Miracle Moments

“I am a doctor visiting. John looks great. See pictures below.” “He is wonderfully well and full of joy you should be very proud” “I'll let you tell the other parents that everyone in the community seems well.”         Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan I opened my email and those wonderful words greeted me!   A surprise message sent all the way from Liberia by an American doctor who traveled there on a medical mission. God is so big…and technology has made the world so small…and the hearts of good people are exploding with love and I am so grateful to be a recipient of that river of grace pouring forth all the way from Liberia to New Orleans! Sunday I spoke with my oldest son Johnny and he told me about an American doctor who met with him and the other members of Comunita Cenacolo who are caring for orphan children in Liberia.  When I hung up the phone with my son I immediately searched the internet for information about the good Dr. a...

One of my son’s lost an old friend to a very long battle with drug addiction. Three days before his 25th birthday he overdosed on heroin and crystal meth, two of the most lethal drug combinations and a growing threat in communities all around the country. When I heard the news, I thought back a few years to my conversation with this young man in my living room. He had just exited another rehab facility and he was facing legal charges from crimes he committed in order to support his illegal drug habit. We were all hoping and praying that he would make it. “I’m going to try to stay clean,” he told me. “I really want to.” “I know you do,” I replied. I encouraged him to seek additional support in a long term program like “Comunita Cenacolo” where my oldest son flourished. “I feel you need the safety, security and the spiritual support to break the chains of drug oppression that have enslaved your mind. It’s too hard to do it on your own.” He admitted he was worried because ...

Howard Pierre and I never met, we never even spoke to one another…and yet, he left an indelible imprint on my heart! Through his daughter, my friend Monica Pierre, I could literally feel his faith, his charity and the soulful resiliency that carried him through the challenges of feeding, clothing and caring for his wife and five children on the earnings of a sharecropper. It must have been a daunting task every single day. But honestly, that’s not the message I heard nor is it the feeling Monica passed on. Humble, unconditional love-that was Howard Pierre’s charism. He lived love, shared love and his legacy of love keeps on flowing even though his heart has physically stopped beating. I became fascinated with Monica’s dad and the rest of her family after reading her book, “Found My Soul In A Sweet Potato Patch.” (monicapierrepresents.com) Mr. Pierre was a leader who successfully compelled his young children to wake up extra early every morning so they could pick sweet potato...