This is a true story that occurred in 1994 and is told by Lloyd Glen

Throughout our lives we are blessed with spiritual experiences,

Some of which are very sacred and confidential, and others, although

sacred, are meant to be shared.

Last summer my family had a spiritual experience that had a lasting

and profound impact on us, one we feel must be shared. It's a message

of love.

It's a message of regaining perspective, and restoring proper

Balance and renewing priorities. In humility, I pray that I might,

in relating this story, give you a gift my little son, Brian, gave our family

one summer day last year. On July 22nd I was enroute to Washington DC for

a business trip. It was all so very ordinary, until we landed in Denver

for a plane change. As I collected my belongings from the overhead bin, an

announcement was made for Mr. Lloyd Glenn to see the United Customer

Service Representative immediately.

I thought nothing of it until I reached the door to leave the Plane

and I heard a gentleman asking every male if they were Mr. Glenn.

At this point I knew something was wrong and my heart sunk. When I got

off the plane a solemn-faced young man came toward me and said, "Mr.

Glenn, there is an emergency at your home. I do not know what the

emergency is or who is involved, but I will take you to the phone so

you can call the hospital." My heart was now pounding, but the will to be

calm took over.

Woodenly, I followed this stranger to the distant telephone where I

Called the number he gave me for the Mission Hospital. My call was

put through to the trauma center where I learned that my

three-year-old son had been trapped underneath the automatic garage door

for several minutes, and that when my wife had found him he was dead.

CPR had been performed by a neighbor, who is a doctor, and the

paramedics had continued the treatment as Brian was transported to

the hospital.

By the time of my call, Brian was revived and they believed he

Would live, but they did not know how much damage had been done to his

brain, nor to his heart. They explained that the door had completely

closed on his little sternum right over his heart. He had been severely crushed.

After speaking with the medical staff, my wife sounded worried but

not hysterical, and I took comfort in her calmness. The return flight

seemed to last forever, but finally I arrived at the hospital six

hours after the garage door had come down.

When I walked into the intensive care unit, nothing could have

prepared me to see my little son laying so still on a great big bed

with tubes and monitors everywhere. He was on a respirator. I glanced at my

wife who stood and tried to give me a reassuring smile. It all seemed like a

terrible dream. I was filled-in with the details and given a guarded prognosis.

Brian was going to live, and the preliminary tests indicated that his heart

was ok, two miracles in and of themselves. But only time would tell if his

brain received any damage.

Throughout the seemingly endless hours, my wife was calm. She felt

that Brian would eventually be all right. I hung on to her words and

faith like a lifeline. All that night and the next day Brian remained

unconscious.

It seemed like forever since I had left for my business trip the day before.

Finally at two o'clock that afternoon, our son regained consciousness

and sat up uttering the most beautiful words I have ever heard spoken.

He said, "Daddy hold me" and he reached for me with his little arms.

By the next day he was pronounced as having no neurological or

physical deficits, and the story of his miraculous survival spread

throughout the hospital. You cannot imagine our gratitude and joy. As we

took Brian home we felt a unique reverence for the life and love of our

Heavenly Father that comes to those who brush death so closely.

In the days that followed there was a special spirit about our home.

Our two older children were much closer to their little brother. My

Wife and I were much closer to each other, and all of us were very

Close as a whole family. Life took on a less stressful pace. Perspective

Seemed to be more focused, and balance much easier to gain and maintain.

We felt deeply blessed. Our gratitude was truly profound. The story is not

over (smile)! Almost a month later to the day of the accident, Brian awoke

from his afternoon nap and said, "Sit down mommy. I have something to tell

you." At this time in his life, Brian usually spoke in small phrases, so to say

a large sentence surprised my wife. She sat down with him on his bed and

he began his sacred and remarkable story. "Do you remember when I got

stuck under the garage door? Well it was so heavy and it hurt really bad.

I called to you, but you couldn't hear me. I started to cry, but

then it hurt too bad. And then the 'birdies' came." "The birdies?"

my wife asked puzzled.

"Yes," he replied. "The birdies made a whooshing sound and

flew into the garage. They took care of me." "They did?" "Yes" he

said. "One of the birdies came and got you. She came to tell you I got

stuck under the door." A sweet reverent feeling filled the room. The

spirit was so strong and yet lighter than air. My wife realized that a

three-year-old had no concept of death and spirits, so he was referring to the

beings who came to him from beyond as "birdies" because they were up in

the air like birds that fly.

"What did the birdies look like?" she asked.

Brian answered, "They were so beautiful. They were dressed in

white, all white. Some of them had green and white. But some of them

had on just white."

"Did they say anything?"

"Yes" he answered. "They told me the baby would be alright." "The

baby?" my wife asked confused. Brian answered. "The baby laying

on the garage floor." He went on, "You came out and opened the garage

door and ran to the baby. You told the baby to stay and not leave."

My wife nearly collapsed upon hearing this, for she had indeed gone

And knelt beside Brian's body and seeing his crushed chest and

Recognizable features, knowing he was already dead, she looked up around

her and whispered, "Don't leave us Brian, please stay if you can. As she

listened to Brian telling her the words she had spoken, she realized that the

spirit had left his body and was looking down from above on this little

lifeless form.

Then what happened?" she asked. "We went on a trip." He said,

"far, far away." He grew agitated trying to say the things he didn't

seem to have the words for. My wife tried to calm and comfort him, and let

him know it would be okay. He struggled with wanting to tell something

that obviously was very important to him, but finding the words was difficult.

"We flew so fast up in the air. They're so pretty Mommy." he

added. "And there is lots and lots of birdies." My wife was stunned.

Into her mind the sweet comforting

spirit enveloped her more soundly, but with an urgency she had never

before known. Brian went on to tell her that the "birdies" had told him

that he had to come back and tell everyone about the "birdies". He said they

brought him back to the house and that a big fire truck, and an ambulance

were there. A man was bringing the baby out on a white bed and he tried to

tell the man that the baby would be okay, but the man couldn't hear him. He

said the birdies told him he had to go with the ambulance, but they would be

near him. He said, they were so pretty and so peaceful, and he didn't want to

come back. Then the bright light came.

He said that the light was so bright and so warm, and he loved the

bright light so much. Someone was in the bright light and put their arms

around him, and told him, "I love you but you have to go back.

You have to play baseball, and tell everyone about the birdies.

Then the person in the bright light kissed him and waved bye-bye.

Then whoosh, the big sound came and they went into the clouds.

The story went on for an hour. He taught us that

"birdies" were always with us, but we don't see them because we look

with our eyes and we don't hear them because we listen with our ears. But

they are always there, you can only see them in here (he put his hand over his

heart). They whisper the things to help us to do what is right because they

love us so much. Brian continued, stating, "I have a plan, Mommy.

You have a plan. Daddy has a plan. Everyone has a plan.

We must all live our plan and keep our promises.

The birdies help us to do that cause they love us so much." In the

weeks that followed, he often came to us and told all, or part of it again and

again. Always the story remained the same. The details were never changed

or out of order. A few times he added further bits of information and clarified

the message he had already delivered. It never ceased to amaze us how he

could tell such detail and speak beyond his ability when he spoke of his

"birdies". Everywhere he went, he told strangers about the "birdies".

Surprisingly, no one ever looked at him

strangely when he did this. Rather, they always got a softened look

on their face and smiled.

Needless to say, we have not been the same ever since that day, and

I pray we never will be.

That's why it's called the present! live and savor every moment.....

this is not a dress rehearsal!