Hope and a Christmas Miracle

I first became aware of my twelve year old son's illness when the choppy rendition at the piano of "Hark! The Herald Angels sing," had stopped. Glancing at him, his head resting on the piano, I asked, "What's wrong?'

He replied, "I don't feel good."

As he looked up I saw his cheeks were flushed; on closer inspection it proved to be a fine rash. He had a temperature. I called our family doctor and described the symptoms. He said it sounded like the measles that were going around and he prescribed a well-known drug.

The next day, George complained of his eyes hurting. Blisters began to appear on his ears and lips, and his temperature rose. After sitting by his side for several hours, I had to leave the room momentarily. As I returned, the sight was so shocking. I rushed from the room, dropped to the floor and cried. George had rubbed all the skin from his blistered lips. His ears, neck and face were a mass of blisters, with one large blister hanging like a sac on one side of his face. George did not sleep. He kept asking us to please turn out the lights. It was frightening to hear him ask this; there was only a small night-light burning and I had a small folded towel over his eyes.

Upon our arrival at the hospital, we were taken to an isolation room. As the ambulance attendant lifted my son onto the bed, the large blister on his face, a hanging sac of sloshing fluid broke.

Now, lying naked on the sterile sheets, coughing and choking, his body a mass of blisters and skinless places, he looked like someone wearing an ugly mask. I wanted to cry out, "No! No!" But I prayed that for my son's sake my voice would be calm.

Nothing could have torn me away from my son at this time; so I was given a hospital gown and a mask. The next few days were crucial ones. Large areas of skin that had gone dark and looked as if they were scalded, pushed off from George's back and he stuck to the sheets. The skin, pushed up on his upper arm, looked like a wrinkled nylon stocking. George's mouth and throat were blistered, as well as the bronchial tubes, and he was coughing constantly. I covered my face, put my head on the windowsill and fought the tears.

The eye doctor said the eyes were blistered, even on the cornea, and added, "If he comes along-we may not be able to save his eyes." It came to me that my son might be blind!

A new nurse coming in to put drops in George's eyes, leaned over him and said, "George, I have something to put in your eyes. Can you turn your head this way?"

She leaned over, and as he turned his face with it's black rimmed hole for a mouth, one side of his face practically skinless, and skinless ears-all this was too much for this nurse. She became nauseous, gagged and hurriedly left the room.

One night, two couples were standing in the hall. One of the men looked in at George and gasped. When his wife stepped over to where he was standing, he led her away, remarking, "You do not want to see that."

Each time the doctor entered the room, he would greet my son with, "How are you George?"

George would answer, "Pretty good." Always pretty good.

At one time the doctor looked at him and said, "You are a game little guy!" There were tears in his eyes.

My son asked me if I was praying. I assured him I was.

One evening, the young doctor gravely told me things were not going well and that he had done all that he could. At that moment I felt desperately alone; what could I do except go to God for help? I returned to the room and knelt beside my son's bed and pleaded with God to let him live.

The next day, George asked, "Is everyone still praying for me?"

I said, "Oh, yes. We surely are, son."

Then he asked me if I'd hold his hand. He said, "If you don't mind holding a scratchy one."

All day I held his hand. By evening I sensed a calmness come over him. I said, "Doctor, I think he is better!"

The doctor examined him, turned to me and with a look of almost disbelief and surprise said, "I think he is!" The crisis had passed.

The miraculous powers of the body to heal took over. New skin began to grow and the old skin sloughed off. All twenty of his fingernails and toenails came off.

Suddenly we were aware that it was Christmas Eve. Kind nurses and Santa himself came to where a brave young boy with a blotched and burned looking body sat in the bed. By tipping his head back, he saw through slits of eyes a Christmas bouquet and said, "I can see! I can see!" At that moment I was humbled beyond words.

The young doctor came into the room and said, "George, you have made medical history." Then he asked if we minded the case being written for the medical journals. I tried to thank our tall young doctor.

He said humbly, "I just stood by." But I knew he had worked valiantly to save my son.

Our family doctor came into the room and said, "George, you are a walking miracle."

The nurses, who came to say good-bye to us, said that no one in the hospital expected to see our son go out of the hospital alive.

The eye doctor said, "I feel so humble about this boy. It certainly has made me a believer."

At this unforgettable Christmas time I realized that, to me, Christmas would forever be a time of rejoicing; rejoicing for the gift of a son." (Opal H. Clarke, "Don't Let Him Die")

This young man grew to adulthood but his body wasn't the same. His eyes are constantly red because his tear ducts were destroyed and he has to use artificial tears. He coughs frequently and has a raspy sound when he breathes because he has Chronic Bronchitis as a result of the illness. But this faithful man, George Amos Clarke, my husband and sweetheart, my lover and friend, was grateful for a miracle.

I know not by what method rare,
But this I know, God answers prayer.
I know that He has given His word,
That tells me prayer is always heard,
And will be answered, soon or late,
And so I pray and calmly wait.

I know not if the blessing sought,
Will come just in the way I thought,
But leave my prayers with Him alone,
Whose ways are wiser than my own,
Assured that He will grant my quest
Or send some answer far more blessed.

Flowers and friends are one and the same.
Each flower has a different scent,
Color, shape, and beauty of its own,
And so does each friendship in my life.
As I nurture and care for each flower,
My love for each friendship grows.
Each flower becomes a part of me
And I know that my life is happier.

But there is one special flower
That brings me great joy.
I love its color, shape, and scent.
This flower makes me smile.
This flower makes me laugh.
A friend, you may say?
No, you are much more than that.
You are this very special flower.
----Linda Weaver Clarke

In 1896 Melinda Gamble, a very elegant young woman from Boston, is desperately trying to help a rebellious student through acceptance and love, and at the same time, she is trying to understand her own heart. Driven by her intense desire to make a difference in the world, Melinda takes a job as a schoolteacher in the small town of Paris, Idaho, where she comes face-to-face with a bank robber, a vicious grizzly bear, and an intense blizzard that leaves her clinging to her life. But it is a ruggedly handsome rancher who challenges Melinda with the one thing for which she was least prepared-love.

With mysterious letters, cattle rustlers, a spunky woman, the liar's fire, Halloween, and young love, there is always something happening. It is 1904 and Melinda is "with child" and threatening to miscarry. Her cousin Edith, a nurse, moves to Paris to care for her. Edith has wonderful qualities but never gives a man a second chance because her expectations are so high. However, all that changes when a mysterious stranger begins to write to her. For the first time, she gets to know a man's inner soul before making any harsh judgments. Whoever he is, this man is a mystery and the best thing that has ever happened to her. The question that puzzles her is whether or not he's as wonderful in person as he is in his letters.

Jenny Roberts is home from college and is restless. She feels a need to spread her wings and fly away. She has dreams of becoming a writer and wants to pursue it. After she realizes that Will, her kindred friend, means more to her than she thought, she must now choose between a career and romance. Which dream should she pursue? The only thing standing in her way is an unpleasant memory from her past, which has haunted her since childhood. She must learn to forgive before she can choose which dream to follow.

A ten-foot grizzly bear is seen in the area and its boldness has frightened the community. There is one man with the courage and determination to protect his family and neighbors. Gilbert Roberts! He attempts to defy this great beast but Melinda will not have her husband be part of it. Gilbert has other ideas. Old Half Paw must be stopped.

Deep-rooted legends, long family traditions, and a few mysterious events! Once again the Roberts family is reunited with David trying to solve personal issues and overcome his troubles! David quickly becomes one with the town and its folk and finds himself entranced with one very special lady and ends up defending her honor several times. She isn't like the average woman. Sarah is different. This beautiful and dainty woman has a disability that no one seems to notice. He finds out that Sarah has gone through more trials than the average person. She teaches him the importance of not dwelling on the past and how to love life. After a few teases, tricks, and mischievous deeds, David begins to overcome his troubles, but will it be too late? Will he lose the one woman he adores? And how about the Bear Lake Monster? Does it really exist?

When a woman settles into a strict conservative town as the newest doctor, a slew of problems begin to arise. The town is not ready for a female doctor, let alone one so strong and independent. Elena Yeates, the town's newest doctor, must struggle to prove herself in this western town, while keeping her composure, poise, and femininity. As she fights to prove herself, the town's most eligible bachelor finds it a challenge to see if he can win her heart. With the 1920's rise of women's rights, this novel gives you great insight at the struggles women had to go through, all the while watching a young love blossom!