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Nancy's Pink Blanket
When I was a young girl of ten years old, my father died suddenly and I was left all alone. I mean this in the literal sense, because I truly was without a parent.My mother had been mentally ill all of her life, and was under medical care at a hospital ward and lived close by the facility, as an out patient. She lived several hundred miles away from where we lived, and I really did not even know her. My dad was very protective of me since I was the baby of the family and the only girl.
I do remember times when I was younger, my dad would try to bring my mother home, but she would start doing some pretty crazy things after a while, and my dad would have to put her back into the hospital. The last time she was really violent, so dad did not try to bring her home any more after that. She really was not able to take care of herself, let alone a young child.
Both of my older brothers went into the Navy after my father passed away, and I went to live with Aunt Mattie. She was an elderly widow, who was a very disciplined, strict woman. She used to laugh and talk a lot, but really did not show much love or emotion to people. I guess it was the way she was raised on the farm. She said you had to be tough in order to get by in life. One of her favorite sayings to me was, "If you ever do anything, do it right or don't bother doing it at all." She reminded me more of a drill sergeant when I was young, than a loving motherly figure.
One thing Aunt Mattie did do was take me to church every Sunday and Wednesday, like clock work. However, this was not my first time going to church. A nearby neighbor would sometimes take me to church with her family when my dad was still alive. So, I was somewhat familiar with God, but just that he was God and he helped us if we prayed to him. That is all that my child-like mind understood at the time.
Alone and Missing the Closeness of Love
I remember when I first went to stay with Aunt Mattie, she told me I had to make my bed as one of my chores each day. This is something I never had to do when my father was alive, so it was new to me. I had no problem obeying her, but she did not show me how to make the bed. One day I was really struggling. It took me over a half an hour to finish making the bed. I was a little worried; I knew I had to do a good job, or Aunt Mattie would be upset. All the while I kept thinking of my dad and brothers and how much I missed them and wanted to be with them again. I so missed the only closeness and love I had ever known.Coming out of my daze of dreaming of my family, I called to tell Aunt Mattie I was done making my bed. She always wanted to inspect everything I did. A few moments later, she quickly entered the room, paused a moment, then stepped forward only to rip the heavy bedspread off the bed. As she walked away she said, "Do it again! Do it right, or don't bother doing it at all!"
I immediately broke into tears and utter disappointment. I had tried to do a good job and worked really hard to please her, but my best was not good enough. As I composed myself, I prepared to toss the heavy bedspread up into the air over the bed, expecting it to go up a few inches and then fall flat into a large pile in the center of the bed, as usual. As I began to go up with my arms, I cried out in despair and said, "Please God, help me!"
An amazing thing unfolded before my very young eyes, so much so, that I am still amazed to this day when I think of it. As my small arms went up with the heavy pink blanket, it felt like a sudden gush of air came from no where, flowing beneath the blanket and catching it as it floated up over the bed and rose all the way to the ceiling! I remember stepping back in awe with my mouth open. I let go of the blanket, as it slowly floated down over the bed in slow motion, and landed perfectly even on all sides of the bed all the way around. I was totally stunned! I knew at that moment in my young life, that there was a God in heaven, and he was real!
