My Birthday Gift

My Birthday Gift
Spiritual Story by Leslie Moon Blackburn


Today is my birthday. Little did I know that God had bigger plans for me than I had for myself. The gift I received today was magical and I was blessed. I chose to listen and then obeyed the still small voice from with in. We truly are God's Angels.

Today is my birthday and what a great day I am going to have. I scheduled a vacation day today so I could spend the whole day doing things for myself. I have been thinking of this day for months, in fact I have been planning this day for months and it has finally arrived and its time to celebrate my birth.

As I awoke this morning, I lay in bed listening to the birds outside my window singing a birthday song just for me. I sat up and rested my head against the headboard of my bed, enjoying the magic of the morning. As I lay there breathing in the gift of life my mind drifted off to the activities that I had planned for myself. First thing I had planned was to get up and get my kids off to school, once that task was accomplished, I was going to make myself a fresh cup of coffee and then run me a hot bath with lots of bubbles, candles and incense and slip into the healing waters to release the stress of everyday life. I have been working so much over time at my job that it seems like I spend more time at work than I do in my own home.

I finally got my children off to school, put on a fresh pot of coffee to start my day, I prepared my bubble bath, put on some soothing music, poured me a cup of coffee, disrobed and slowly lowered myself into the healing waters to soak. As I lay there enjoying my quiet time, the day's events were running through my mind of how I planned on spending my birthday. The first thing on my agenda was to go get my hair, colored, cut and styled. Next I planned on taking myself to lunch to a fancy seafood restaurant uptown. Then I was going to hit the malls and buy me some shoes, perfume and jewelry and finally end my afternoon with a sappy love story at the movie theaters before having to go pick up my children from school.

As I was listening to my meditating music and enjoying my rich brewed cup of coffee, I heard a voice. At first I thought I imagined this voice, I thought maybe all the stress I had experienced all week from work was taking its toll on my mind. I tried to ignore this voice by turning up the music a little louder to drown it out, but sometime strange happened when I tried to turn up the music, the volume switch was not working and in fact the music I was hearing was not the music I put in to listen too. The music that filled my space sounded like angels singing. I stopped and listened to the sweet harmony of the invisible heavenly choir, when I heard the voice again. As I listened to this voice a feeling of peace and love filled my soul, tears welled up in my eyes and even though I was submerged in a hot tub of water, chills swept throughout my entire body. This voice was almost like a whisper, as though someone was trying to talk, but you could only hear the words from within the mind.

The voice said to me; "Happy Birthday, my child, this is how you will celebrate your birthday for today". "First you will go give the gift of life, you will donate your blood. Next you will go purchase three flowers. Two yellow carnations and one red rose. Next you will go find someone to give those flowers to."

After I listened to what the voice said to me, I busted out laughing. I said; "I'm not going to spend my birthday doing that, what are you, crazy?" This is my special day and I already have plans. Once again in a very sweet gentle tone, the voice gave me the same instructions as before and then said to me, "You are a very special spirit, you are loved dearly and you will do what you know is right".

I laid there in my bathtub contemplating the words that were just spoken to me and listening to the heavenly choir of angels as the music faded into the ethers and my meditating music returned. What just happened? I asked myself. Was that for real? Did I imagine that conversation in my mind?

I got out of the tub and got myself ready for my birthday plans for the day. I left my house and was heading towards the hair salon when I came up to a red light. I stopped and instantly I heard that voice again, only this time it was not gentle and was not soft spoken, it was like I was being screamed at. The voice said to me in a very demanding tone, "Put your car in reverse and back up 50 feet away from the light" My first thought was, that's ridiculous, why would I want to do that?

Once again the voice demanded me to back my car away from the red light, so I obeyed the voice and put my car in reverse, first checking to make sure there were no cars behind me and as soon as I was 50 feet away from the red light, this truck came whipping around the corner at a very high speed and over corrected himself which forced his vehicle into the space where my car had been previously parked. As I sat in my car and witness what had just taken place, a quiver surged through my body as I realize that my life had just been protected from a dangerous situation. I sat there until the light changed to green then I slowly and cautiously drove though the intersection as my mind raced and my body shook.

The voice once again told me how I was going to spend my birthday and like a spoiled child I protested loudly and as I was having my mini temper tantrum my cell phone rang and it was the hair salon telling me that they needed to cancel my appointment. After I hung up the phone, I said in a very irritating voice, "Fine, you win thanks for ruining my birthday plans". As I drove I tried to calm myself and change my attitude so that I would not ruin my own birthday. I drove east towards the blood bank and thought maybe if I hurried and did all the things that voice had told me to do for my birthday then I could still continue with my previous plans and still do what I wanted to do. You know how spoiled children are, always wanting their own way.

I pulled into the blood bank and went inside and filled out the paperwork to have my blood drawn. As I was waiting to be called back a phone call came into the center and the nurse on the phone asked if anybody in the center was O negative blood type. I told her that I was. She then asked me if I would be willing to drive to the children's medical center and give blood up there because there was new born baby that needed a blood transfusion and his life depended on it. I looked at her and remembered the voice telling me how I was going to spend my birthday and tears were running down my face as I told her, I would be honored to go up to the medical center and give the gift of life.

I was soon sitting at the children's medical center waiting for my blood to be drawn and it was then that I realized I had forgotten to tell the blood bank a very important piece of information regarding my blood type. I have given blood before and years ago when they tested my blood they found a very helpful RhD-antibody in my blood that helps with HDN. (Hemolytic disease of the newborn). As I sat in the chair watching the plastic bag being filled with my gift of life, my mind suddenly began to replay my magical morning and it was then that I realized that God works in mysterious ways.

After I left the blood bank, I had decided to go find the flowers that the voice had told me to buy. I walked into a grocery store and headed towards the floral department and as I walked into that section, directly on the shelf in a crystal vase, were two yellow carnations and one red rose. I picked up the gift, paid for it and walked to my car, wondering who I was suppose to give them to. As I sat in my car looking at the beautiful flowers, that spoiled child came out to play once again. She threw a fit and told me, "It's your birthday, I can't believe that you are going to give your flowers to someone else." I sat there listening to that inner chatter and decided that she was right, it is my birthday and I am going to keep the flowers for myself, it was then that I looked to the north of were I was parked and noticed a rest home for the elderly and knew that someone in that place needed flowers.

I drove across the street and parked my car in the parking lot of the rest home. I got out with the flowers and walked into the office of the care center and asked the director if there was anyone who could use a visitor and who would love to have some flowers to brighten up there day? This director looked at me with tear filled eyes and said to me. "You're an answer to our prayers" She proceeded to tell me that there was a little lady by the name of Vivian who never has anyone come to visit with her and she could use a visitor.

I walked down the hall with the director and was introduced to a very special little angel by the name of Vivian. The director left me standing there in the door way of this womens room. I felt a bit uncomfortable because this little lady had never met me and when I told her I wanted to visit with her and give her flowers to brighten up her day, she growled at me in a very angry voice. She said to me; " Why would you want to visit with a crabby old lady who you have never met, I don't even know you, so get out of my room."

I stood there for a minute and almost left. Then I said to myself, Ok God. This is your idea, you take it from here. You better soften this womens heart or I'm out of here.

As soon as I thought those words, the little lady said to me, "What kind of flowers did you bring me"? I told her that I had carnations and roses and when I told her that ,she broke down and started to sob uncontrollably. When I seen her reaction, I went over to her and sat on her bed and held her in my arms as she wept. She cried for a long time as I handed her tissue after tissue to catch her tears. Then she looked at me and said my dear husband used to buy me those flowers, two yellow carnations and one red rose and today would have been our 70th wedding anniversary. God does answer prayers.

It was then that I realized, I was an answer to many peoples prayers today. God gave me a message of how I was to spend my birthday and I listenend to his words and by doing so, I gave a gift to many people, including one to myself. The gift I received was the most important gift of all, it was the gift of sharing the love that is inside me, with others instead of keeping it all to myself.

When God speaks, listen to that still small voice, follow the instructions given from within and by doings so we ourselves are blessed more than we could ever imagine. God's Angels on earth are really people who listen to the messages received and share that message with humanity.

Some words of advise: no matter how silly it all seems, even if it doesn't make sence to you at the time when you receive your message, trust in your higher power and see the blessing unfold right before your eyes.