01/24/08

Small Miracles

Two true stories

Some years ago, my friend Michael ran a saddlery manufacturing business in Walsall.   One day, a group of nuns from Little Sisters of the Poor came to the door, collecting.  He asked them what they wanted the money for.  “To help the poor”, they said.

“I tell you what I’ll do”, said Michael.  “I’m going to the casino tonight.  I’ll put a bet on for you at roulette, and if I win, you can have the winnings.”

“Roulette?” said the nuns, what is that?

“I bet on a number, and if that number comes in, you win thirty five times the amount that I bet.”

“So what number will you be betting on?”

“Number seventeen.”

“And what time will you be doing that?”

“Eight o’clock”.

“All right”, said the nuns, “At eight o’clock we will pray for you, number seventeen!”

So that night, Michael went to the casino.  He waited until exactly eight o’clock, then placed a fifty pound bet on number seventeen.  The ball span round and around the wheel, then fell straight into number seventeen!

The next day, the nuns from Little Sisters of The Poor came back to the office.   “Did we win?”  They asked.

Michael gave them their winnings of one thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds!

                                                                       - - - - - O - - - - -

One snowy Christmas eve, I was visiting my sister-in-law Val Burnell’s house.  We’re not regular church goers, but we decided that it would be nice to go a Christmas eve candlelit service in a country church.  We called several churches – no candlelight services.  We tried Lichfield Cathedral also – no candlelight service that year.  So we were a bit disappointed, but decided to go anyway, to the local village church.

That evening, we were walking to the church through the snow in the little churchyard.  The church bells were ringing, and snow flakes were falling.  We were just about to enter the church door, when all the lights went out.  There was a power cut!

So they had to hold the church service by candle light!