Through the Rainbow

When my son was about 30 months old, he was stricken with bacterial meningitis. We took him to a children's hospital. By midnight, the doctors told the family that while they were going to do everything that they could to keep the baby alive, they were not sure that he was going to make it. I tried to get in touch with friends, someone to come stay with me at the hospital. I could not make contact with anyone at the time. My son had been put into an isolation unit. I could only go in once every 30 minutes to look at him. Because he was in isolation, I was not allowed to touch him. I decided to go down and wait in the hospital chapel while the doctors did what they could for my son. 

I remember in the chapel, I prayed the silliest prayers. I asked the Holy Spirit to have the doctors tell me that this had all been a mistake. I prayed that they would come and tell me that my son just had a cold and then I could take him home. I tried to talk to the Holy Spirit, but I didn't know what to ask for. There were all just selfish prayers. 

I tried again and finally got in touch with my best friend. I told her that B.J. had slipped into a coma, and that the doctors did not think that he would make it through the night. She came straight to the hospital and stayed with me for several hours. 

After she left, I went back to the chapel. This time, as I prayed, it came to me that I had been praying for the wrong things. In a way that I could describe as the light of the Holy Spirit coming to me, I began to have these thoughts. The thoughts said to me, “Sharon, you are asking for the wrong things. This is not that is not really your baby. It is God's baby.” I remember thinking at the point that this must mean that my son was going to die. He was in isolation. I could not get to him. I did not want him to die alone. 

I remember thinking, “Oh, Holy Spirit, if I cannot hold my baby again, then would you send an angel. At least let her go in there and hold him for me.” 

After the prayer, I went immediately upstairs to his room. I asked if I could go in and see my son. I was given permission; and as I entered the room, the first thing I saw was this beautiful Angel sitting at the head of his crib. I could see her perfectly. She was beautiful. There was the glow of white light about and within her.  As I watched, she began to float around my son. The light spread from her and surrounded him. I could see it and knew what it was. It was the same light that had come to me in the chapel. 

At that point, the thought came to me again then I should go out in the waiting room and go to sleep. It was as though this tremendous piece had covered me like a soft blanket. I remember realizing that the angel might be there to take B.J. from me, but I was at peace with it. I took one more look at the Angel watching over him, and I walked out of his isolation unit. I remember that I did not know what would happen when I woke up. I went out into the waiting room and sat down and almost instantly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. 

A nurse came to wake me up at about six the next morning. I was ready to hear whatever they were going to tell me, even if it was the worst possible news. The nurse said that they did not know what had happened, but they could not explain it. She said, “A miracle has happened. Your baby's life, his vital signs are back to normal. He has come back to us – he is out of his coma.” 

The nurse went on to say that B.J. was doing so well that the doctors were saying that they might even take him out of intensive care that afternoon and transform into a room. When I spoke to the doctors to find out what had happened, they could not explain it. They said his recovery was not as a result of anything which they had done. They said that during the night, he had just “gotten OK.” They could not really say how. 

There was another time that I believe the same Angel was obviously at work on our behalf! 

We were in the process of moving from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Memphis, Tennessee. We were driving through Jackson, Mississippi. There was a horrible storm. The word on the radio was that there were tornadoes in the area. They said that one had already touched down. They were warning people that if you were in a certain area, you should find shelter immediately. It was very frightening. I was not from around there. I had no idea where we were in relation to the dangerous part of the storm. I didn't know if I was in the vicinity of that tornado or not, but I knew that it was getting so bad that I could not see the drive any more. 

I started to look for some place to seek shelter, but all the safe places were already taken up by truckers or people who knew where they were going once they left the Interstate highway. At that point, I was really terrified. The car was being blown around. It was so strong that we were being thrown all over the road. The only reason we did not have an accident was because basically we were the only car left on the highway. 

B.J. was with me. He, too, was really scared. I remember that he kept asking me, “Are we going to die Mommy? Are we going to die?” 

I started praying for the Holy Spirit to help me. I prayed for Her to show me where to go. I kept praying this. I even told B.J. to pray and to ask for a sign I told him that the Holy Spirit would help us if we both just prayed. 

It was right after this I remember saying, “Oh, B.J. look!” 

Straight ahead of us the storm clouds were gone – just disappeared. It was black all around us with storm clouds, but right in front of us they had vanished! As we drove into the calm spot, up over the interstate highway a huge, brilliant rainbow appeared. We drove straight through that rainbow. I absolutely believe that this rainbow was B.J. 's angel helping us. We went on “home”. 

Billye Jones 

Excerpt from Angel Power, Angel Love. Other books by Billye are The Essence of Loving and Women Pioneers in 12 Step Recovery.