Normally I would think twice about sharing this…however, I want to have it documented and I don’t want to forget it. It’s been a while since I’ve had something like this occur and this one I can’t seem to make sense of it.
Last night Neal and I watched the movie “Dear John”. Total ‘chick flick’ but Neal loves those movies so we were both enjoying it’s sappiness and predictable ending. Later, when I went to bed I was exhausted and it didn’t take long to fall asleep. Here is where I can’t figure out if I had woken up…or if I saw what I saw in my sleep but woke up and still saw it? But I know I felt wide awake…and there was a figure of a man standing at the side of my bed. He was looking down at me. I felt like I said, “What? What do you want?” but he never said anything and it was like he was bending down to get closer and closer…at some point in this I know I was awake because Neal flipped on the lights and my eyes were wide open and I was sitting up in bed. Neal said I was scooting back in the bed like someone was going to touch me and I was screaming, “What do you want?”
Once the lights were turned on I remember Neal literally getting inches from my face telling me, “No one is here, Shannon. There is no one here.” And then I began to cry. The tears flowed down my cheeks and pooled on my pillowcase. Neal kissed my forehead and went back to the living room to watch his show. The tears wouldn’t stop and I rolled over on my side. And I talked to God (through prayer) asking Him what that was all about. Because, though I felt fear for having a strange man in my room…it wasn’t an ominous or oppressing fear. The last thing I remember before falling asleep once again was seeing the picture of a young man who was recently killed in the line of duty. His name was Brandon Bury and I’ve never met him before. I had recently sent the information on about his memorial to all of the young professionals as I’m sure many of them might have gone to school with him and that is the only reason why I can even think the he would have popped into my head (that and the Dear John movie, the main character being a soldier too??)…however, I felt strongly I should pray for him.
I’m not saying it was him. Why would it be? I don’t know who it was…IF it was anyone at all. Or what my mind was doing but I’ve not been that certain that I know that I saw someone right before me as I ever have in all the things I’ve seen. And, this morning, I nearly forgot it had all happened! Why would I do that if it had shaken me up so badly? I don’t know…
At any rate, please do pray for this young man’s family. He has a wife and two young children.
The Kingwood services for Brandon Bury, KHS class of 2002, USMC, killed in Afghanistan on June 6 will be Saturday, 6/19 at 10:00 am at St. Martha’s with a reception immediately following at First Baptist Church 3500 Woodland Hills.
Michele Hoffman is the contact person for the reception arrangements at Kingwood First Baptist.
This story ran Wednesday in the Houston Chronicle.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/facebook/7043361.html
Blessings
Shannon