Story for Barbara,

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I was born Barbara Ann in the WW2 years,

I was an only child,

raised by caring, loving, strict parents.

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

My parents found out when I was 5 years old,
that I was born with calcified
brittle bones, I fortunately have a
benign form of the diseasethough as I get older more
breaks are occuring. The doctors told my parents I should go to
a crippled childrens school: Mom
and Dad said: NO way, she is attending a
regular school and I did all the way through:
I simply did not take gym.
Mom and Dad were told I would be in
a wheelchair by age 12 and dead by
18 fortunately the doctors knew little
about my disease back then.

I don’t know if Mom and Dad ignored them :

or just would not accept this for their only child.
I was baptized, went to a Catholic school 3 years,
out of 12, and married Catholic.
I married my highschool sweetheart,
he was 19 and I was 18, in Jan. of 1962,
God blessed us with 3 beautiful baby boys.
I was also told not to have children, but was assured

I would not pass on my disease to my children or
grands: and I didn’t. Dick and I have been married for 42 wonderful years,
yes, many
rollercoaster rides, all part of life.

We have 2 wonderful sons and they have lovely wives,

we have 2 lovely granddaughers, ages 8 and 4, by our middle son,

and his wife who live in another state.
I think since I was a little child, I always knew God was there,
Mom taught me to pray, in
the church I went too though,

they only talked about : Jesus died for us, never explained why.

This confused me later in life.. I thought as
a little girl The Holy Ghost was a ghost floating around,
no one explained this to me, ever, Till I joined a Baptist Church.
I left the Catholic church for a time and returned at age 33,
but something was still missing. I would bring home books by

the tons, from the library trying to learn about God.

I was searching for God.
Around that time I met a friend Arlene, she had been Catholic also,
we met, as she
picked me up to take me to a meeting of moms
who watched children thru a social agency.
Arlene talked and talked:

about the Lord, I didn’t understand much,
I knew she knew something I didn’t.

Arlene invited me to Bible study at her church. I began attending every Wed. morning for several months. It was a wonderful experience,
I was reading and learning
God’s word. Leaving the

Catholic church was a huge decision for me,

as they said; at the time,

if you leave you are condemned forver:

but I kept reading my Bible and did find out,

that Jesus saves you, not a church:

How I Was Saved: I     was at Bible study in a small Baptist church and when the pastor read this verse,
I
knew right then and there, that NOTHING,
could ever separate from me from God's love,
and an overwhelming feeling of
His love poured over me at that moment

and I knew how much our Lord loved me:
For I am persuaded, that neither death; nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,

nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 38-39
I right then & there knew , The Holy Spirit was speaking to me,
it was awesome: God loves me, He does care about me,

I had found Jesus, or He had found me.

I repented and accepted Christ that very day.
I began attending the tiny little Baptist church and attended for close to 5 years,
I did leave , I felt somehow the Holy Spirit wasn’t working
there, there was no Joy. I hunted out churches none seemed right.
(the church never did grow)
And, so I just lived my life, worked, and raised a family. So, I left our Lord, for a long time: but He never left me:
He (The Holy Spirit) was always whispering "come back Barbara"
Our youngest son, Neil was saved at that Baptist
church at age 7, unfortunately he got into the

drug scenewas a ten year nightmare for us:

always waiting for the phone call that he had died;

we did everything humanly possible to help him.

The phone call came in the middle of the afternoon:

they only told my husband, he had been delivered there in danger,

and what drugs was he on,

he no longer lived at home; my husband asked me, I took gueses, was unsure.

Well, when we got to the hospital, they sent hubby and

I into a small room for half an hour, we clung tight to each other,

we knew then: he was gone; and 30 minutes later:

the doctor told us Neil had arrived DOA,

dead on arrival, he was 24 years old.

Losing a child, is the most excruciating experience of my life
and my husbands life,

you think you will never be normal again.

You lose a part of your life, and the years go on, but you never, ever forget.
It was 5 years before my Dh and I resembled anything that was normal,
Neil died on Aug. 30, 1995.
I told all at the funeral: Neil was with the Lord, and I do believe that,
as Neil often talked of our Lord, played hymns,

when other used the Lord’s name in vain,

He corrected them. I believe God took him home,

because he refused to listen.

God put many Godly people in his path, he refused to listen.
We had a Baptist funeral for Neil, played Amazing Grace and one of his favorite
Christians songs:

Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man Who Stilled the Water:

we hoped other young people would be saved:

and leave the life Neil had lived. We had a Baptist minister also.

I went my own way til we moved out in the country,in 1997,
(Mom died in 1996, Dad in 1997, I became an expert at planning funerals)

and was asked by a wonderful lady around my age

Sherry, now with the Lord: to join a Bible study,

it was then I returned to our Lord once again.
Jesus is My Rock, My Refuge, My Strengh and My Fortress,
I simply cannot imagine my life without our Lord.
I am in a Bible Study, in Esther a wonderful sisterhood of Christian ladies,
most of my
friends are Christians, as well. I am not in a church yet

I am disabled now, and driving is very

difficult and I need my wheelchair for long walks,

I use a walker at home.

Everyday, I count my blessings, not my negatives:
I am saved By the Lamb, Washed in the Blood,

and On Christ the Solid Rock

I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Wanted to add
Fritz & Scooter are our dogs, we love them.
These dogs have helped me heal.

Kay is a trusted, loyal Christian friend,

also led me back to God
That is my story, And, to God goes
the Glory,

Forever and Ever, Amen.

Barbara Ann,

My Esther Group

Barbara Ann,

Loves Angels

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