PICTURE ON THE MOUNTAIN
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much."  James 5:16B  

      On a cloudless spring day in April, 1980, I felt lonely and depressed, thinking about my daughter Audrey who had run away a few months earlier.  As I drove down Wesley Street on my way home I stopped at the corner of Grand and Wesley before turning onto Grand Avenue.  Glancing up at the nearby Ortega mountains, I was astonished to see a gigantic picture of Audrey framed near the top of the mountain.  I exclaimed, "What is going on?  Am I seeing things?"  I was visibly shaken.  Closing my eyes, I shook my head as if to clear away what I had seen.

      Upon opening my eyes, there, as clear as day, the larger than life color photo of Audrey was still on the mountain.  I sat there trembling as I gazed at her smiling face.  She seemed to be looking directly at me, a tender expression radiating from her eyes.  I moaned, "What does this mean?  I don't think I will tell anyone about this or they will send me to the 'home for the bewildered,' declaring that I've lost my senses."  I drove on home, still puzzled, but determined to put this incident out of my mind permanently.

      Six months later Audrey was killed in a car wreck.  Because she died instantly, I didn't know if she was in heaven and it haunted me.  I went to see the parish priest and asked, "Where is Audrey?"  He said, "I can't tell you because I don't know.   But I will say a Mass for her if you want me to."  Even though Audrey had studied catechism and made her first communion, accepting Jesus as her Savior, I had no assurance she was in heaven and worried about it day and night.

      Up until this time, I had never read the Bible and had no personal relationship with Jesus.  To me, He was a figure hanging on a crucifix at church and God was somebody up "there" waiting to pounce on me when I did something wrong.

      In my despair I had no where to turn but to God, crying out daily for help in coping with my loss.  I had forgotten all about that picture of Audrey framed on the Ortega mountain during the time she had run away until the following spring.  On the Friday before Easter as I knelt praying, I pleaded again, "Oh God, where is Audrey?"

      Just at that moment, I had a vision of that same framed picture of Audrey I had seen on the mountain before she died.  To my amazement, there appeared a framed picture of Jesus near Audrey's picture.  As I gazed at the scene, wondering what was happening, each picture moved toward the other until they were side by side!

      I exclaimed, "Oh Jesus, are You showing me that Audrey is with You in heaven?" I cried, "Thank You!  Thank You, Jesus!"

      Collapsing on the floor, I couldn't stop crying, but they were tears of relief and joy.  I shouted, "My child is in heaven with Jesus forever."  God had heard my frantic prayers and answered me!  From that moment on, my doubts disappeared and my heart was at peace. I wrote the following poem expressing my feelings:

                        Jesus, did You call our beloved daughter to You?
                        For the days of her youth were all too few

                        Oh Lord, I worried for days on end
                        Is Audrey in heaven--could she ascend?

                        I inquired of man and of God on high
                        Where is my beautiful child and why?

                        My heart was broken, I cried in despair
                        Can You help me, Jesus, are You there?

                        You answered my prayer in a meaningful way
                        It turned out to be a most happy day!

                        Now I know Audrey's in heaven above
                        Surrounded by Your abundant love!

                        You gave me a vision of You and she
                        As I knelt praying You shared this with me.

                        My heart is now filled with joy untold
                        Your little lost sheep is back in the fold.