Today’s guest blogger is Mysterious Ways assistant editor Daniel Kessel.
Since coming to work for Mysterious Ways magazine, I’ve picked up on Mysterious Moments everywhere. Sometimes one of these stories seems to speak directly to me. As it turns out, I’m not alone.
Check out two recent letters from subscribers who found Thomas Moore’s article, “In Search of an Inner Voice,” exactly when they needed it.
Caroline Stevenson of St. Georges, Manitoba, Canada, writes:
“This actually occurred to me this morning while reading your magazine.
It’d been a terrible year so far–my husband was in and out of the hospital, my daughter was struggling financially. Our hospital bills left us in no situation to help. To make matters worse, mice, squirrels and bugs had managed to find an entrance to our house!
Hoping to simplify our lives and prepare for a possible move, I emptied out all our closets and drawers, packed the clothing into plastic bags and put everything outside on the deck. I planned to go through each bag and keep only the essentials.
Instead, the bags stayed outside on the deck for weeks. I was too overwhelmed with all my life situations.
Today I woke up early, wondering what I should do. While having a quiet cup of coffee, I began to read Mysterious Ways. I came to one article called ‘An Inner Voice,’ by Thomas Moore. Oh Lord, I prayed, If only I could hear that inner voice. Then I began to read his list of how-to’s. The very first one was, ‘Clear the deck.’
The remaining suggestions were equally meaningful to our family. Maybe this is going to be a better year after all!”
From Hammond, Indiana, David DeLoera shares:
“I wanted to write some letters to friends I’ve corresponded with for the past 20 years. But my inner subconscious inkwell had run dry. There simply wasn’t a single inspirational thought or word that I could share. Their letters lay in a pile, unanswered.
Then the mail came. I tossed out most of the catalogs and advertising–then I saw a small magazine I had never seen before: Mysterious Ways–more than coincidence. ‘Yeah right,’ I said skeptically.
I opened the sample issue and turned to an article called ‘An Inner Voice,’ by Thomas Moore in Petersborough, New Hampshire. Petersborough? I gasped in astonishment. A flood of memories flashed through my mind’s eye.
September 1955, I was 15 years old and left home for the first time. I had a train ticket for the overnight trip to Petersborough, New Hampshire, where I was starting school at Saint Joseph’s Carmelite Seminary.
When the train stopped, me and another kid got off. His name was Foster, from Milwaukee. The van came to take us to the school, and Foster sat up front with the priest. Immediately they began conversing in Latin!
What a wonderful experience it was, the beauty of New Hampshire in the autumn. The chapel at Saint Joseph’s. Our teachers and studies and classmates.
Years later, someone sent me a copy of American Scholar. I found an article about a prominent Latin scholar at the Vatican by the name of Foster. My classmate! In the article he even described how it all began for him: ‘I got off the train from Milwaukee…’
Now I can write those letters–I have the inspiration right here in my hands. But first, a letter to you, Mysterious Ways. More than coincidence–right!”
How has one of our stories impacted you? Send us your letters! We love to hear how a story made a difference.
