In
the year 2001, the article entitled "MIRACLES
FROM LIFE'S JOURNEY" was
written. The article
reads as follows:
MIRACLES
FROM LIFE'S JOURNEY
Written
by Johanna Stang Hobrath
I
have stated many times: "It is a miracle that I am living in
America!"
My
life began in a small town in Slovakia. In the late 1930's, a baby girl
was born. When I was born, two young brothers already were living in the
home. The home was located adjacent to a lovely church that had a
majestic steeple. Because of the winding river, you had to cross a
bridge in order to enter God's House. On Sunday mornings, the bell
echoed through the valley, beckoning the people to attend God's House.
In the 1940's, this farming community was not to remain serene. Because
of World War II, the children, six years of age and older, were the first
group to leave the old-fashioned town of Janova Lehota (Drechslerhau),
Slovakia. One morning, my two brothers and I said good-bye to our
parents, not knowing that we would ever see them again.
In
Sudetenland I lived with a family that had twin girls. At nighttime, the
girls placed stones in my bed and made my stay uncomfortable. However,
my mother taught me to pray at a young age; and, while placing the blanket
over my head, I wept silently, believing that the God in Heaven can soothe my
aching heart. Six months later, my mother and second oldest brother came
to the home where I was living. My mother secured the addresses via the
Red Cross organization and was, therefore, able to locate her three children.
In
the 1950's, my parents, my brothers, my sisters and I entered the New York
harbor. America promised a new lifestyle for the family of eight
persons. Within the first year I learned the English language and,
therefore, survived the new learning experiences in the American school.
During my learning experience, the kind teachers and classmates were willing
to help this new immigrant.
In
the 1960's, the marriage to a young man of similar background brought joy
because two sons were born into the family. However "Life is not
always a bed of roses", as an old cliché tells us; and, one's
upbringing has much to do with one's outlook in life. Although my faith
in the Living God has been nurtured from my young years, I believe that prayer
and reading God's Holy Word will sustain you in the time of turmoil that
arises while traveling to one's Heavenly Home.
Today
I believe it is a miracle when I awaken each morning and fulfill my
obligations as a wife, mother, and grandmother--but, most of all, as a
Christian writer that loves God with all her heart. I count it a miracle
because God has intervened--time and time again--in my life and that of my
family. I count it a miracle when I hold a baby that smiles when you
speak its name. I count it a miracle when I can prepare a good
meal. (During a time span in the 1940's, bread and water was the only
sustaining diet.) I count it a miracle because I live in a lovely home
in America.
Consider
it a miracle to be a child of God--because Jesus went to the cross many years
ago, and His shed blood gives me the privilege to be part-heir of Heaven.
(Galatians 4:1-7)
Count
your miracles, and you, too, will find that your grateful heart does receive
blessings that flow from the Throne of God!
Praising
and worshipping a Holy God--in a church, or wherever my praying heart takes
me--is important to me. Psalm 117 so beautifully tells us:
JSH/2001,2006
