Friday, February 19, 2010
Palestine, Texas Schools
I'll be training teachers at Palestine schools in the morning. I certainly hope that we can have some fun and learn many things that can be used in the classroom.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Devil Smells Like Rotten Hard Boiled Eggs
I never thought that I believed in the Devil. Actually on some level, I guess I do. I believe in God. Which means that if I believe that there is good in the world, then there has to be evil as well. So hence, a big part of me does believe in the devil. I just never fancied myself as one of those people who would one day swear that they had seen the devil himself!
One Friday night when I was completely alone at my house about two years ago, I know that I was visited by the devil. Now, some of you might think that only bad people are supposed to get visits from the worst of all evils. But, soon after this happened, I spoke to my priest, and he told me that the devil comes to anyone whom he thinks that he might be able to tempt into doing something evil, especially if they are vulnerable due to stress, illness, sorrow, etc.
That night, I had been to a party with some very close friends there in Alice. We had left the party and I went home by midnight or so. I was already well into my dreaming. I'm a rather heavy sleeper; I only wake up if I hear a loud noise or something like that. So, it is no surprise that up to this point, I had been sleeping heavily, not even waking up because of the rain that was hitting the windows. Even the thunder and lightning had failed to rouse me from my sleep.
I was lying face down on my pillow when I awoke. I was having one of those dreams from which you don't know whether or not you've awakened because I couldn't quite get myself fully awake. I started to look around the room and noticed the weather outside. The room felt very cold because of the rain outside. I remember trying to will myself back to sleep because I did not want to move to get a blanket. Then, I realized that I was not alone in the room. I could feel someone, or something, there with me.
There is no way I could have seen it. It was dark in the room and there was no light coming in through the windows because of the bad weather. The clock on my nightstand which is usually very bright seemed hazy, as if there was a fog in the room. And I could feel another presence.
I shivered where I lay, wondering if I had locked all the doors and windows. How else could someone else be in the house with me. If I lay, unmoving, would he/she/it think that I was still asleep and leave me alone? All of these thoughts were racing through my mind. I didn't know what to do next. I was squeezing my eyes shut, but that only made the feeling of being watched even heavier. I did not know what to do. Having my eyes closed only heightened my other senses. That is why I smelled it. I smelled sulfur. It started out very faintly, but then I could smell it all around me.
And still my eyes remained shut tightly. I did not want to see whatever it was that was causing the stench. I knew it couldn't be good. I pulled the sheet closer and higher up on myself. I remember thinking that I was acting like a child who believes that just because he can't see you then you can't see him either. I was playing peekaboo with whatever was in the room with me. As long as I couldn't see it; it couldn't see me, and by extension, it couldn't hurt me!
I must have laid there in just that position for hours. And the smell all around me. The hairs on the back of my neck standing on end because I was being watched. I don't think the devil ever touched me or hurt me in any way, but when light finally started coming in through the window, I finally had the courage to move. I had laid awake the whole time. I was very tired, but I wanted to get out of that room.
When i got out of bed, I did not smell that burning acrid stench from the night before. It was gone. I started thinking that I had imagined the whole thing. Then I stepped over something on the floor. I pulled the light on from the ceiling fan. Ashes. Ashes? Where did those come from? Ashes, grey and powdery, sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor. I put on my chanclas which were tucked under my bed and went to get the broom and dustpan. I swept it up.
Right after that, I jumped into the shower and was at 7:00 A.M. mass. I know that there was something in my bedroom that night. I can't tell you for sure that it was the devil, but everyone that I've related that event to has said that that is what was in my bedroom that night. The Monsignor at my church that morning told me to pray and gave me some holy water to sprinkle in my bedroom. He told me that whatever it was, it was gone. He told me that I should not be afraid to be in that room or in my house alone. He added that if I did show fear, then I was letting evil win.
We have to show evil that it can't win. We have to take back the things that it wants to take from us. Living in fear is no way to live. I wasn't about to let something bad, not even it was the devil, take from me the things that I have worked so hard for all of my life.
One Friday night when I was completely alone at my house about two years ago, I know that I was visited by the devil. Now, some of you might think that only bad people are supposed to get visits from the worst of all evils. But, soon after this happened, I spoke to my priest, and he told me that the devil comes to anyone whom he thinks that he might be able to tempt into doing something evil, especially if they are vulnerable due to stress, illness, sorrow, etc.
That night, I had been to a party with some very close friends there in Alice. We had left the party and I went home by midnight or so. I was already well into my dreaming. I'm a rather heavy sleeper; I only wake up if I hear a loud noise or something like that. So, it is no surprise that up to this point, I had been sleeping heavily, not even waking up because of the rain that was hitting the windows. Even the thunder and lightning had failed to rouse me from my sleep.
I was lying face down on my pillow when I awoke. I was having one of those dreams from which you don't know whether or not you've awakened because I couldn't quite get myself fully awake. I started to look around the room and noticed the weather outside. The room felt very cold because of the rain outside. I remember trying to will myself back to sleep because I did not want to move to get a blanket. Then, I realized that I was not alone in the room. I could feel someone, or something, there with me.
There is no way I could have seen it. It was dark in the room and there was no light coming in through the windows because of the bad weather. The clock on my nightstand which is usually very bright seemed hazy, as if there was a fog in the room. And I could feel another presence.
I shivered where I lay, wondering if I had locked all the doors and windows. How else could someone else be in the house with me. If I lay, unmoving, would he/she/it think that I was still asleep and leave me alone? All of these thoughts were racing through my mind. I didn't know what to do next. I was squeezing my eyes shut, but that only made the feeling of being watched even heavier. I did not know what to do. Having my eyes closed only heightened my other senses. That is why I smelled it. I smelled sulfur. It started out very faintly, but then I could smell it all around me.
And still my eyes remained shut tightly. I did not want to see whatever it was that was causing the stench. I knew it couldn't be good. I pulled the sheet closer and higher up on myself. I remember thinking that I was acting like a child who believes that just because he can't see you then you can't see him either. I was playing peekaboo with whatever was in the room with me. As long as I couldn't see it; it couldn't see me, and by extension, it couldn't hurt me!
I must have laid there in just that position for hours. And the smell all around me. The hairs on the back of my neck standing on end because I was being watched. I don't think the devil ever touched me or hurt me in any way, but when light finally started coming in through the window, I finally had the courage to move. I had laid awake the whole time. I was very tired, but I wanted to get out of that room.
When i got out of bed, I did not smell that burning acrid stench from the night before. It was gone. I started thinking that I had imagined the whole thing. Then I stepped over something on the floor. I pulled the light on from the ceiling fan. Ashes. Ashes? Where did those come from? Ashes, grey and powdery, sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor. I put on my chanclas which were tucked under my bed and went to get the broom and dustpan. I swept it up.
Right after that, I jumped into the shower and was at 7:00 A.M. mass. I know that there was something in my bedroom that night. I can't tell you for sure that it was the devil, but everyone that I've related that event to has said that that is what was in my bedroom that night. The Monsignor at my church that morning told me to pray and gave me some holy water to sprinkle in my bedroom. He told me that whatever it was, it was gone. He told me that I should not be afraid to be in that room or in my house alone. He added that if I did show fear, then I was letting evil win.
We have to show evil that it can't win. We have to take back the things that it wants to take from us. Living in fear is no way to live. I wasn't about to let something bad, not even it was the devil, take from me the things that I have worked so hard for all of my life.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Here we go again...
Tomorrow is the second day of training in Carterville, IL. We had a pretty rough day today due mostly to technical difficulties at the beginning of the morning. We go on track at around 9:15 A.M. and got going. We got through the days activities pretty quickly because we have a really strong group of participants that catch on right away.
I don't foresee any major issues coming up tomorrow. I know that the training day is going to fly by because we have so much to cover and so much to do.
I don't foresee any major issues coming up tomorrow. I know that the training day is going to fly by because we have so much to cover and so much to do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
