Dear Editor: My name is Barbara Walker. I have shared my story with family and friends, and I would like to share it with you, writing from my heart to your heart. It is a story about my life with my Lord. I learned to know Him through the death of my son, Tony. In order to share my experience with you, it is necessary for you to know a little about my mentor, also named Barbara. She went home to the Lord, March 12, 1999, at the age of 89. We were very close. I’ve never met anyone like her in my life. I’ve never had a friend like her. Barbara lived the latter part of her life in a rest home. Until the end of her life, she was bringing the Lord to the people in the home, hoping they would come to the Lord. She could read people, and when she was asked to pray for someone, that would come first. The first time I met Barbara, I told her of Tony, my son who had been taken from me through an accident at work in 1955. I shared with her my memory of kissing him on the forehead and telling him it should have been me. When I showed her a picture of Tony, she said she would keep him right up at the top of her prayer list, along with her son, when she would pray. Barbara would share things that happened to her. I told her that at first, I did not believe all she told me. Once when I dropped in unexpectedly on her, we were talking and she got real serious. She said to me, “Give me your hands.” I moved my chair out, away from the table and put my hands into hers. An electrical feeling came from her into me. She just shook. She told me that I was anointed by the Holy Spirit. She said the Lord told her to take my hands in hers. She did not do it at first, and then she said the Lord commanded her to take my hands in hers, now! We both could not get over it. At that time I questioned how she could be so certain. I did not know many prayers, I did not know the words to beautiful hymns, I did not even know my Bible. But later when spiritual things started to happen to me, I said, “I believe, I believe.” The first time the Lord spoke to me was in January of 1997. During the night while I was sleeping, I felt as though all my emotions were being stripped from me. I was very frightened, and then I heard a voice which said, “Let no one keep you from Me.” I told my mentor about this the next day and she said,”That was a very powerful message from the Lord.” And I thought, “Me?” Our Lord has appeared to me several times since then, One other apparition I’d like to relate involved a charcoal sketch of Jesus Christ which my son Tony drew. He won an award for it. I had placed a black and silver cross on the picture. I was sleeping with my back toward the drawing. I woke up because I was wondering where a bright light was coming from. I thought I had left the bathroom light on. I turned over, only to see that the cross was completely lit up. The drawing is six feet high, and three and a half feet wide. The Holy Spirit light was across the width of the drawing. It gathered together at the right side of the cross and disappeared. On March 2, 1999, I had a dream of Tony. He was with a group of young people. He looked good. I was so happy to see him. I started crying. I woke up and saw the beautiful face of Jesus, transparent, soft blue, with a tear falling from His left eye. I know that now that Jesus is always with us, through the journey of life and beyond. He is with us when we weep and when we feel joy. If only we could look deeper into ourselves, invite Him into our hearts and say those special words, “Jesus, I trust in you.” I am writing this letter as a promise to our loving Jesus, the King of Mercy and for our dear Mother Mary, the Queen of Mercy, with love for the Holy Trinity and the Holy Family. Glory to God. Please keep the Novena to the Divine Mercy close to your heart. Written with a sincere heart. Barbara Walker