Natalie's Dream...

[Cheryl Haggard]

My daughter Natalie (6), every time we go to a restaurant that hands out balloons, she ALWAYS writes a note to Maddux on it, and then releases it when we leave. Last night she released two. One for Maddux, and one for baby Daniel.
She woke up this morning and said Maddux and Daniel came down from Heaven and played with her. She touched her left cheek and said Maddux kissed her right there and thanked her for the balloon. She said Daniel gave her a big hug around her waist. She just had this amazed look in her eyes. I am such a believer...:)

After she woke up and told me her story, she went and got paper and a pen. She started drawing what she experienced. My guess is to her drawing is like us journaling...
She made alittle book...
Here it is...I just asked her to explain her story to me, page by page...

Page 1.) Natalie and Maddux playing peek-a-boo. Natalie is in the house, Maddux is outside...
Page 2.) Natalie has a surprise for Maddux and Daniel...(she spelt Daniel-Danyl.)
Page 3.) Natalie tells Maddux and Daniel that she loves them...,
Page 4.) Maddux tells Natalie that he loves her. So does Daniel. Natalie tells them that she loves them too. There is an Angel in the middle that Natalie says is taking Maddux and Daniel back up to Heaven. Here is the kicker...She says the Angel's name is Lindsey.

[Paula]

Cheryl -
Goose bumps, from head to toe.....

I am a firm believer too, no doubt in my mind that is exactly how it happened!
Thanks for sharing!

[Sandy "Sam" Puc']

That is so sweet...
From the mouths of babes.....

How wonderful for her to have that memory to enjoy.
smiles,
Sam

[Martin Comiskey]

I am also a believer! I think its just wonderful that Natalie sends her brother a balloon. What a terrific tradition.
martin

[Jen Eagan]

Wow- had you told her about Lindsey?

[Andrea Hillis]

I've got goose bumps...amazing!

[Deb Stoner]

That makes me teary---but what's new??????

[Scott Hays]

I to would be interested to know what she knows about Lindsey. I to am a believer, especially that children see much more than adults see. Thank you so much CHeryl for sharing this. Warms my heart.

[Cheryl Haggard]

Honestly, She can't read, and doesn't know how to work a computer-So, I don't know if she has heard me talk about Lindsey, "babysitting" the babies-Or if she heard me say that Maddux 'tied' her up in a corner...(LOL) I still laugh every time I picture that in my head...Lindsey's wings tied up, and all the babies running in circles around her...Not that I think Lindsey would ever let herself get into that type of situation...

[Charlene Lopez]

So sweet, I'm a believer too, I feel Daniel with me quite often. My 5-year old nephew Chase always say's that he knows Daniel and Maddux are friends and he wishes he could play with them. He likes to send balloons to them also.

He used to say that he wanted to go to heavan to play with Daniel. After my sister explained to him that he can't go to heaven yet because once he's there, he can't come back, he told her that he wanted a bigger house with a staircase that goes all the way up to heavan so they can all talk to each other from top of the stairs.

Now that Daniel has a little sister, Jasmine, it will be interesting to see if they share a bond somehow as Jasmine grows and starts to understand about her big brother?

[Jen Eagan]

Kayla talks about Hannah all the time... always has. The other two have never really mentioned her- CJ just thought she was a baby in the pictures in our house until he went to preschool with a little girl named Hannah and the first day he came home and said "Hannah's not a baby anymore".
But Kayla talks about her a lot. Just yesterday she was sad because she never got to see her. I told her she could see her in the pictures all over the house. She said "But I never got to see her be SEVEN!". All I could really say was "neither did I". She used to say Hannah would come and play with her. It's been a long time since she did that though.

[Cheryl Haggard]

I always tell my kids, when they are feeling sad, to say their prayers at night and ask God to let Maddux come and play with them. I really find it interesting that Lindsey 'the babysitter Angel' came with Maddux and Daniel to Natalie, and escorted them back to Heaven...I mean, really, think about it...:rolleyes:

[Scott Hays]

Cheryl,
Us Hays's are passive, it wouldn't surprise me to see her tied up... I want to try to find an artist to do a rendering of that image. (The one of the kids having her tied up dancing around her.) I don't get out much, but I'll keep searching.

[Jessi Hill]

Scott... You'll have to give me images as references, but I could certainly see what I could come up with for you!!! LOL

I too believe that children "see" angels and understand WAY more than we give them credit for. My daughter is not quite 8 mo., but I also wonder if she will have a relationship with her big brother. She is adopted, but reminds me sooo much of him. My friends kids have said things about Tristan at times, about how he is with me... and get this, they KNEW I was pregnant again before I did (I MC'ed though) Crazy! Emily was about 4 and she told me I had 2 babies in there.... Hmmmm, the doctors couldn't be sure since if so one passed earlier, but there was an extra "Pocket" on the US, that had never been seen before or since.

[HAINAngel2000]

I had to post on this. When my 3 month preemie baby Gabriel was in the hospital he used to all of a sudden open his eyes and look as if he was viewing and angel. He would relax and his heart rate would start to normalize and it was always looking as if his angel was right beside him and he could see his angel but we couldn't.
Its really hard to explain.
I knew he was seeing his angel. It wasn't until after we brought him home when all of a sudden he would look up and point to an area and he had the same look on his face as the NICU. For almost the first year at least. Sometimes stopping and pointing and looking. And there was nothing there but a white wall. But he seen something. I know was his angel that helped him get through the NICU hard times.
I know this sounds silly to some but you had to be there to understand. I think children see things but eventually grow and once they start to learn the right and wrong and things they tend to forget or something.
Anyway I probably sound silly!
Love all, Mary

[HAINAngel2000]

Sadly when we grow we do forget. If we all realized GOd gave each of us our own angel to help guard us it brings comfort.

[Jen Eagan]

I don't think it sounds silly at all Mary. My daughter (now 6) used to play with her sister, who died 16 months before she was born. Usually at night, she would get the giggles and be pointing at the ceiling saying it was Hannah. When we talked more about it she said "she's gone now" and I said "where did she go?" and she said "in the light" very matter of factly. This was before she was even 3. Can't tell ME they aren't real!!

[Kelly Story]

After reading all of these stories I have to share ours. When my son, Naaman, was 4 we were on our way home from soccer practice one evening. He has always been a HUGE baseball fan and was a walking book of questions and didn't mind testing anyone with a baseball fact. We are driving along and he is testing me. First one question and then another and then he said "Who did Ted Williams play for?....There's a man on that cloud up there!" He never took a breath between the two. I didn't understand and tried to figure out what he was talking about. He was looking out the driver's side window and pointing at the sky and once again said there was a man on the cloud. I asked if he knew him and his reply was that it was 'Uncle Harvey' because he had on overalls and he was holding his hands out. His next statement was that he had come to get 'Aunt Mae'. I immediately went home and phoned my grandmother, Aunt Mae's sister, and told her. She said that little children can see the angels because they are so innocent. It seemed strange to me that Naaman knew who the man was. Harvey had passed away shortly after his birth and he had never seen him. My Aunt Mae, who I know is an angel herself, passed away a couple of days later.
Today, Naaman does not remember the details of our ride home, but does remember a man on the cloud.

Our friends who lost their precious son, Kaleb, at the age of 19 months, were pregnant with their second son, Hayden. Hayden often can be heard talking while playing and if you ask him who he is talking to, he will say 'Brubby'. We were visiting one night at their house and Hayden went running to the window waving and saying 'Brubby'. Hayden also knew about his new brother, who will be born in Oct., before his mommy and daddy knew. He would point at Julie's tummy and say 'baby'. Perhaps Kaleb had shared the secret with him.

Smiles,

[Charlene Lopez]

Now that Daniels' Little sister, Jasmine, is getting more expressive. She often stairs up to her left and laughs and coos for a long time. Especially when she is laying on her changing table. Along that wall, down a ways, is where we have a bear in Daniels name and a cross for him that hangs on her wall.

When I move her, she looks back as if to say goodbye and every time I put her back there, even is she is crying, she stops and looks and starts to laugh again, it's the cutest thing. I'm not sure if she just likes it there or if she see's her brother there?

In any case, it's a great place to put her down, and get a couple of things done. I put on her saftey belt and fold laundry or whatever and she's fine for 20 minutes or so;)

[jessbilley]

Thank-you for sharing this with me Cheryl, I think even though Isaac can't quite draw (although this afternoon he completely floored us and for the first time drew a monster truck and he's never been able to do that before, it was more scribbles and sometimes almost circles for wheels but not always) I am going to get him to draw his dream and I'll write on the back what he told me.

I have one question for you since I don't know your entire story... you mentioned the Angel Lindsey and how it was amazing that your daughter told you this angel was named Lindsey. Have you had a dream or called an angel by Lindsey before and that's why you were so surprised that Natalie said this angel's name is Lindsey?

[Cheryl Haggard]

One of our photographers Scott Hays lost a daughter 21 years ago. He was one of the first to join NILMDTS. I think that just my connection with him, and how I pictured Lindsey taking care of the newer little angels...

[MrsSpencer]

My bff who lost her little boy Christian, had another little boy four years later. He wasn't quite a year maybe 10-11 months then. But Bobbie (my friend) has all of Christian's things in a beautiful box that she kept, at the time (I lived with her then), on the entertainment center. She has one framed picture of him on the wall, and all the others are in the box (she didn't want to offend anyone by putting more out, now of course six years after doesn't care). Anyway, Ethan, the baby, we were showing his brother's pictures, and then put them in the box and we both went across the room to the dining table to sit, what we saw when we turned around still sends chills down my spine (the good kind:)). Ethan (who couldn't quite stand or even walk well on his own) had somehow climbed on the box (it was sturdy) and was standing with his face turned to the ceiling reaching out his hands saying "bubb"! Not only were we floored that he was doing this, but to this day I believe Christian helped him up there!

[CrystalW]

I am a firm believer also! I believe babies, dogs and young children have a greater ability than any adults to communicate and see angels!

[jessbilley]

I completely agree. Today has been a day of signs and maybe it's just because I've been watching for them more or maybe it's because God knows that today particularly I need them. After my son had a dream about Isaiah last night he did that drawing I told you about in my earlier post, then my daughter (who's only 20 months old) told us after her nap she had a dream that Isaiah was playing - well more like dream Isaiah and we asked what he was doing - playing. Then this evening Rachael my daughter picks out their kid bible for my husband to read and opens it to a story entitled "God Will Make Everything Happy" and there's a verse at the end - Isaiah 11:1-10 (and this little kid bible is almost 400 pages long). Oh yeah and this morning when I was having a sad time and crying my son came up to me and said "Mommy, are you sad" and I said "yes mommy misses Isaiah a lot right now" and then he tells me to not be sad because Isaiah is very happy in heaven. It's been an awe-inspiring day.

[KEA's Mom]

This message has come at the perfect time for me. My girls are struggling with how to keep Amanda part of their lives. I will tell them Cheryl's idea--playing in their dreams. Thank you....