Memories of a family story written by Michael Hansen, Sept 2007.
Dear Carin,
Grandpa Drab (Frank Sr.) related this story to me about two years before he died. (Ask Uncle John for the name and location of the nursing home he was in at the time. I think it was East Islip, LI.) Uncle John doesn't give the story much credence, but I do, being more gullible. As you mentioned in your entry, Frank was fatherless and apprenticed to a shoe-maker. When he was about nine or ten he was walking to school early in the morning, right after dawn, between two farms. Out in the field to one side he noticed a woman standing in the middle of the field. He was puzzled because she was dressed rather formally for a farmer’s wife, so he climbed the fence and walked over to her. She looked at him with a smile and said, in a very musical voice, "I am your mother." Frank said that he immediately realized it was the Virgin Mary. She then said, "Don't be afraid or concerned. I will protect you and care for you." Then she vanished in a blur. He felt very encouraged by the vision and felt all his life that he was guided and protected by the Virgin Mary. There is no question that pop was a very devout and prayerful man and would pray the rosary every day, which leads me to believe his story. It may have been a day dream that developed into a reality for him, but that doesn't make it any less authentic.
love, Uncle Michael
Dear Carin,
Grandpa Drab (Frank Sr.) related this story to me about two years before he died. (Ask Uncle John for the name and location of the nursing home he was in at the time. I think it was East Islip, LI.) Uncle John doesn't give the story much credence, but I do, being more gullible. As you mentioned in your entry, Frank was fatherless and apprenticed to a shoe-maker. When he was about nine or ten he was walking to school early in the morning, right after dawn, between two farms. Out in the field to one side he noticed a woman standing in the middle of the field. He was puzzled because she was dressed rather formally for a farmer’s wife, so he climbed the fence and walked over to her. She looked at him with a smile and said, in a very musical voice, "I am your mother." Frank said that he immediately realized it was the Virgin Mary. She then said, "Don't be afraid or concerned. I will protect you and care for you." Then she vanished in a blur. He felt very encouraged by the vision and felt all his life that he was guided and protected by the Virgin Mary. There is no question that pop was a very devout and prayerful man and would pray the rosary every day, which leads me to believe his story. It may have been a day dream that developed into a reality for him, but that doesn't make it any less authentic.
love, Uncle Michael
No comments:
Post a Comment