steve and Tina. I explained to them that I wished they had been able to hear London’s voice because she was very certain and very excited that Maggie made it to heaven.
I assumed that Aunt Carmel’s song and London’s sign would be all we could hope for, but then, on Dec 10, 2011, my subconscious was awakened by an incessant ringing. At first, it was annoying. I stopped what I was doing to find the source of the ringing. The children in my class were passing around a small brass bell. It looked like the one on the movie clip that I saw. I asked the children where they got the bell, and they said that they didn’t know where it came from, they just found it. I asked the teacher if she knew the origin of the bell, and she said that she had no idea where it came from. Suddenly, it dawned on me! It was Maggie’s bell, and it was ringing! I let the children play with the bell for the rest of the day, amazed each time it rung, and excited to be getting my sign.
I wasn’t sure how to tell Steve and Tina about the bell, but I knew I had to let them know. I was literally in the middle of composing another email to Steve and Tina when my cousin Callie texted. She was very excited because her 5 year old daughter, Viley Kate, came home talking about an angel that visited her at school. Viley Kate told her mom details that made Callie believe that the angel was Maggie. Callie eventually found a picture of Maggie. She showed it to her daughter, and the child said, “That’s her mommy, that’s my angel! “ I sent my second email to Steve and Tina, and Callie sent them an email detailing Viley Kate’s angel.
I decided to confiscate the small brass bell that showed up in the classroom and give it to Steve and Tina for Christmas. It was Maggie’s bell, and I wanted them to have it. I brought it home and put it in front of Lauren’s picture on my dresser. One evening, T.J. walked past the bell. He backed up and picked up Maggie’s bell, and he rang it. I spun around and asked him why he rang the bell. He said, “Because, don’t you know Mom? Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” I couldn’t believe it. He had just rung Maggie’s bell, and quoted the movie clip I had seen on Dec 8! I questioned T.J. about the quote, and it turns out that he had seen the same movie clip on a different television show. When he saw the bell, he felt compelled to ring it. I explained what the bell meant to me, and T.J. got the biggest smile on his face. He had gotten his sign too! I sent Steve and Tina another email. I was beginning to feel like a pest, so I was elated to hear that Steve and Tina were being bombarded with signs from friends and family that Maggie was in heaven! There were too many instances that it could no longer be explained as coincidence.
Steve and Tina received their own special sign in the days following Dec 8, 2011. They were presented a gift of a small glass cube. Inside the cube is the image of a beautiful angel with a cross above her head. The moment that they saw the angel, they both knew that it was their sign that Maggie had made it to heaven! And as if that weren’t enough, their 4 year old grandson confirmed it for them again. When Hunter was shown the glass cube angel, they asked him what he saw in the middle of the cube. Hunter answered, “It’s Maggie”. Steve and Tina were dumbfounded! They asked Hunter how he knew it was Maggie, the aunt he had never met, and he said, “Look at her wings”. Later on that day, Hunter’s mom asked him about the angel in the cube and how he knew she was Maggie and Hunter answered that God had told him.
We have all received our own confirmation that Maggie made it to heaven, and with it, our own little gift of faith to treasure and share. We all prayed and we all believed. Maggie’s gift to us is a beautiful testimony to the power of prayer, and to God’s loving mercy, and to our own individual faith. Congratulations to Steve and Tina on your beautiful daughter who made her way to heaven, and took a piece of our hearts with her. Although I have never met Maggie in person, I have come to love her in spirit, and I am thankful to her for the gifts of faith, hope, and love that she shared.
Tara Rodney
12/30/11