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The story, “The Most Precious Gift”, was my very first Christian writing I ever wrote. This story tells about the “Cursillo”, the religious retreat I had attended one weekend in 2007. It was after this retreat my life changed. I had been touched by the Holy Spirit, immediately and as shortly after arriving home the gift of my writing, initially began. I typed a 9 page essay of my experience so I could share with others. It was amazing I never used to write, only occasionally some love poems in high school, but that was the extent of it and I wasn’t even one who was good at typing. I was so amazed I had typed the story so quickly. The words just came to me. It was after that several more writings came to me, many through the night. It was approximately a year after that I started writing poems and now I have just recently started writing short stories. I feel GOD has blessed me with such a wonderful gift. The one thing that didn’t come with it though, was good grammar, Lol, so I hope you can all look beyond that and just read the words I have been given and find comfort in them.
Here is my story, “The Most Precious Gift”,
Which will give you all insight to my wonderful experience and how my gift actually began; I hope you all enjoy and will be touched by my story.
GOD Bless!

Diane Van Bommel

Each one of us is given a special gift from GOD. The precious gift of Life, Family and Friendship.GOD has a special purpose and calling for each one of us. We just need to open our hearts up and really listen to what the call is. Our lives may not seem so easy to deal with at times and sometimes so difficult, that you feel you cannot go on. But we need to perservere and allow our faith to deepen so, we can open our hearts to those who need us. GOD will call you and sometimes we may not hear HIM or be listening to HIS words. HE will call to you, and you will feel this in your heart if you only open youreselves up to GOD.

For years I felt pressured to be going to the cursillo. I wasn’t ready and GOD knew that too. It wasn’t my time to be chosen. I felt strongly that I was meant to go that year to help those people that GOD brought into my life. GOD gave us the gift of compassion we need to use it to comfort those who need it. Before I had left on my retreat I quickly and tearfully said my good-byes. It was very difficult especially when my youngest, Carter who was not yet three, was standing at the top of the stairs with tears continuously rolling non-stop down his tiny little cheek. I didn’t want to leave at this point. I just wanted to hold him in my arms and comfort him. But, I knew that would only make things worse. Before, I was just about to leave my youngest daughter, Brianna ran and wrapped her angelic little hands around me asking, if I had packed our family picture. I told her I hadn’t, so she took out of her small little hand and handed me our family picture that was in a small plastic frame, that I had given to each one of my children earlier. She said, “Mommy, please take this with you to remember us , okay mommy?” I replied by saying of course I will and left feeling sad and a little nervous and a little aprehensive for what just lie ahead.

Little did I know that I would be touched in such a powerful and wonderful way. The most amazing and unexplainable thing happened to me that also happened to my sister two years earier!
My sister, Carol had gone to a cursillo and she said that when she went the strangest thing happened to her. When she first entered into the room, her eyes locked with a couple of people there and she suddenly felt this indescribable connection with them like she wanted to get to know them and she hadn’t even met them before. When it came to find out where they would be sleeping she was so surprised and delighted that they were put right across from her. WOW!!! She also said she became friends with a priest. (I thought you don’t usually hear of this.) I forgot that Priests need friendship as well.

When I was dropped off by my sponsor at the church I had looked around the room at so many unfamiliar but friendly faces and suddenly, I felt my eyes lock with one of the strangers in the room. I felt a strange but, very strong connection with this person, like she was somebody I really needed to get to know. I felt at that moment we were both sent there this weekend to meet. Then my eyes wandered around looking at the group and suddenly, it happened again! I told my sponsor I felt a weird connection with those 2 strangers and I haven’t even met them yet or learned their names. I told her isn’t that weird?; she had thought so too because she had remembered what I had told her what had happened at that same retreat to my sister, two years earlier. At that moment I thought I must be imagining this, maybe I was thinking or feeling this way because my sister had told me her story.

It was soon later I had to say good-bye to my sponsor. I wanted to know if I was really imaging it, so to find out, I knew I needed to ask these 2 strangers. I reached up the courage finally to approach each individually to ask them. I thought what if I am wrong about all this? They are going to think I’m crazy, and totally ridiculous! I thought to myself,”Diane, you’ll never know if you don’t ask, the worst they can say is “no”,and think you’re the the craziest person there”. I told myself, don’t worry at least they won’t see me after this.
Well I went up to the first stranger, who I soon learned was, “Sandi” and I told her that what I was about to ask her may seem totally ridiculous and that she may think I am crazy but, I needed to know. I continued saying, “please tell me if I am wrong and don’t just tell me what I wanted to hear”.

Sandi listened to every word intensely and she didn’t even look at me strange. She responded by saying ,”I felt it too.
Your not imagining it, I feel a strong connection to you also and I don’t even know you. I feel like we were supposed to meet!” WOW!!! To be honest I wasn’t expecting that response. I was amazed! I couldn’t put into words the way I was feeling at that very moment.

I actually got up the nerve and asked the second stranger, who I soon learned was, “Michelle”. I had asked her the same question as Sandi. (I thought what did I have to lose). Miraculously, it was the SAME thing! She felt the connection too!

Later, they showed us where we would be sleeping. I was astonished because both Sandi and Michelle were put directly across from me! WOW!!! This is what my sister talked about. I ran to talk to the nun, Sister Pat. I said, “Sister you’re never going to believe this and I proceeded by telling about both my sister and my experience”. I then thanked her for putting our beds across from one another. She responded by saying, “I never did that”. I looked at her questionably, “What do you mean?”

She said, “Diane a lot of people don’t realize this but, we all prayed long and hard to GOD at where we were supposed to put you to sleep and also which table group to be with. She said,”You may have been put near the same sleeping area but, I bet you weren’t at one of their tables.” I said, “No, Sister that’s where you’re wrong, Michelle was put at my table also.”

Also at my table, I met a beautiful lady who had a burden she was carrying and that was she didn’t have a relationship with her daughter-in-law and she wanted one. She cried. I reached out to her and comforted her and I began to cry as I had something in common with her, I didn’t have the relationship I wanted with a relative.

I told her that I didn’t know her long but I could see her beauty and that her daughter-in-law should be lucky to have her as a mother-in-law. Our common ground didn’t stop there, she too had a bad knee! In fact, the same knee, the left. I had recently had surgery on it and now I still living with pain in it; Some days are worse than others unfortunately.

But, by the Grace of GOD my pain has been diminishing compared to how it used to be. I met so many beautiful strangers this weekend and I don’t mean just on the outside, as their inner beauty also shined through. I met ladies who I honestly thought were in their 20’s and they were actually in their 40’s.

I learned so much from them. I learned that I was “special” and they helped me to gain some confidence in myself, as well as a feeling of self worth, that I was so lacking. I heard their stories, the pain and such horrible crosses they had to bear in their life, WOW!!! My crosses that I have been carrying seem so little now. I know that now.

I need to appreciate now and give my love to others. During, the weekend I even made peace with, one of the fellow “sisters” (we had referred to ourselves as the “ya, ya sister-hood, a little joke between myself and all the ladies at the cursillo) because I had been carrying pain for things she had said to me a long time ago. She said, “Sorry”, something I had been waiting so long to hear. We embraced and it was quite wonderful to make amends.

I saw the Holy Spirit working overtime this weekend, in that room. I saw such wonderful and extraordinary things happening to everyone. They were all so filled with the Holy Spirit, so very happy! It was funny to think, just a short time ago we were all strangers to one another and now we felt like we were all family. We were family, “The ya, ya sister-hood”. I prayed for years that I would be liked and have many, many friends and WOW!!! My prayers were answered full force.

I never felt so loved. I had people that barely knew me coming up to me with genuine tears in their eyes saying, “Diane, you are special and I don’t think you realize how much you affected my life and many others in this room”. I truly realized at that very moment GOD had chosen us all there to meet, to help each other with our problems, just like HE has always kept HIS promises to be there for us always.

In mass, that weekend my intention was for “reconcilliation and healing between friends and family”. I told the group I wanted that intention for the lady, I had in common with. I honestly, wasn’t thinking of myself. I just wanted all of that lady’s pain to go away and I wanted GOD to take it all away from her. Little did I know, that same evening, that intention, that prayer, would be answered for me! That family member and I embraced and I told her that I wanted a relationship with her. Both her and her spouse hugged me and told me they loved me and I know they truly meant it. I could see it in their eyes. That night when she waved good-bye, I knew and felt it was truly genuine. WOW!!!

Oh, and by the way, I also like my sister made friends with a priest, Father Dan, Yes, GOD has blessed me with yet another friend!
Most of that weekend I couldn’t stop crying, and it wasn’t because I was sad; I actually was joyfully happy. I even had people saying, “Oh, Diane is crying again”. I literally had no control of it. I kept smiling to myself. The nun spoke up saying, “I have seen this before, Diane is being touched with the Holy Spirit”. I have to tell you I have never in my life ever experienced such a wonderful and blessed feeling, like at that very moment.

There is one more thing I’d like to share with you. I received a poem from my sponsor, my dear friend, Lisa. Here is just a small portion of it. It is entitled, “The Important things in Life” and the author is unknown.
“Sometimes people come into your lie and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be- a roommate, a neighbour, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger-but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.”

I wish everyone would go to this retreat to experience this wonderful feeling, this high and new zest for life! I hope that I don’t come off as too “preachy, preachy” to others because I know what a turnoff that can be. We learned not to act in this manner, but to show our Christianity by our actions. It is in this, that people around you will see GOD’s Love, GOD’s Forgiveness and GOD’s Grace!!!

Written By: Diane Van Bommel