I lost my daughter, Destiny, to chemo-induced cardiomyopathy when she was 17 years old. I stayed by her bedside for almost a month in the intensive care unit. As I saw her heart monitor display longer straight lines between heartbeats, I knew it was time to talk her to the Light. I would not have known how to do this had I not read Embraced By The Light. I said, "Destiny go to the light. God is on the other side of the light. Mommy and Daddy are right here, and we love you. Don't be scared if you are in the dark, Destiny, find the light, just think of going to the light, and you will be drawn. God Bless you sweetheart, I am so happy for you. Know that we love you very much." I repeated this over and over until the line went straight and the monitor gave me the death sound. I honestly feel I was allowed to talk her to the light, and once I got her there, she walked into her knew world and left mine.

After Destiny was tightly tucked in to her Fathers care, I flew home to heal, only to be told that I had lost my job and that my husband's job had moved so we would have to relocate. I was angry, because I needed the job, town, home, and friends in my grieving. Instead I got a strange town full of strange places and people I didn't know, and now my husband worked long hours. I became a depressed and recluse.

The odd thing to me was that this time I didn't loose faith in God as I had in the past during difficult times. I knew that everything was happening for a reason, and that we are passengers in a car that God is driving. I started to read Embraced By The Light again so that I could walk through my daughter's journey and share a taste of her new life. And then wondrously, Destiny began letting me know she was right there. Unusual gifts started to appear from her such as pennies dated 1983, the year she was born, and white feathers and other personal items. She has spoken the word Momma, though my husband heard Mom. She said, "Hey!" once when I entered the door. Another time during a situation, she helped me remember a time when I wished I had forgiven her behavior, so I wouldn't make the same mistake again. Twice a beautiful light has appeared in photos taken of us when no light was nearby at the time.

One day my husband came home with both good and bad news. Good news was he didn't have to work that weekend. Bad news was that they closed down the factory and now we were both out of work. We had exhausted our credit cards and the only vehicle we had was in bad shape. We kept reminding each other that God was still in charge. Then an old friend of my husband's called. He was going through a divorce and needed to sell his house. In exchange for helping him get his house ready to sell he gave us his car. It was a 1983 Lincoln Town Car in mint condition, and as we were driving in it, we happily found a penny inside dated 1983!

I started to read Betty's second book, The Awakening Heart, which my daughter Brandee had given me for Mother's Day. I underlined certain parts that fed me and that I could share with my husband. I underlined the part where there is a little coincidence, and I felt a warm secure awareness that through our own little coincidences, God and Destiny were watching over us. Then I came across a page that touched the very depths of my soul. Instead of tears of grief, I had overwhelming tears of elation. I ran to my husband and told him that Betty had written a page just for me. On page 183 is says, "Because of their love for us, those we love can often find a way to express their love and gratitude to us long after their souls have left this earth." I know that God used Betty's books and Destiny as our lifelines through a troubled time made even more difficult by our suffering grief. Just to think that God loves me so much that he allows my daughter to comfort me with pennies and that he guides me through words in a book is enough knowledge to know that all things happen for a reason and that everything is going to be all right. In the name of Jesus.

Brenda Burnett