ExMarine From Oklahoma Hands Him Book
http://www.sai.memories.dsl.pipex.com/memories/1988.htm
EX MARINE FROM OKLAHOMA HANDS HIM BOOK
A Miracle from Sai Baba
In the summer of 1988, I was at home in the mountains enjoying a beautiful day, listening to the birds singing in the lush, green trees, when I had a sudden, sharp pain under my left jaw. Alarmed, I put my hand on my jaw and felt a rather large swelling. For years I had been experiencing some minor discomfort whenever I ate or drank anything acidic. But this time, the pain and swelling was intense and did not subside.
My wife, Marilyn, suggested that we immediately seek the advice of a doctor who specialised in eye, nose and throat problems. Meanwhile, the swelling and pain increased.
Fortunately, the doctor agreed to see us immediately. In thirty minutes, we were in the office of Raj Shintanni (not his real name), a distinguished looking gentleman from Bombay, India. After a brief examination, he informed us that I must go to the hospital immediately for x-rays and intravenous antibiotics. By the time the x-rays were taken, the swelling under my jaw was the size of a cut-in-two tennis ball and the simple act of swallowing was getting more and more difficult.
The doctor frowned as he read the x-rays. He explained that I had a stone about the size of a small almond enmeshed in my salivary gland, and it was a wonder it took this long to become inflamed and infected. He transferred me to the Intensive Care Unit, as surgery could not be done until the infection was cleared.
I asked him it if it were possible for the stone to pass through the salivary duct. He chuckled gently and said, "Mr Petersen, that is a physical impossibility. It would be like trying to force a sixteen-foot-high truck through a three-foot tunnel, utterly impossible." I then inquired if it would be possible to excise the stone from the gland. The good doctor shook his head to indicate, "no". Then he said, "you see this place on the x-ray, it clearly shows that the stone is enmeshed in the gland. They are as one. Any attempt at cutting it out would cause irreparable damage. The only safe way is to remove the whole gland. Fortunately, you have another one and will be able to live a normal life."
I was connected to several tubes, one dripping a liquid antibiotic into my veins and another which delivered a nutritional liquid, since I could not swallow. Some time during the night, I noticed the doctor sitting beside me. I knew it was late, and I could not imagine why he was still there.
The next morning, the pain had subsided, and the swelling was reduced. My wife told me that the doctor had stayed late because he thought he might have to perform a tracheotomy, if the swelling didn't recede. The swelling had come very close to closing the larynx and it might have become life-threatening.
After the third day, I was well enough to go home provided I took oral antibiotics, so that the infection would be completely gone and the doctor could schedule surgery.
Two days later, in the early evening, the problem recurred. Because I was unable to swallow the huge pills the doctor had given me, the infection grew worse. I was depressed and afraid.
A friend, Ben, a recovering alcoholic and ex-marine from Oklahoma, stopped by to inquire about my health. He stayed awhile and talked about my ordeal, before he left, he pulled out a soft cover book from his jacket and said, "I came across this book the other day and thought you might be interested." Although I was not in the mood to read, I thanked him for his kind thought. The title of the book was 'Avatar' by Howard Murphet. Oh, another book about some Indian holy man, I thought, just what I need.
I had read the writings of Yogananda and appreciated his wisdom, but he was of another time and had left his body. Although I had seen holy men from India in this country, the cynic in me wondered, why all the Rolls Royces? Why all the Hollywood stars, and rock and roll idols? Money seemed to be connected to their visits. I rationalised that the gurus are not responsible for the deeds of their followers but, on the other hand, "BY THEIR FRUITS, YOU SHALL KNOW THEM." I was confused. Years ago, I had attended some meetings at the home of a spiritual teacher named Hilda Charlton in N.Y.City, and heard her speak of Sai Baba.
She had spent quite a long time at his ashram in India. She talked about his ability to manifest solid objects out of thin air. That sounded interesting but I had not seen this with my own eyes, so I remained a cynic, wanting to believe; but I was not ready to.
I felt tired and weak and decided to go to bed, hoping that I would not have a crisis during the night. Praying that the swelling and pain would not worsen, I took the new book upstairs with me. Once in bed, too weary to read, I opened the book at random to a full page photograph of a dark, Afro-haired man with incredible eyes. The eyes that gazed from that page seemed to be alive. I stared at them, drawn into them, I could not take my eyes off the picture. To my surprise, I heard myself say, "Sai Baba, I don't need this stone in my neck. Please take it away from me." I then fell into a deep sleep.
I awoke the next morning to the constant cawing of crows. I sat up in bed and rejoiced to discover all the pain had disappeared. My happiness plunged when I felt an object tucked between my cheek and gum. "Don't tell me, on top of everything else, a crown came off one of my upper molars!"
Warily, I explored that area with my thumb and index finger. I pulled out a small rock, almond sized, and wrinkled. It almost looked like a small brain. I put my hand on my jaw and realized, not only was I free of pain, but the swelling was completely gone. Was it possible that the stone in my hand was the stone that was supposed to be entangled in my salivary gland and - not removable? If this was true, how was it possible that I had no pain whatsoever and there was no blood on my bed sheets?
I had experienced a miracle! I called Marilyn to make sure I was not dreaming. The book on my bed table, turned onto its back, displayed a picture of Sai Baba with one of his hands turned down, blessing a devotee with holy ash that flowed freely from his hand. Immediately, I realised the source of my miracle.
My wife, in amazement, examined my throat and jaw and confirmed that all the swelling had disappeared. She suggested that we take the stone and go immediately to the surgeon to get his opinion, and cancel the date for the surgery.
The doctor wore a slight frown as he looked at the stone and then he examined my throat.
"Yes," he said, "that is the stone and your gland is perfectly normal." He looked incredulous. I know I must have appeared a bit demented as I gleefully told him about my miracle. But when I mentioned Sai Baba, he walked away from me and muttered, "I don't want to hear such things."
I was caught off guard. I thought the doctor coming from Bombay would be impressed and share my wonder. What I didn't realise was this miracle negated all of his long and expensive studies and practice of western medicine. The operation was cancelled.
As Marilyn and I walked away, he cautioned, "Don't worry, that is a chronic condition, it will come back again."
That was ten years ago, the stone never returned. I never worried and Sai Baba continues to bless me. That was the beginning of a new journey. I wanted to find out more about Sai Baba and why I was blessed with this miracle.
The next day my wife related the story to a friend, who immediately began to cry. It turned out she was a devotee and her tears were of joy. She gave my wife photos of Baba and the address of a place in CA. where I could buy books etc. There was a special cassette that appealed to me and I sent away for it and some books. In ten days, the books arrived with a note informing me that the tape was no longer available.
Several days later my wife was looking through my record collection. Something she rarely does. She pulled out a wrapped, unopened 12 inch L.P. On the album cover was a picture of Baba and the songs were the very ones I had sent for. Marilyn shrieked in disbelief.She had never seen this album before, neither had I.
Of course, it was possible that years ago one of us had bought it but we had no memory of doing so. That was highly unlikely, as before my illness, neither of us were interested in Sai Baba.
It was later explained by a devotee that Baba has a delicious sense of humour and that this was an example of 'a leela' (God's play.)
As the year rolls by, I keep finding new 'leelas' in this story, and there is no doubt that I find more as time goes by.
- Robert Peterson. N.Y.
Sathya Sai Newsletter
U.S.A.
reproduced at http://www.saibabalinks.org
EX MARINE FROM OKLAHOMA HANDS HIM BOOK
A Miracle from Sai Baba
In the summer of 1988, I was at home in the mountains enjoying a beautiful day, listening to the birds singing in the lush, green trees, when I had a sudden, sharp pain under my left jaw. Alarmed, I put my hand on my jaw and felt a rather large swelling. For years I had been experiencing some minor discomfort whenever I ate or drank anything acidic. But this time, the pain and swelling was intense and did not subside.
My wife, Marilyn, suggested that we immediately seek the advice of a doctor who specialised in eye, nose and throat problems. Meanwhile, the swelling and pain increased.
Fortunately, the doctor agreed to see us immediately. In thirty minutes, we were in the office of Raj Shintanni (not his real name), a distinguished looking gentleman from Bombay, India. After a brief examination, he informed us that I must go to the hospital immediately for x-rays and intravenous antibiotics. By the time the x-rays were taken, the swelling under my jaw was the size of a cut-in-two tennis ball and the simple act of swallowing was getting more and more difficult.
The doctor frowned as he read the x-rays. He explained that I had a stone about the size of a small almond enmeshed in my salivary gland, and it was a wonder it took this long to become inflamed and infected. He transferred me to the Intensive Care Unit, as surgery could not be done until the infection was cleared.
I asked him it if it were possible for the stone to pass through the salivary duct. He chuckled gently and said, "Mr Petersen, that is a physical impossibility. It would be like trying to force a sixteen-foot-high truck through a three-foot tunnel, utterly impossible." I then inquired if it would be possible to excise the stone from the gland. The good doctor shook his head to indicate, "no". Then he said, "you see this place on the x-ray, it clearly shows that the stone is enmeshed in the gland. They are as one. Any attempt at cutting it out would cause irreparable damage. The only safe way is to remove the whole gland. Fortunately, you have another one and will be able to live a normal life."
I was connected to several tubes, one dripping a liquid antibiotic into my veins and another which delivered a nutritional liquid, since I could not swallow. Some time during the night, I noticed the doctor sitting beside me. I knew it was late, and I could not imagine why he was still there.
The next morning, the pain had subsided, and the swelling was reduced. My wife told me that the doctor had stayed late because he thought he might have to perform a tracheotomy, if the swelling didn't recede. The swelling had come very close to closing the larynx and it might have become life-threatening.
After the third day, I was well enough to go home provided I took oral antibiotics, so that the infection would be completely gone and the doctor could schedule surgery.
Two days later, in the early evening, the problem recurred. Because I was unable to swallow the huge pills the doctor had given me, the infection grew worse. I was depressed and afraid.
A friend, Ben, a recovering alcoholic and ex-marine from Oklahoma, stopped by to inquire about my health. He stayed awhile and talked about my ordeal, before he left, he pulled out a soft cover book from his jacket and said, "I came across this book the other day and thought you might be interested." Although I was not in the mood to read, I thanked him for his kind thought. The title of the book was 'Avatar' by Howard Murphet. Oh, another book about some Indian holy man, I thought, just what I need.
I had read the writings of Yogananda and appreciated his wisdom, but he was of another time and had left his body. Although I had seen holy men from India in this country, the cynic in me wondered, why all the Rolls Royces? Why all the Hollywood stars, and rock and roll idols? Money seemed to be connected to their visits. I rationalised that the gurus are not responsible for the deeds of their followers but, on the other hand, "BY THEIR FRUITS, YOU SHALL KNOW THEM." I was confused. Years ago, I had attended some meetings at the home of a spiritual teacher named Hilda Charlton in N.Y.City, and heard her speak of Sai Baba.
She had spent quite a long time at his ashram in India. She talked about his ability to manifest solid objects out of thin air. That sounded interesting but I had not seen this with my own eyes, so I remained a cynic, wanting to believe; but I was not ready to.
I felt tired and weak and decided to go to bed, hoping that I would not have a crisis during the night. Praying that the swelling and pain would not worsen, I took the new book upstairs with me. Once in bed, too weary to read, I opened the book at random to a full page photograph of a dark, Afro-haired man with incredible eyes. The eyes that gazed from that page seemed to be alive. I stared at them, drawn into them, I could not take my eyes off the picture. To my surprise, I heard myself say, "Sai Baba, I don't need this stone in my neck. Please take it away from me." I then fell into a deep sleep.
I awoke the next morning to the constant cawing of crows. I sat up in bed and rejoiced to discover all the pain had disappeared. My happiness plunged when I felt an object tucked between my cheek and gum. "Don't tell me, on top of everything else, a crown came off one of my upper molars!"
Warily, I explored that area with my thumb and index finger. I pulled out a small rock, almond sized, and wrinkled. It almost looked like a small brain. I put my hand on my jaw and realized, not only was I free of pain, but the swelling was completely gone. Was it possible that the stone in my hand was the stone that was supposed to be entangled in my salivary gland and - not removable? If this was true, how was it possible that I had no pain whatsoever and there was no blood on my bed sheets?
I had experienced a miracle! I called Marilyn to make sure I was not dreaming. The book on my bed table, turned onto its back, displayed a picture of Sai Baba with one of his hands turned down, blessing a devotee with holy ash that flowed freely from his hand. Immediately, I realised the source of my miracle.
My wife, in amazement, examined my throat and jaw and confirmed that all the swelling had disappeared. She suggested that we take the stone and go immediately to the surgeon to get his opinion, and cancel the date for the surgery.
The doctor wore a slight frown as he looked at the stone and then he examined my throat.
"Yes," he said, "that is the stone and your gland is perfectly normal." He looked incredulous. I know I must have appeared a bit demented as I gleefully told him about my miracle. But when I mentioned Sai Baba, he walked away from me and muttered, "I don't want to hear such things."
I was caught off guard. I thought the doctor coming from Bombay would be impressed and share my wonder. What I didn't realise was this miracle negated all of his long and expensive studies and practice of western medicine. The operation was cancelled.
As Marilyn and I walked away, he cautioned, "Don't worry, that is a chronic condition, it will come back again."
That was ten years ago, the stone never returned. I never worried and Sai Baba continues to bless me. That was the beginning of a new journey. I wanted to find out more about Sai Baba and why I was blessed with this miracle.
The next day my wife related the story to a friend, who immediately began to cry. It turned out she was a devotee and her tears were of joy. She gave my wife photos of Baba and the address of a place in CA. where I could buy books etc. There was a special cassette that appealed to me and I sent away for it and some books. In ten days, the books arrived with a note informing me that the tape was no longer available.
Several days later my wife was looking through my record collection. Something she rarely does. She pulled out a wrapped, unopened 12 inch L.P. On the album cover was a picture of Baba and the songs were the very ones I had sent for. Marilyn shrieked in disbelief.She had never seen this album before, neither had I.
Of course, it was possible that years ago one of us had bought it but we had no memory of doing so. That was highly unlikely, as before my illness, neither of us were interested in Sai Baba.
It was later explained by a devotee that Baba has a delicious sense of humour and that this was an example of 'a leela' (God's play.)
As the year rolls by, I keep finding new 'leelas' in this story, and there is no doubt that I find more as time goes by.
- Robert Peterson. N.Y.
Sathya Sai Newsletter
U.S.A.
reproduced at http://www.saibabalinks.org
posted by Ahimsa Network at 3.8.05
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