By
the next day he was pronounced as having no neurological or physical deficits,
and the story of his miraculous survival spread throughout the hospital.
You cannot imagine our gratitude and joy. As we took Brian home we felt
a unique reverence for the life and love of our Heavenly Father that comes
to those who brush death so closely.
In the days that followed there was a special spirit about our home. Our
two older children were much closer to their little brother. My wife and
I were much closer to each other, and all of us were very close as a whole
family. Life took on a less stressful pace. Perspective seemed to be more
focused, and balance much easier to gain and maintain. We felt deeply blessed.
Our gratitude was truly profound.
[The story is not over] (smile)
Almost a month later to the day of the accident, Brian awoke from
his afternoon
nap and said, "Sit down mommy. I have something to tell you." At this time
in his life, Brian usually spoke in small phrases, so to say a large sentence
surprised my wife. She sat down with him on his bed and he began his sacred
and remarkable story.
"Do you remember when I got stuck under the garage door? Well it was so
heavy and it hurt really bad. I called to you, but you couldn't hear me.
I started to cry, but then it hurt too bad. And then the "birdies"
came "The birdies?" my wife asked puzzled. "Yes," he replied. "The
birdies" made a whooshing sound and flew into the garage. They took care
of me." "They did?" she asked. "Yes, he said." "One of the birdies" came
and got you. She came to tell you I got stuck under the door." A sweet
reverent feeling filled the room. The spirit was so strong and yet lighter
than air.
My wife realized that a three year old had no concept of death and
spirits, so he was referring to the beings who came to him from beyond
as "birdies" because they were up in the air like birds that
fly. "What did the birdies look like?" she asked. Brian answered.
"They were so beautiful. They were dressed in white all white. Some of
them had green and white. But some of them had on just white."
"Did they say anything?" she asked. "Yes" he answered. They told
me the baby would be alright." "The baby?" my wife asked confused.
And Brian answered. "The baby laying on the garage floor." He went on,
"You came out and opened the garage door and ran to the baby. You told
the baby to stay and not leave." My wife nearly collapsed
upon hearing this, for she had indeed gone and knelt beside Brian's body
and seeing his crushed chest and unrecognizable features, knowing
he was already dead, she looked up around her and whispered, "Don't leave
us Brian, please stay if you can.
As she listened to Brian telling her the words she had spoken, she
realized that the spirit had left his body and was looking down from above
on this little lifeless form. "Then what happened?" she asked. "We
went on a trip." he said, "far, far away.." He grew agitated trying
to say the things he didn't seem to have the words for. My wife tried to
calm and comfort him, and let him know it would be okay. He struggled with
wanting to tell something that obviously was very important to him, but
finding the words was difficult. "We flew so fast up in the air."
"They're so pretty Mommy." he added. "And there is lots and lots of "birdies".
My wife was stunned. Into her mind the sweet comforting spirit enveloped
her more soundly, but with an urgency she had never before known. Brian
went on to tell her that the 'birdies' had told him that he had to come
back and tell everyone about the "birdies". He said they brought him back
to the house and that a big fire truck, and an ambulance were there. A
man was bringing the baby out on a white bed and he tried to tell the man
the baby would be okay, but the man couldn't hear him. He said, "birdies
told him he had to go with the ambulance, but they would be near him. He
said, they were so pretty and so peaceful, and he didn't want to come back.
And then the bright light came. He said that the light was so bright and
so warm,
and he loved the bright light so much. Someone was in the bright light
and put their arms around him, and told him, "I love you but you have to
go back.
You have to play baseball, and tell everyone about the birdies."
Then the person in the bright light kissed him and waved bye-bye. Then
whoosh, the big sound came and they went into the clouds."
The story went on for an hour. He taught us that "birdies" were
always with us, but we don't see them because we look with our eyes and
we don't hear them because we listen with our ears. But they are
always there, you can only see them in here (he put his hand over his heart).
They whisper the things to help us to do what is right because they love
us so much. Brian continued, stating, "I have a plan, Mommy. You
have a plan. Daddy has a plan. Everyone has a plan. We must all live our
plan and keep our promises. The "birdies help us to do that cause they
love us so much."
In the weeks that followed, he often came to us and told all, or part of
it again and again. Always the story remained the same. The details
were never changed or out of order. A few times he added further bits of
information and clarified the message he had already delivered. It never
ceased to amaze us how he could tell such detail and speak beyond his ability
when he spoke of his "birdies." Everywhere he went, he told strangers about
the "birdies". Surprisingly,
no one ever looked at him strangely when he did this. Rather, they always
get a softened look on their face and smiled. Needless to say, we have
not been the same ever since that day, and I pray we never will be.