From: regan1016@bestsd.sdsu.edu (T. ELIZABETH HARVEY)
Subject: Re: Candlelit Story
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: San Diego State University - Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 00:42:00 GMT

In article <2SEP199212043227@zeus.tamu.edu>, dwb4025@zeus.tamu.edu (BARTEK, DAVID WINFIELD)  writes...
> 
>	I have had a lot of y'all ask me what exactly happened as far
>as the near-death experience goes, and i DO want someone to talk about it,
>so i've decided to put a short synopsis of what happened here... i know
>it isnt exactly romance, but i feel like y'all are family to me, although
>i'm often silent in my reading the posts... i'm always here.. just takes
>me a while to open up as much ... Thank you to all who showed their concern
>for me... i love y'all...  *hug*
> 
>Ok, now i wont go into the details of where i was or how i got there... but
>let me just say i went on a vacation to the great Northwest... up in the 
>glorious mountains... and i did so partially to meet a very close companion
>from the vax... this was a mistake looking back on it, but that's another
>story.. *small smile*  Anyhow, Judith and I were in the mountains, and had
>stopped to have lunch along the way... we stopped at a campground area called
>whispering falls (the irony still strikes me as funny =P ) and we had 
>sandwiches and winecoolers.. and were just havin a good time talking...
>For some unknown reason, i led us back into the woods, alongside this stream.
>it was very wide, and had a rocky bottom, and was gorgeous.. babbling,
>and cool and clear.... it was a hot day, so i decided to get my feet wet.
>i took of my boots (texans always have their boots) and rolled up my jeans
>and crawled onto this boulder which sat 6' off the bank... let my feet
>hang in the frigid water.. (brrrr) and we were just talking.. it was so
>peaceful, calm and quiet....
>Then, there were 3 VERY loud gunshot-like sounds... we ducked and were
>looking for the source, when Judith screamed and jumped toward the bank
>of the stream... Me, being a bit out of place in the mountains and a
>little slow when it comes to this sorta stuff, just sat on the rock for
>a sec before i realized what was happening... I looked up and saw the 
>biggest tree of my life, falling right for the rock i was sitting on...
>i was paralyzed for a second.. just watching the tree fall for me, when
>i realized,"hey, this is gonna hurt"  =)   so, i jumped into the stream
>cutting up my legs pretty bad on the rocks, and covered my head with my
>hands, anticipating the sting of the tree... it landed with a mammoth 
>splash and crunch, and covered me with all sorts of crap ... the reason
>the tree did NOT land on me, was that it had hit a second tree on the way
>down, and had been knocked aside... a few feet away from the rock on the
>side opposite from me... i started to laugh immediately, and yell 
>"YEE HAW!" etc... when i noticed Judith was crying... sobbing.. bawling 
>actually. she thought i was dead... she said i SHOULD be dead.. that it
>was coming right for me... things i knew were true, but was trying to 
>blow off... she said it was a warning from God.. something i still do not
>believe to be true.... God saved our lives that day... if He hadnt forseen
>this happening, made that second tree grow in the exact spot, avoid illness
>etc etc... then i'd be toast right now... i'd be nothing but a faint 
>memory... and i thanked God.. have every day since that July afternoon.
>It has made me realize how short our time is.. i was almost seriously 
>wounded a month and a half before in may, but didnt think about it much.
>after the tree, i've thought about it alot... i still dont fear death..
>i've always thought i would die before reaching 30... maybe a bit morbid
>but not a scary thought... Now, i at least have more faith in how kinda
>and wonderful God is... and how much it  has strengthened my resolve in
>romance and love.. now, if i could only find my princess, so i can 
>treat her like each day was our last, and make her feel as special as 
>she would be to me...   
> 
>sorry i've kinda rambled a bit more than i'd intended.. but.. hope this
>answers some of your questions.. you'll probably be afraid to ever ask
>me anything again... *laugh*  
> 
>i DO thank you for listening... and being here for me, as God was on that
>warm july afternoon... 

I know, I should *not* be using up this much bandwidth to say what I want 
to say, but ...
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Dave ... you are definitely blessed 
.. *hug*

>*sending yellow roses out to everyone in ARC land...*
> 
>dave
>Candlelit Eyes

---<--<-{@ | "I believe that before all else, I am a reasonable human being,
Elizabeth  | just as you are -- or, at all events, that I must try and 
	   | become one." _A Doll's House_, Henrik Ibsen
Newsgroups: alt.romance.chat