A miracle!! :-)

Back in November, I heard a story of a horrible accident that happened to the boyfriend of Anna, I student I taught last year. Leo fell from about the 3rd floor of a building and suffered severe head injuries, which obviously affected his brain. He was unable to breath by himself and was unconscious for some time...indeed, he was in a coma. He also had some fractures, but they were treatable. There were also complications with his stomach area. 
The long-term prognosis was grim...a miracle was needed. 
I heard about it - my wife & I promised to pray for this young man. We got other people involved in praying too. 
Before Christmas, things looked to be getting worse (if they could have got any worse!) - he had a stroke...internal problems... By Friday 30.12.2011, his whole body was septic and he stopped to breathing, and when doctors wanted him to start to breathe on a ventilator a (tube to his mouth and lungs) he had a cardiac arrest. The doctors tried to resuscitate him for half an hour! (By now, Leo's brain had been without oxygen for a very long time.) On that very evening, the doctors also told Anna that she & her family would see him for the last time...that he was dying and could no longer live... His lungs were terribly damaged,and the last part of the lungs was only just working (but only with the ventilator on 100% of oxygen and at the highest pressure)... 

The next day... he was still alive!  

In the middle of January they said he would never get his mind back, or would be deeply and even mentally disturbed - there was nothing else to hope for...

And then Leo began to get better every day. Little by little he started to move his hands, then his  legs, and then he finally opened his eyes. At last, about 2 weeks ago (2.2.12) he could shake his head as a 'YES' or 'NO', and two days after that, on the 4th February, he started to talk!! He moved his arm. He remembers some things... Leo told them that St. Mary is all-powerful, and that he saw her in a tunnel he saw on New Year's Eve. 

And so, Leo is back in the land of the living! 
If that isn't a miracle...then I don't know what is...!!!! 

(note!!! I have Anna's permission to share this story! :-))

A promise of things to come...

The other day, I was out walking in the bitter cold of this seemingly never-ending winter...and I began to think about things to come..

• Spring - I love spring! Surely this season is my favourite one! The sun comes out a bit more (I hope), the birds sing and pair up & have young...some birds migrate back...flowers appear again, the days get longer, warmer...Hope springs in my heart!
• I.S.L.I. - a yearly event that I attend with some students from S.G.O. at the end of February - a week of jam-packed activity. Great fun for the students, tiring for everyone...but an adrenaline blast for all! A chance to meet some old friends, to see young people practice not only their English skills (in their interactions with Americans & other Europeans), but also in grappling with the concepts of leadership, and also the provocative Issues Forum Topic (Abortion). 
• Cycling!! I have really missed cycling & look forward to getting back into the saddle!
• May holidays - the hope that we will get not one, but TWO long weekends at the beginning of May...we usually choose the one nearest Petra's birthday to celebrate her birthday, but also to enjoy the spring there.
• Maturita Exams - demanding for the students, certainly...but also for the teachers - moreso for myself as I'm involved in sooooooo many exams - all of which I thoroughly enjoy. The joy of seeing the students do well...the disappointment of knowing they could have done better...or that they failed...
• ...and after all that has happened, there is the promise of the summer holidays!!! But let's not run tooooo far ahead! :-)

As someone who believes in God & tries to keep 'in step with him' in my daily life, I am also aware of his promises for me. Sometimes, it can be a problem to try and look too far ahead. You can almost be longing for the future so much that you miss what's happening now. Hope is a good thing (as was noted in The Shawshank Redemption) - but today is the day! I am so glad that God has promised that he will never leave me, never give up on me, will always accept me (even if I mess up), and that he has 'plans and a future for me'...Yes. He is that interested...not just in me...but also in you, dear reader...

I can't always keep my promises. I am human. I mess up. But God always keeps his promises :-)

Who is leading who?

Just after Christmas, a student told me an interesting story...
She went to play in a youth concert in a town that she was unfamiliar with. Leaving the venue, she needed to find her way to the main train station. She asked a couple of passersby for directions, but surprisingly they couldn't help her. Then she saw a woman walking her dog, and she kindly offered to take her there, as it was on her way. While they were going there, they engaged in conversation, asking each other questions and some time later they arrived at the station. I'm not sure how it came about, but the lady then indicated that she was blind! She said that normally she would have used her 'stick', but in this instance she took the dog for a walk! The student was so amazed and impressed as the lady had appeared to be so confident in walking and in knowing where she was going...
Really, this was a case of the blind leading the...lost! :-)

Some film recommendations...

During my time at this school (SGO) and in working with students, it has become clear to me how 'uneducated' they are as to some great films...so, here is a sample list to get you started in the direction of some quality films:

1. The Shawshank Redemption - surely the greatest film ever made - tough to watch, but an inspirational story of friendship and hope http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/

2. Dead Poets Society - a classic film about teaching - 'Carpe Diem!'http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/

3. Babette's Feast - a simple story, well told...but a great point. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/

4. Field of Dreams - a fantasy film, don't be put off by the baseball interest...a great film about faith & vision - even if everyone else thinks you are mad - and about family :-)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097351/

5. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - in my opinion, the BEST western ever made! Great film & performances, and some classic scenes and one-liners...awesome music too!http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060196/

   
   

That will do for now...more later ;-)

Using your super powers!

A few weeks ago I had a seminar & we were discussing the topic of 'Super Heroes' and what kind of powers they would have, if they could...
I asked one girl, (who has had a notoriously bad attendance record this year!) - "And what super power would you have?"
"I'd like to be able to be invisible," she replied.
I couldn't resist the opportunity...
"Well, according to my records, you seem to have that power already!" :-)