A Gentle Reminder?

 Mag 65

 Photograph courtesy Tess Kinkaid, Magpie Tales

 I hesitated in writing this because it is so very personal but after much thought, I decided that I would share my experience and let you make of it what you will.

It was May 2005  when a friend asked me to speak to a friend of hers who was going to have surgery.  We will call my friend Jenny and we will call her friend Bernadette.   I had never met Bernadette but because Jenny had asked me to speak to her pre-surgery, I did.  She was somewhat on edge and rather afraid but I could tell from her voice that she was a gentle and unassuming soul.  Jenny had told me some time earlier that Bernadette had been blessed with extraordinary gifts.  The fact that I was rather skepical of this did not stop me from talking to her as asked and also finding out some information she needed regarding her child's education.

In early June 2005 I travelled to Rochester, New York with my then boss who was to conduct a four night Mission in the Diocese. We were accompanied by a husband and wife who were to provide the music, and their two young daughters.  We had a fantastic trip - the Mission was a success, I shopped at  o'clock in the morning and wondered if people had nothing better to do than be in the supermarkets at that hour(!), had my first and only taste of Walmart, met some fantastic people and spent the last free day at Niagara Falls.  The priest in whose home we stayed  and was to become a dear friend, was deliciously hospitable and the night before we left to fly back to Trinidad, he gave me a gift.  It was a beautiful mosaic plaque and the central figure was St Francis of Assisi.   Back in Trinidad I hung it on the wall over the computer desk.

Fast forward a few weeks.

I am now going to share notes I made at the time which I then sent as an attachment in an e mail  to my daughter who had gone to England for a few weeks to work in a friend's London Art Gallery.  The names will remain as Jenny and Bernadette.

The notes:

Some weeks ago - end of May - I was involved in doing something for Bernadette, a visionary who was to have surgery.  I have never met her but spoke to her on the phone prior to surgery.

Friday 15 July 2005  - pm  call from Jenny - she had been to see Bernadette (the visionary) who had the following message for me:

1)   I was on a high spiritual level - could have said very -  cannot recall                

2)   I was to pray to Our Lady more

3)   Who is the saint that wears a brown gown that I pray to or should be praying to?

I do not know - thought perhaps it was St Joseph as I have been praying to him recently as  the    Patron Saint of Workers  -  job for......... (name given) on advice of ............(name given)

Saturday 16 July 2005 - 5.00pm Mass - Santa Rosa  - opened  my Missal and the page fell open where I have a picture of St Francis of Assisi .  I wondered if this was the saint I should be praying to.

Monday 18 July 2005 am - call at work from Jenny who had been to see Bernadette and there was a message for me.

1)   The saint wears a brown habit with a cord around his waist
2)   He is waiting for me and will help me
3)   I am to light a candle to him and pray to him
4)   He has sent signs but I have not picked them up.  Is happy that I now have and he is willing to 
      help   
5)   I am prayerful
6)   I suffer from tiredness and am very, very tired at the moment.  Have to be careful as I live in   
      a state of constant anxiety
7)   I work very hard and do not make time for myself


Signs:

Fr ........(the priest in Rochester)  gave me a gift on my departure - a mosaic plaque depicting St Francis of Assisi and asked when I thanked him, if I realized it was St Francis.

On my return received an e mail from Fr........ (Rochester).  Told me he was going on a Retreat with some of the admin members of the Diocese and that he would be taking St Francis's Bros Sun Canticle to de-stress.  I went on line to check out the Canticle.

Saturday 16 July - Missal fell open at the page showing St Francis

End of notes *****************

After all of the above happened, without telling my priest friend what had taken place, I asked him why he had given me the plaque of that particular saint.  His reply was "Because your spirit reminds me so much of his".

As the months and years went by, I lapsed.  In August 2009 my boss was leaving and his parting gift to me was a beautiful 36" x 14" poster of - you guessed it - St Francis.  A gentle reminder?  It sits in my office waiting to be framed.

I have had more 'gentle reminders'  and I'm asking myself why I don't listen.  I think this Magpie was another little push to get me thinking