My beloved mother died the first day of 2002. And then my marriage of 24 years ended abruptly. And then two of my children moved far away. And I ended up with 50% custody of “the baby” - my then 14-year-old daughter. This all happened in the first six months of 2002. Many nights, I wondered if I’d survive all this stress and change.

One night, during this difficult time in my life, I had a dream that I was in a burned out forest. Burnt-out stubs of trees still smoldered from the intense heat of the forest fire. Charred debris and pieces of still-smoking branches littered the forest floor. It was a scene reminiscent of hell itself. In the middle of this blackened landscape, I was lying on my side in a fetal position atop an oval-shaped oasis of green, lush grass. As I rose to my feet, I saw an angel stand up with me. I saw that I’d been shielded from the awful heat and flame by the wings of this angel, carefully covering over my body, protecting me as a mother eagle protects her young. As I stood up, the angel spoke.

“Every remnant of your old life is gone,” she said. “But a new life will grow out of the very ashes of this old life. The old has been cleared away to make room for the new. This is not just an ending but a new beginning. You’re going to survive this and the second half of your life will be very, very good. Hang on. Don’t give up.”

About two years after I had this amazing dream, I finally shared it with a friend. I was visiting his town to give a talk on Sears Homes and we had dinner together at a local restaurant a couple hours before the talk. I’ll remember his response for the rest of my life.

“Soon after Mt. St. Helens erupted,” he told me, “I visited that site. It was only a few weeks after the mountainside was decimated by flowing lava and fire, but already, down in the ashes of that burned out forest, you could see thousands of tiny green sprouts poking up toward the light. The ranger told our group that the ash actually fertilizes and prepares the soil for the new crop of trees. It’s amazing how fast a burned out forest can grow again.

“When people go through an experience such as you had, where they lose everything, they either get bitter or they grow and evolve in ways they never dreamed possible. You chose to grow. You chose to follow a dream and turn your dream into a career. You’re one of the most successful people I believe I’ve ever met.”

His comments touched my heart and soul. After our talk, I walked out of the restaurant feeling about 10 feet tall and I had a new view of myself. Later that night, this good and decent man attended my lecture and when it ended, he shook my hand and said, “It was an honor to meet you. You’re a remarkable woman and I meant what I said. You’re one of the most successful people I’ve ever met.”

I wrote those words down in my journal and also put a copy of my bathroom mirror. The lovely aroma of this man’s kind words have remained with me for many years.