Whatever our wildest dreams may be, they only scratch the surface of what is possible.    

               —Michael Berg, Becoming Like God

    Our youngest daughter, Bridget, was born prematurely.  She has struggled to gain weight, to walk and talk, to do all the things most children take for granted.  She was also born with a heart defect.   Bridget had 3 open heart surgeries before she turned 3 years old.  She’s now 5. 
 

     Every few months, we take her for another echocardiogram, and her cardiologist reminds us that, at least in the western medical reality, we should expect more surgeries for her in the future.  In April, after yet another echocardiogram and a discussion about future surgeries, I realized I was tired of waiting for the day when we would be told to schedule another visit to the OR.  I didn’t like living this reality anymore—I was ready for another reality, and I thought that Bridget deserved one.  The awkward part was, I didn’t know what that reality would look like. 
 

     In addition to pursuing the best medical care available, my husband David and I have sought many different forms of energy work and alternative healing methods for Bridget since she was a baby.  I’ve no doubt that this work has enhanced her health and even saved her life, but so far none of it has been able to obviate surgical intervention altogether (although, it must be said, we don’t know that we would have made it this long without a surgery if not for the complementary methods we’ve used). 
 

     Shortly after Bridget’s last cardiology appointment I received an email commemorating the prophet Moses’ parting of the Red Sea.  The email invited me to turn my back on whatever was lurking behind me and step out in faith, to believe in new possibilities.  I mentioned the email to my friend Brenda-Fay (who happens to study Kabbalah) and she told me a detail in the story I had never heard before:  the Red Sea did not part until Moses and his people were up to their noses in saltwater.  They had to act on their belief before it became evident that anything would change.  Their faith that God would open a way for them was that strong.  I began praying for that sort of faith and meditating on the

Hebrew Name of God that means “Miracle Making.” 
 

     For several days I received confirmation during my prayer time that following a traditional path was not the solution for Bridget.  I began to feel that we needed to take her out of the country—but I wasn’t sure where to go, or for what.  When I shared this feeling with my friend Samantha, she said, “for some reason when you said that, Brazil popped into my head, but I don’t know who or what would be there.”  That night I typed “healer Brazil” into an internet search engine and found several websites about Joao de Deus or John of God, a medium in Brazil considered by many to be the most powerful healer in the last 2,000 years. 
 

     Five days later, after a little discussion and much prayer and discernment, my husband and I had booked a trip for our family to Abadiania, Brazil, the little highland town where John of God lives and works. 

     I could fill an entire newsletter with impressions and experiences from our trip:  the breathtaking green hills; the blanket of stars whose Southern-Hemisphere unfamiliarity was a comforting mirror of the prayer that we had, indeed, entered a new reality; the sense of hope and peace that pervaded the “Casa” where John of God consulted with seekers; the beauty of witnessing people surrendering their egos and agendas; story after heartfelt story of people who had experienced astounding healings; the easy and graceful way in which the able-bodied gave up their places in line to small children and people in wheelchairs; and most of all the expectation, the certainty that, in the words of  St. Julian of Norwich, “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
 

     What happened for our family? We probably won’t know the full answer to that for months, or even years.  All of the people we met told us their healings happened over time (many had returned to Abadiania for more healing, to bring others, or just to re-experience the unique sense of community).  Bridget’s next cardiology appointment is later this summer.  We do know this: her color is healthier (pink feet!), and her walking and talking have definitely improved.  David’s eczema is better.  Our oldest, Maddie, felt spirit hands on her shoulders, and even working in her chest, while we were in Brazil.  We have grown closer as a family, and we brought home a deeper sense of peace and gratitude that manifests as a new flexibility and acceptance of life’s surprises. 
 

     We met many wonderful people who shared their experiences of vast improvement or complete recovery from cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and Chron’s.  Of all the amazing healing stories we witnessed and heard, one of the most moving was Richard’s.  Before we learned his name we called him “the man with the hat” because he always wore a country club baseball cap.  Richard introduced himself to us one afternoon by way of asking if he could touch Bridget’s curly hair (it has that effect on people).  Over the next two weeks he often approached us, offering glimpses of a life laced with anger and bitterness.  He told me, “I don’t even know why I’m here.  When my brother in law told me about this place, I thought it was all a bunch of crap.  But maybe there’s something to it.”  During another visit, he mentioned harboring a hatred so old and deep that “if this guy was dying on the street, I’d step on his head.”  Richard said he knew he’d never heal until he let go of the anger, but he didn’t know how. 
 

     On our trip home from Brazil, we happened to run into Richard at the Sao Paulo airport.  He approached us with a smile, saying how lucky we were to have each other.  He told us, “Never in my whole life did I know what love was.  Not until yesterday.”
 

     I’m a counselor.  I work week in and week out with people trying to overcome a lifetime of unmet needs.  I know how long it can take to open a heart that’s been wounded.  I don’t know exactly what happened for Richard, but I do know that being able to experience love, and having the capacity to recognize it when it happens, is a miracle. 
 

     My friend Samantha likes to say that we are all children of the Divine here to make magic and miracles.  I like that reality.  I plan to keep living in it.  My prayer for all of us is an increasing desire and capacity to make magic and miracles every day.
 

Epilogue:  Bridget’s initial cardiology visit after our trip to Abadiania did not show the complete healing of her heart that we had hoped for.  Her cardiologist, however, told us, “In spite of what the echocardiogram shows, I have to tell you, she looks good.  She seems different.  I don’t think I’m just seeing that because I know where you’ve been.  Don’t lose hope.”  He was right.  Bridget’s heart (which had rapidly deteriorated in the months preceding our trip) stabilized over the next year.    By the time Bridget finally did need surgery, she was strong and came through it well (after an 8 hour open heart operation she went home from the hospital in only 2 ½ days!) She’s doing magnificently.  A few bonuses:  David’s hypoglycemia went away, and our family’s belief in each other and in miracles deepened and expanded beyond measure. 
 

John of God has been offering his healing gifts to all seekers, free of charge, for 40 years.  For more information about his work in Abadiania, visit the website

www.friendsofthecasa.org.  If you plan to go to Abadiania, I highly recommend our guide, Dr. Emma Bragdon, whose website is www.emmabragdon.com.  Also, John of God will be visiting the United States in October, at the Omega Institute in New York.