To those of you who think one person cant make a difference. I say, think again! Allow me to share with all of you Roses story - One of resilience and fortitude, deep love and compassion, but most importantly, one of faith and courage! If you see Rose on your street, she looks like a most endearing grandma - In her 70s, widowed housewife, overall sweet and unassuming elderly person. She raised her children in the very quaint, very small mountain town of Berkeley Heights, West Virginia. We met one afternoon after hiking all morning with Patch. I had forgotten to pack water and decided to stop at her restaurant, Marias Garden, to ask for a bowl of water for my dog. Little did I know this was to be a very serendipitous meeting. Upon entering the restaurant, I was taken aback - more like shocked by the decor. Everywhere around me were statues, photographs, paintings and vases all paying homage to the Blessed Mother while the storefront sign outside simply read - authentic Italian Garden Restaurant. When the hostess gave me the bowl of water for Patch, I made, as usual, one of my stick your foot in your mouth kind of Cuban remarks which went something like this: Damn! Who knew, Id find the only Catholic place for a hundred miles. How do you manage to stay in business? Are you Catholic?, she asked. Yes. Raised under Communism. Atheist. Catholic by choice, I replied. Then asked: Is the owner here? May I talk to her? Sure, the hostess replied. Ill go get her. Shes in the back. Thanks. May I take some pictures of the place while I wait? Sure. I quickly snapped some photos while I waited for Rose. Once she came out, I thanked her for giving us water for our dog and expressed my utter shock at finding a Catholic establishment in the middle of a predominant Protestant area. How do you do it, Rose? Ive been traveling these roads and for 200 plus miles all I have encountered are Methodists, Baptists, Mormons, so on and so forth. Youre the odd ball out. How do you do it? and Why? Do you have a few minutes? She asked. Yes! I replied excitedly. Just let me bring my dog back to our rental cottage and then well be back for dinner. How does that sound? Sounds good, she said with a smile on her face. I smiled too, gave her a hug, and left. I returned with my family about two hours later and once again asked for Rose. By now the restaurant was full of patrons having dinner. I wasnt sure youd be back, she said. I am a person of my word, I replied. Now, Im all yours. Lets eat. I really want to hear your story. I have a feeling, its one worth telling. She smiled .... She went on to tell me that for most of her 30s and 40s she had been very sick. For one reason or another, she had encountered many health problems and had to undergo many medical procedures. One of those procedures, a surgery having to do with her intestines, placed her at deaths door. She then went on to describe what she alleges was an out of body experience. She claims not to remember how long she was gone but she remembers what she felt (a great peace), what she saw (doctors working on her) and what she heard. Her face lit up as she continued to speak. She claimed that in her state of total bliss, she saw a light and heard a voice. This voice, she explained, was neither male nor female. This voice spoke through her as though through her intuition. She described it as that little voice in your head you get sometimes - the one that carries no audio sound. You just know, she explains. When, asked what this voice said, she recounted: God is upset we have forgotten his Mother. We focus all our time on HIM when we should be giving equal reverence, respect and prayer to HER. It is the Mother who will heal the world. She is the great nurturer. She is our tears. She is hope. Rose elaborated for several more minutes. Her face lighting up each time with a deeper glow. It was easy for all of us to sense the deep joy in her heart. She explained that after she regained consciousness, she knew she had been given one last shot at life. Therefore, with the help of her now grown children, she took her deceased husbands pension and bought a old abandoned building. She turned it into an Inn and Restaurant. It had little decor at first, but word quickly spread about her out of body experience. Ministers and Reverends from other Christian faiths invited her to speak at their places of worship. Within the first 3 years, a deluge of gifts started arriving from different monasteries in Spain and elsewhere. These days, she even has relics of antiquities that have been donated by different monastic groups worldwide. Her children run the restaurant with her - helping her with finances and the cooking. The portions are huge by the way and very affordable. Our family of 6 ate handsomely and get this - for a grand total of $56 US dollars. She uses part of her funds for charity. She holds seminars but not to discuss what one might expect ... She talks about the power of ONE. She talks about courage, perseverance. She talks about passion and purpose in life. She talks about the Blessed Mother, of course, but doesnt preach or talk about the Bible. She talks about how we all come here with purpose and that we are deeply loved and watched over by an infinite and universal love. She added: Can you believe it, Maritza? I am just a housewife, with no formal education, and I am going to schools to talk to kids about courage. I believe it, I told her. Thats something Mary knew at lot about: Humility and Courage. Our conversation went on for a bit longer. She told me that since that event she found inspiration and that she has been writing poetry ever since. My husband upon hearing this almost blurted out ... my wife writes too .... but I shushed him .... Id love to hear your poems, I said with a smile :D Here are some photos of the restaurant and Inn ... Its called Marias Garden in Berkeley Heights, WV just in case you feel so inclined to donate a memento as well to her collection. Here too is a photo of her speaking with us
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 20:52:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015