Miracles Blossom from The Spirit Within

Paris Trip, God Reveals Miracle Plan At last, forty years later I finally embarked on my trip to Paris~ a dream of a lifetime. I took French in high school and college anticipating a trip to Paris in the near future, but as life, marriage, career and children would have it, the dream of Paris was placed on the backburner. Now after retirement, the dream was finally realized. The all-inclusive eight day cruise was going to be unbelievable. A tour guide was given the task of escorting us on a daily excursion to the city of Paris and surrounding notable areas. It was a miraculous adventure witnessing the Champs Elyse’s Boulevard and the glorious sights along the Seine River. Along this boulevard, was the world capital of exquisite shopping! The finest luxury designer brands aligned the street with famous stores like Chanel, Dior and Azzaro. This was a fashionista’s dream. Drifting along the Seine on our ship, we were able to view the sheer beauty of monuments indicative of the Industrial Age all stately standing in glory such as the Petit Palais, the Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the fortress~Conciergerie, and the gigantic Palace of the Louvre. Strolling down the streets of Paris smelling and tasting the mouthwatering buttery croissants with hot ham and cheese oozing out of it dribbling down the corners of my mouth and later biting into the warm, sweet, flaky crepes made me realize -that all was right with the world. Visiting historical sites like Auvers-sur-Oise where Van Gogh painted over 50 masterpieces and later died of alcoholism and manic depression, gave me insight into some of his most famous work. Exciting as well was visiting the city of Rouen where breathtaking cathedrals displayed master craftsmanship of biblical images and carvings on the wall and windows. This city was also famous for being the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for expressing that she had heard a “God Whisper” telling her to take back France from England. Because she had faith and listened to God, people called her a witch and burned her at the stake. Seeing her gravesite and statue was a testimony of her strong belief in God. Doing God’s will is not always easy. Another memorable sight was seeing the D-Day beaches, museum and memorial for the 9,000 soldiers still buried there. This sight with an array of white crosses with a backdrop of soldier’s names inscribed along the walls caused my heart to stand still and I became awe-struck, inspired and extremely grateful for their great service to our country. Thinking God had given me the miracle of a lifetime with my Paris trip made my heart sing praises-but to my amazement-that was not the reason for my trip to Paris. God had something else entirely different in mind for me- a commandment/mission which left me speechless and awe inspired. It all began when our tour guide asked us if we wanted her to show us how to use the Metro, Paris’ train. Three new friends which I had formed a close bond with on the tour and I quickly raised our hands along with some other people. We had seen earlier on the tour bus an entire street of flea markets with souvenir shops and all kinds of delicious tasty foods. We couldn’t wait to get there. Taking the train was scary so I wrote meticulous notes while the guide told us which streets to look for and which transfer to take to get to the flea market. We spent the day shopping, eating, laughing, trying on berets and literally just enjoying the day until suddenly it started pouring rain. Immediately, we ran back to the metro station. Soaking wet and cold, I pulled out my wet directions on how to navigate our way back through the train maze and figure out the transfer back to the ship. As we were walking through the Metro, two other people Laura and Katlyn who looked very lost from our Viking tour were also trying to figure their way out of the maze. Although we had never officially met, we noticed their Viking badges right away, therefore, we joined forces determined that we would figure it out together. One of them, Laura seemed drawn to me right away and as we walked and searched for the next street sign, she instantly began telling me that she was so happy to be in Paris and that she just had to make the journey to Paris because her doctor had given her only six months to live. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she was searching for answers. Startled by her admission, I blurted out that I believed in miracles. I didn’t want to give her false hope so I continued by saying that God would show her the direction to take and that he would guide her no matter what the outcome. I told her to trust in God and listen for answers from the Holy Spirit. That day we bonded and became friends throughout the trip. Laura, Katlyn, Ethel, and their husbands, Jonathan, Sal and Derrick plus Denise and her mother began eating together every night and bonding on our various tour trips. We talked about everything and had so many wonderful laughs. We found out that Katlyn and Sam were going to get married on the ship and we all put our heads together to help plan it and make it a joyous occasion. What fun we were having!