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Life After Death: The Story of the Green Donkey
This is the true story of what Deepak Chopra would call a "Whopper". It is a story so touched with the hand of God it seems almost impossible to believe, and yet, there can be NO doubt for those of us who are believers that this really happened! My best friend passed into Spirit on May 15, 2004 at the age of 45, after a 10 year battle with HER-2 Breast Cancer. We had spent 40 years weaving the fabric of our lives together in a dance that was just magical. Ours is a long story of love and friendship. It is hard to relay in a few words the significance of this miracle,but I will try. Two years ago Karen started having massive headaches and was feeling "weird". We were headed off to a healing weekend in New York State and having a grand time. It was just the two of us tooling around in the car and laughing and enjoying each other's company. At one point, she became very serious and told me she thought her chemotherapy may be causing these symptoms. She was struggling as to whether or not to go off the chemo and just let God do His work. I told her this was a huge decision and one not to be taken lightly. I am a big believer in asking God to give us a sign when we need an answer to an important or not so important question. Because this was a VERY important question, I told her she needed to ask for a sign that would be unquestionable! Something so "unusual" that it could only be from God. I then said, "How about if we see a green donkey? Then you can go off chemotherapy." She giggled and said, "That sounds great". The rest of the weekend we searched for a green donkey. We found yellow pigs, purple cows, red dogs and even a green horse.How we tried to rationalize that a horse is almost a donkey. But we knew it had to be a "Green Donkey". We even spent the next afternoon in Woodstock, NY going through every store but never found a green donkey. A week later the headaches continued and she went for an MRI. Her father also passed away from Alzheimer's this same week. On the morning of his funeral, she received a phone call from her oncologist telling her the cancer had spread to her brain. She went through the whole day, a huge funeral, and never told a soul except her husband what she had found out that morning. She had courage beyond human strength. She made it through brain surgery and massive radiation and lived two more years. She passed on May 15, 2004 surrounded by her whole family. What follows is what I said at her memorial service (which 700 people attended). Notice the part about the "green donkey" toward the end. I have had the pleasure of knowing Karen for over 40 years and calling her one of my best and dearest friends. But I know I am just one of countless best friends that Karen had?there was something about her that just made you want to be close to her and know her better. It reminds me of the song by the Carpenters. On the day that you were born That is why all the girls in town To Karen's family?she was a mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a cousin, but for the vast majority of us here today, she was our friend. A friend of the truest sense and one that was there for each of us no matter what was going on in her life. Remarkable, selfless, trustworthy, sincere, kind, compassionate, spiritual, and beautiful are words that can only begin to describe Karen. Besides being a friend,Karen was a teacher. She taught me more about strength and courage than I ever wanted to know. When my son deployed to Afghanistan last Oct, she came to me one day like an angel sent from God. She held me, cried with me and instilled in me "The Power of Now". This gave me strength that I did not know I had. If I can take one tenth of her strength and live the rest of my life, then I will be happy. I will miss her human presence more than I can even imagine at this time... her spirit while she was on this Earth was immeasurable. What I look forward to from this day on is how she will guide, love, and watch over each of us in her new found strength in SPIRIT. And so I say to you my dear Karen, "Godspeed to you on this new journey you have undertaken. I know Daddy was holding your green donkey and that now you know all the Divine Order that is so hard for us to understand here on Earth. I giggle at the thought of our next life together and I ask you Sister Karen to hold down the abbey until I get there". When I returned home from her service that evening, there was a message on my answering machine from my son, who was in Afghanistan, serving in the US Army. He had never, ever called on a weeknight since he had deployed, until that night. This in and of itself spoke volumes to me. I was sad I had missed his call, but I knew he was OK and surely sending me some love from afar, even though he did not know of Karen's death yet. Karen had given me extreme comfort and support while she was alive in regards to his deployment and no matter what was going on in her life, she always asked how my son was doing. That same night, the phone rang again around 2:30 AM and it was my son. What a joy to hear his voice! We spoke for about 20 minutes and during the conversation he mentioned that his best buddy and teammate had put new pictures up on a website of them in Afghanistan. I tucked this info into my mind to take a look at the next day. The next morning I went with Karen's family to a private burial and then spent the rest of the day with them. I arrived home around 4:00 and read some e-mails and then remembered I had to check out the new pictures. (This is now 5 days since her passing.) There was a new folder named "the Month of May". I opened this and started looking for pictures of my son. There were around 20 new photos. Mid-way down the page I noticed that one picture was titled "Donkey". In the small picture format it looked more like a green tree. I opened the picture to its full size and almost fell to the floor....for there, sent from a war-torn country by an American soldier, was Karen's sign that she had been healed, not on this Earth, but alas in heaven! It was a picture of a donkey with a bundle of GREEN branches tied around it. She knew that if she involved my son in getting this sign to me, she would be successful, for I would NEVER not look at these pictures. To me, there is also a great significance in the actual "green donkey" she gave to us. I always thought that this sign would come in the form of an inanimate object or it would be the name of a bar or restaurant. I NEVER thought that the green donkey would actually be a "living donkey". But yes, Karen's donkey was ALIVE as were the green branches that adorned it. Karen lives on in Spirit and will always be alive to those of us that knew her. The news of this green donkey gave peace to her family and our community. I feel her presence with me always and thank her for her continued caring and love. To view the actual picture of the Green Donkey, please visit my website at http://isurrenderthis.com/click on the "About Us" page and then on the wording Green Donkey Marketing, LLC. Scroll to the bottom to see the photo. Lisa Sullivan is the owner of Green Donkey Marketing LLC, a company named for the events in the above story. Green Donkey Marketing produces and markets spiritually based products. The premiere product for Green Donkey Marketing is the personal alter tool "I Surrender This".
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. DailyMe: News tailored to your individual tastes (The Christian Science Monitor) Column: Custom news websites come and go, but this one gets it right. Sarah Palin docu wins record ratings for Fox News (Reuters via Yahoo! News) In a week of records surrounding the Republican National Convention, Fox News Channel earned another one with its weekend documentary on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. MySpace ad business ahead of target: News Corp (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's (NWSa.N) MySpace advertising business is operating ahead of expectations and its digital ad business is performing better than the marketplace, the company's chief operating officer said on Tuesday. STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Erdemir shares fall on iron ore prices (Reuters via Yahoo! Malaysia News) STOCKS NEWS Reuters Results diary News Buzz: Recreating the Big Bang, Gates Urges Slow Iraq Drawdown, Ike Gains Strength (US News & World Report) Top news from the Associated Press For consumers, good news down the line (Sun-Sentinel) Whether you buy a new iPod or not, there may be good news for you in Apple's release of new iPods on Tuesday . Fox News Vaults To Top Of Primetime Ratings (MultiChannel News) Who says no one watches political conventions? Fox News Channel?s coverage of GOP Presidential nominee John McCain?s Sept. 4 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention drew 9.2 million viewers, topping all other basic cable shows last week, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Site: news - Google News CNET News Daily Podcast: Say hello to the Palm Pre - CNET News
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for inspirational Inspirational Experts in Fashion, Cuisine and Lifestyle to Share Tips and Trends at Orange County Head to Toe Women's ... (PRWeb) Southern California's premiere women's consumer show, the Head to Toe Women's Expo returns to OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., October 10, 11 and 12, 2008. Presented by Ralphs Grocery, the Head to Toe Women's Expo gives mothers, daughters, and girlfriends a chance to reconnect during a weekend of shopping, pampering, makeovers and inspirational speakers. Several experts, ... http://firepit-plans.com Introduces "The Fire Pit Planner Guide" a Comprehensive Inspirational Guide to Building ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) http://firepit-plans.com is a new site that offers a unique do-it-yourself inspirational plan to building fire pits, the guide offers tips and advice on operating and constructing fire pits in the outdoors, house garden or backyard. Reporter's Notebook (Dallas Morning News) Certain parts of Irving City Hall will soon be getting makeovers. Residents and visitors can expect to see inspirational quotes on walls and prominent displays of the city?s mission statement within a couple of months. Bob Walter: Iraq hero gets moving tribute in Elk Grove Park (The Sacramento Bee) For a hero: As if anybody could forget Joe Nurre of Wilton, a fitting and permanent memorial to the inspirational Elk Grove High School football captain is attracting plenty of attention in Elk Grove Park. Joe Nurre A plaque dedicates an Elk Grove barbecue area to Joe Nurre. MCC Honors 9/11 Victims and Families (R News) Monroe Community College hosted a special 9/11 commemorative ceremony at the Remembrance Walk on the Brighton campus. The hour long event included music, inspirational speeches, a moment of silence and flowers placed at the base of the 9/11 monument there. Local review: 'Bill W. and Dr. Bob' entertaining, educational (The Pantagraph) For a gripping evening of theater as educational as it is inspirational, ?Bill W. and Dr. Bob? at Heartland Theatre Company, can?t be beat. Steve Amerson to Sing at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Convention (Christian News Wire) DENVER, Sept. 11 / Christian Newswire / -- Steve Amerson, well-known Inspirational music artist will be singing at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Annual Convention, A Celebration of Honor, in Denver, Colorado at the "Patriots Award Gala" on Friday, September 19, 2008. Radio pirate suspect arrested in Wilton Manors apartment (Sun-Sentinel) When you tune into FM 103.9 in Broward County , you're supposed to hear a sermon by Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Pastor Bob Coy or inspirational music from the likes of Mercy Me and Steven Curtis Chapman. Randolph Reads kicks off with celebration (Asheboro Courier-Tribune) ASHEBORO ? A Randolph County initiative to unite the community in reading and discussing an inspirational non-fiction book about a nearby town?s struggles with change is under way. Honor Text Helps Americans to Remember (WCAV Charlottesville) The clock strikes 9:11am and your phone beeps, but it?s not your average text message. Instead, it?s an Honor Text, a brief inspirational message about some of America?s service men and women. Site: inspirational - Google News Gerard Lucien Gaudreau, inspirational speaker - Baltimore Sun
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