SQuire Rushnell,

Seeing one of your GodWink story videos was a GodWink for me.  I do not believe in consciences,  I knew they were put together for me by God.

Here is my series of GodWinks or GPS to my wife.

I was at a national MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) conference in Kansas as a representative from Michigan.  I met a local Kansas girl at the conference and we decided to write each other after the conference.

We wrote and decided to get married.  I moved to Kansas to finish college and plan the wedding.  Well God had other plans!  Two days before our wedding we postponed the wedding and I joined the Air Force.  We were still planning on getting married, only later.

After Air Force basic training I was sent to a tech school in Texas.   My roommate at the tech school had a girl friend but no car.  I had a car.  My roommate ask me if I would chauffeur him and his girl.  (GodWink)

Three months later I married  my roommates ex girl friend.  My wife forever.  We were married seven months to the day after the Kansas girl and I had planned to marry.

 All is GREAT!  We will soon to celebrate our 47^th anniversary.

I just read my first Godwink, having never heard of them. I have often felt God work in my life, but never more than last year.

I had been wanting to get a puppy for a very long time and finally convinced my husband Bill to agree to one In April we went to "check-out" a kennel.

Sophie, a 7 week-old Labradoodle won our hearts and went home with us that day. This is only part of my Godwink. He had further, bigger plans for us.

In May, 2 days after Mother's Day we received a phone call from the Dept. of Children and Family Services. Our 16 year old grandaughter had been removed from her home because of alledged abuse by her step-father. Lucy came to us with the clothes on her back and in need of some unconditional love. Sophie filled the void we could not.

Today, we are a happy family of four. Lucy is doing well and we will soon b e her permanent guardians.

Kay

I have had several God Winks in my life yet my eyes for a long time were closed to them. The most profound happened after I lost my youngest son Ollie, aged 7 to a brain tumor in 2004. I was lost. A mess. Wanting to leave this world and be gobbled up by the sweet darkness that enveloped me... it was not to be. Unable to sleep and just days after his passing I heard a voice in my head...and the voice was not talking, the voice was singing. A sweet, beautiful voice which I recognized immediately...it was Ollie...I savored the sweet voice and suddenly found myself at the computer typing the first words "All Aboard!" which is now a complete book....a journey...into my soul, into me...where through the words of my son and his spirit....I found myself. When I wrote this book I decided to share it with family and friends as I wrote it...emailing the chapters as they came.  One such friend was a wonderful woman by the name of Debbie Purcell who is the Major Events Co-ordinator at the Make A Wish Foundation where my son got his Wish before he passed to be a Train Engineer for a day...and oh what a day that was! A beautiful memory to treasure forever as he honked that horn all the way from Chicago Union Station to our hometown of Downers Grove, Illinois where we were greeted by hundreds, including the Mayor, cheering and waving as the "Tibbles Express" roared into the station! Debbie read my book and came to know of Ollie's TRUE wish...which he shared with me one day aged 4 when I innocently asked him, as all parents do; "What do you want to be when you grow up Ollie?" And he responded: "A train!" And I looked him and (foolishly) thought he had made a mistake and said: "You mean you want to be a train DRIVER??" And putting his hands on his hips, sharing that cheeky monkey grin of his exclaimed: "No!! A TRAIN!! ....and I'm going to be one some day." Little did I know HOW profound those words were....because after Debbie Purcell read my book she called me and asked me if I would be their Guest Speaker at the 2005 Make A Wish Grand Ball. I laughed!! I mean, me? Are you kidding?! I have never spoken publicly in my life!!! Argh!! I relayed this to her and she gently asked if I would at least consider it and I politely said that I would. So I thought about it and was very nervous and then I got another call from a VERY excited Debbie.."Deb, you HAVE to do this!!." And I said "Why? What's happened?" Now you have to remember that the location of these events are dealt with by a different department and often changed at the last minute. So an excited Debbie continued: "Well I have just found out the location of the Wish Ball....it's at Union Station in Chicago!" I couldn't believe it and found myself looking 'Up' and seeing Ollie giggling at me! The first God Wink. There was to be a second..."Deb, I also have the template for the actual invitation going out to the public.....here is what it says...and I have to tell you, I have goosebumps...it reads: All Aboard!....for the Make A Wish Grand Ball." A silence. And I knew right then that this was not just a God Wink....he was positively NUDGING at me!!...and I knew I had to do it. So despite my nerves of speaking for the first time, I agreed......yet there was to be another God Wink....and it would happen on the very night I spoke at The Ball. With clammy hands and heart fluttering, I gave my speech which was emotional yet also one of my proudest moments and as I made my way to my family, the Chairman of Metra Railways came up to say a few words...and as we listened...our mouths fell open....he began by thanking me and those who had participated in Ollie's Wish and for the generosity and kindness of those attending the Ball in support of such a wonderful organization.  He then turned to me and my family and said: "Well Debi, we have a surprise for you and your family...it came to my attention via the Make A Wish Foundation (Debbi Purcell) of Ollie's TRUE wish...which was to BE a train....and if you look behind you on those screens, you will see our newest, latest locomotive being released into service today, Engine 401 which will bear the name of your son...." And as we looked in utter amazement and tears we watched as the curtains unveiled this magnificent new engine and saw written on the sides of that engine the name of our son: Oliver "Ollie" Tibbles. That train runs daily today and every day from Aurora to Union Station and many are affected when they see or board his train....I know because I get emails and am approched by many, friends and strangers alike and I smile a knowing smile.....God is winking....and I for one am Blessed and grateful that I finally opened my heart and eyes to Him.  

In love and light,

Debi

Dear SQuire,

I thought I would share with you my recent experiences which I just wrote up in my first blog on Beliefnet.....

Keeping faith that everything is happening and unfolding according to a Divine plan has been a very challenging concept to practice and maintain, particularly in the past 5 years. I have been told, and have often felt, like I’ve been a walking case of Murphy’s Law…in that anything that can go wrong, has gone wrong. Yet, there is a small niggling somewhere in my mind that perhaps this experience which feels and seems so awful and bleak will somehow lead to something amazing and wonderful. That’s the way it was with my divorce, so why shouldn’t my brain injury journey be the same?

The difficult part of having faith is that it’s so much easier to look back after going through a difficult time and saying, “Wow, isn’t it amazing that everything worked out well and better than I could ever have hoped!” It’s much more difficult to keep a smile on your face and profess that your life is going wonderfully well and just as Creator/God has planned while you are actually knee deep in manure on this arduous trek. The “manure” which is swirling around me right now includes: approximately $130,000 worth of medical debt, termination of my disability pension, lack of any income, a decision from the bank as to whether I qualify for any kind of assistance so that I can stay in my home or whether they will foreclose, a 3 to 4 month wait to see if I qualify for SSI, and an undetermined wait as to how long SERS (school employees retirement system) will drag out my appeal of their decision to terminate my disability pension.

While some people may have an inherently positive/optimistic personality even in the face of swimming in such sewage, I am one who needs a little more encouragement or some kind of reassurance that things are going to work out okay. I would like to believe I received 3 such messages of encouragement/reassurance over the past month. Are these experiences simply a string of coincidences? Are they answers to my prayers? Are they a series of incidents with highly unlikely odds? Or are these "Godwinks," as SQuire Rushnell might say?

I’d like to share with you my recent “unusual” experiences and ask you what you think.

Experience #1: One of my neighbors, whom I’ll call Alicia, frequently brings me meals. Although we did not know each other very well prior to my accident, when she found out about my circumstances and the difficulty I had with fixing meals, she took it upon herself to fix an extra plate of food every now and then to share with me. The thought and love which she puts into these special plates are amazing and she seems to show up on my doorstep with them at times when I’m at my lowest.

A few weeks ago, she brought me some dinner and told me that her 14 yr. old car finally died, and that she was hoping to find a reasonably priced used car in good condition. The next morning she called and asked if she could come over because she had something for me. It was very unusual that she was coming over in the morning. When I opened the door, she handed me a check for $1,000 made out to the County Treasurer’s Office. She said that she was able to find a car and had not used all of the money she had set aside for it. She got online and noticed that I was behind on my property taxes and decided to give me the check so I could get current on my taxes. Alicia is woman who not only has a strong relationship with God, she also is a true embodiment of love, compassion and generosity.

Experience #2: Around this same time I was feeling very anxious about wondering how long I would be without income while SERS makes a decision on my appeal. I thought about this sleezy mortgage company I had taken out my mortgage with right after I got divorced. They ended up charging me $13,000 more than they should have. A lawyer looked over the documents and told me it wasn't worth trying to sue them and that I should just find another more reputable company. A couple years later, I unexpectedly received a check in the mail for a few hundred dollars. The check was for money recovered from a class action lawsuit against this mortgage company. And, it had come precisely at a time when I was having difficulties paying bills. A couple years after that, I received another check from them, once again arriving at a time when I was experiencing some financial difficulty. This last check came about 7 or 8 years ago.

With my current financial situation weighing heavily on my mind, I began thinking "Gee, I wish I would get another check from that class action lawsuit." The very next day there was a check in my mailbox from the class action lawsuit for $560!!!

Experience #3: Yesterday, my friend, Missy, and I packed our cameras and went to “happy hour with the butterflies.” We have discovered that the special evening butterfly events are the best times for me to attend since there are “adults only” which makes for fewer people, much less noise and, therefore, less overstimulation. One of the most amazing and beautiful butterflies there was a blue morpho butterfly. Some of the staff told us that it is extremely difficult to get a picture of this particular butterfly. Its beauty is breathtaking as it flits actively around the exhibit, but as soon as it lands, it usually closes its wings, displaying its less attractive dark brown underside.

As I sat watching it flit around, I said a prayer and asked God to send me a message to me that everything will be okay by letting the butterfly land on me. Within 10 minutes this incredible blue butterfly landed on my shoulder! A few people gathered around me taking pictures of it. Fortunately, Missy was among them, poised with her camera to capture this astonishing occurrence.

Question: What do you think? Are these reassurances from God or simply a string of very fortunate/interesting events?

*This was adapted from a blog appearing on my website: www.twilightinsight.com

Thank you all for sharing your stories. Godwinks are affirmations that we're on the right path. Remember the wink you received from a favorite relative that was like a secret shared between the two of you? A Godwink is God's way of saying "Hey kid, I'm thinking of you!"

They can provide comfort during difficult times when you lose a loved one or a faithful pet. They can provide reassurance that you're on the right path or help you make a tough decision.

Most importantly, they are God's way of letting you know that you're on His GPS (what I call God's Positioning System)...always.

Please continue to share your stories.

Best wishes and winks,

SQ