The Healer

She told me she’d always believed she was a healer. Though sometimes she doubted herself because she'd never seen a single healing or miracle.

She was a different woman. I didn’t know her well. She dressed unusually, she wore cropped silver hair, gaudy jewelry, and carried a quilted Bible cover.

She claimed she was a healer.

Once, I saw her try to heal my friend’s leg in her kitchen—my friend’s leg was a few inches shorter than the other.

The old woman tried to lengthen it. She rubbed her hands together and said, “The power of the Holy Spirit…”

My buddy sat in a chair, closing his eyes like he was getting a tetanus shot.

“Do you believe?” asked the old woman.

He nodded.

She gripped his ankle and hummed. I didn’t see anything happen. But my friend claimed his limp was less pronounced for a few hours.

My other encounter with her was not long after my father died. The old woman visited our house to babysit me.

That night, she took me to her church. I rode shotgun in her Chevette. We arrived at a small sheet-metal building with dozens of cars parked around it.

A sweaty man paced a church stage, screaming and hollering. At the end of service, he shed his jacket. He rolled his sleeves. He touched people’s foreheads; they fell down and giggled.

She told me, “You oughta go get a blessing.”

“No thanks,” I said.

Before I knew it, she had me by the hand, walking down the aisle. The man laid a meaty hand on me. He yelled at God.

Nothing happened. So, he hollered louder.

No cigar.

On the way home, she took me to Dairy Queen. I’ll never forget it. She bought me a hamburger and a milkshake.

She told me stories about herself. Personal stories. About her daughter—who’d gotten pregnant as a teenager. About her son—who was addicted to drugs.

She talked about her father, who died when she was a girl. And an ex-husband who once abused her.

She told me she’d always believed she was a healer. Though sometimes she doubted herself because she’d never seen a single healing or miracle.

Even so, she still prayed for hurting people. She still touched the sick.

Then, she touched my arm. She said, “Do you know that I pray for you every day, sweetie?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.

I regret that today.

The last time I saw her, I was in my late twenties. It was a hardware store, she was working the register. She saw me. We hugged.

Half her face was paralyzed from a stroke. She walked with a cane, and her speech was labored.

She said, “I still pray for you every day, baby.”

And I was a child again. A child in Dairy Queen, seated beside a miracle worker still waiting on her first miracle. A woman who cared about me.

The half-paralyzed woman kissed my cheek. Then, she touched my forehead with both hands. I didn’t feel any magic except the warmth of her palms.

Maybe that’s the only magic that ever mattered.

I thanked her. And I’m glad I did.

Because I understand two nights ago, Miss Lydia met the Greatest Healer of them all.

16 comments

  1. Connie - October 6, 2017 1:54 pm

    I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. Sounds like she lived a life full of belief and love and she’s gone home now.

    Reply
  2. Regina Peavy - October 6, 2017 2:26 pm

    Amen.

    Reply
  3. Ardis Kenney - October 6, 2017 2:44 pm

    You only have to believe to feel. And I know you believe, and therefore, you feel. What a treasure Miss Lydia must have been.

    Reply
  4. Peggy - October 6, 2017 2:45 pm

    Oh Sean. Sometimes the healing is manifested in ways we can’t see. You have a beautiful spirit. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  5. Beth Andrews - October 6, 2017 3:02 pm

    I think one of the reasons I enjoy your writing is because you remind me that there are wonderful people and places and things all around me every day, if I am willing to see them. It’s not that you have experiences so different from me, it’s that you look at them in a deeper way. From a wanna-be writer: thank you for a fresh vision.

    Reply
  6. Sharon Hand - October 6, 2017 3:16 pm

    Maybe she helped in healing a broken heart.

    Reply
    • Mary - October 6, 2017 3:50 pm

      Just what I was thinking – Sounds like she made a difference in a little boy’s heart from him knowing that someone loves him enough to pray for him daily. Some people don’t feel that love is a miracle, but it’s still miraculous.

      Reply
  7. Sandra Marrar - October 6, 2017 3:51 pm

    Aww, I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Sandra Smith - October 6, 2017 3:53 pm

    Even if you didn’t feel a thing, she DID play a part in the making of you. The important thing is that, YOU know it !

    Reply
  9. Debbie W Hall - October 6, 2017 3:56 pm

    Beautiful tribute. You have the most amazing gift for writing! I recommended that writing students read your blog!

    Reply
  10. teachenglish67 - October 6, 2017 4:39 pm

    One can not see the healing in a malady of the soul, but it can be done. Perhaps her healings were just that; or a healing in doubt some have; or a healing of being. Healing takes on many forms, some can be seen, but the most important can not.

    Reply
  11. Melodie - October 6, 2017 4:55 pm

    I am so sorry for the loss of your long-time friend. Miss Lydia is healed and whole, now.

    Reply
  12. Jack Quanstrum - October 6, 2017 8:58 pm

    Wow, another unbelievable story. You had me on the edge of my seat. The finish was the best ever.Loved it loved it. Hallelujah and Amen on top of that.

    Reply
  13. Mary Anne - October 6, 2017 10:40 pm

    Thank you, Sean, for the daily gifts that you bestow upon your readers. Your Spirit and words are true, honest and heartfelt.

    “I rode shotgun in her Chevette.” I loved that. I could totally envision that. Bless her heart for taking you to the Dairy Queen.

    God Bless Miss Lydia and may she rest in peace…completely healed.

    Reply
  14. Dottie Luckey Moore - October 7, 2017 4:52 pm

    Beautiful experience, Sean.

    Reply
  15. Katy - November 9, 2017 6:16 pm

    May God bless Miss Lydia and may God bless you, too.

    Reply

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