DAD'S STORY
On July 22nd I was in route to Washington, DC for a
business trip. It was all so very ordinary, until we landed in Denver for
a plane change. As I collected my belongings from the overhead bin, an
announcement was made for Mr. Lloyd Glenn to see the United Customer
Service Representative immediately. I thought nothing of it until I
reached the door to leave the plane and I heard a gentleman asking every
male if he were Mr. Glenn. At this point I knew something was wrong and
my heart sunk.
When I got off the plane a solemn-faced young man came
toward me and said, "Mr. Glenn, there is an emergency at your home. I do
not know what the emergency is, or who is involved, but I will take you
to the phone so you can call the hospital." My heart was now pounding,
but the will to be calm took over. Woodenly, I followed this stranger to
the distant telephone where I called the number he gave me for the
Mission Hospital . My call was put through to the trauma center where I
learned that my three-year-old son had been trapped underneath the
automatic garage door for several minutes, and that when my wife had
found him he was dead. CPR had been performed by a neighbor, who is a
doctor, and the paramedics had continued the treatment as Brian was
transported to the hospital.
By the time of my call, Brian was revived and they
believed he would live, but they did not know how much damage had been
done to his brain, nor to his heart. They explained that the door had
completely closed on his little sternum right over his heart. He had been
severely crushed. After speaking with the medical staff, my wife sounded
worried but not hysterical, and I took comfort in her calmness.
The return flight seemed to last forever, but finally I
arrived at the hospital six hours after the garage door had come down.
When I walked into the intensive care unit, nothing could have prepared
me to see my little son laying so still on a great big bed with tubes and
monitors everywhere. He was on a respirator. I glanced at my wife who
stood and tried to give me a reassuring smile. It all seemed like a
terrible dream. I was filled-in with the details and given a guarded
prognosis. Brian was going to live, and the preliminary tests indicated
that his heart was OK, two miracles in and of themselves. But only time
would tell if his brain received any damage
Throughout the seemingly endless hours, my wife was calm.
She felt that Brian would eventually be all right. I hung on to her words
and faith like a lifeline. Al l that night and the next day Brian
remained unconscious. It seemed like forever since I had left for my
business trip the day before.
Finally at two o'clock that afternoon, our son regained
consciousness and sat up uttering the most beautiful words I have ever
heard spoken He said, "Daddy hold me" and he reached for me with his
little arms.
[TEAR BREAK..smile]
By the next day he was pronounced as having no
neurological or physical deficits, and the story of his miraculous
survival spread throughout the hospital. You cannot imagine, we took
Brian home, we felt a unique reverence for the life and love of our
Heavenly Father that comes to those who brush death so closely.
In the days that followed there was a special spirit
about our home. Our two older children were much closer to their little
brother. My wife and I were much closer to each other, and all of us were
very close as a whole family. Life took on a less stressful pace.
Perspective seemed to be more focused, and balance much easier to gain
and maintain. We felt deeply blessed. Our gratitude was truly profound.
The story is not over (smile)!
Almost a month later to the day of the accident, Brian
awoke from his afternoon nap and said, "Sit down Mommy.. I have something to tell you" At this time in his life, Brian usually spoke in small
phrases, so to say a large sentence surprised my wife. She sat down with
him on his bed, and he began his sacred and remarkable story.
"Do you remember when I got stuck under the garage door?
Well, it was so heavy and it hurt really bad. I called to you, but you
couldn't hear me. I started to cry, but then it hurt too bad. And then
the 'birdies' came"
"The birdies?" my wife asked puzzled.
"Yes," he replied. "The birdies made a whooshing sound
and flew into the garage. They took care of me."
"They did?"
"Yes," he said. "One of the birdies came and got you. She
came to tell you "I got stuck under the door." A sweet reverent feeling
filled the room. The spirit was so strong and yet lighter than air. My
wife realized that a three-year-old had no concept of death and spirits,
so he was referring to the beings who came to him from beyond as
"birdies" because they were up in the air like birds that fly.. "What did
the birdies look like?" she asked.
Brian answered, "They were so beautiful. They were
dressed in white, all white. Some of them had green and white. But some
of them had on just white."
"Did they say anything?"
"Yes," he answered. "They told me the baby would be all right."
"The baby?" my wife asked confused.
Brian answered. "The baby laying on the garage floor." He
went on, "You came out and opened the garage door and ran to the baby.
You told the baby to stay and not leave."
My wife nearly collapsed upon hearing this, for she had
indeed gone and knelt beside Brian's body and seeing his crushed chest
whispered, "Don't leave us Brian, please stay if you can." As she
listened to Brian telling her the words she had spoken, she realized that
the spirit had left His body and was looking down from above on this
little lifeless form.. "Then what happened?" she asked.
"We went on a trip," he said, "far, far away." He grew
agitated trying to say the things he didn't seem to have the words for.
My wife tried to calm and comfort him, and let him know it would be okay.
He struggled with wanting to tell something that obviously was very
important to him, but finding the words was difficult.
"We flew so fast up in the air. They're so pretty Mommy,"
he added
"And there are lots and lots of birdies." My wife was
stunned. Into her mind the sweet comforting spirit enveloped her more
soundly, but with an urgency she had never before known. Brian went on to
tell her that the "birdies" had told him that he had to come back and
tell everyone about the "birdies." He said they brought him back to the
house and that a big fire truck , and an ambulance were there. A man was
bringing the baby out on a white bed and he tried to tell the man that
the baby would be okay. The story went on for an hour.
He taught us that "birdies" were always with us, but we
don't see them because we look with our eyes and we don't hear them
because we listen with our ears. But they are always there, you can only
see them in here (he put his hand over his heart). They whisper the
things to help us to do what is right because they love us so much. Brian
continued, stating, "I have a plan, Mommy. You have a plan.. Daddy has a
plan. Everyone has a plan We must all live our plan and keep our
promises. The birdies help us to do that cause they love us so much."
In the weeks that followed, he often came to us and told
all, or part of it, again and again. Always the story remained the same.
The details were never changed or out of order. A few times he added
further bits of information and clarified the message he had already
delivered It never ceased to amaze us how he could tell such detail and
speak beyond his ability when he talked about his birdies.
Everywhere he went, he told strangers about the
"birdies." Surprisingly, no one ever looked at him strangely when he did
this. Rather, they always got a softened look on their face and smiled.
Needless to say, we have not been the same ever since that day, and I
pray we never will be.
You have just been sent an Angel to watch over you. Some
people come into our lives and quickly go...Some people become friends
and stay a while...leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts ... and we
are never quite the same because we have made a good friend!!
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a
gift. That's why it's called the present! Live and savor every
moment...this is not a dress rehearsal! THIS IS A SPECIAL GUARDIAN
ANGEL...