| The story began with our first night on
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| | leaving, Evie bought a medal for fity
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| Malta. It was a comedy of errors, though
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| | Maltese cents, the equivalent of a dollar
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| it didn't seem all that funny at the
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| | and a half. She put it in her wallet and
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| time. I foolishly rented a car and we
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| | forgot about it. At noon on that 13th of
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| drove around lost until nearly four
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| | May she started from her office to a
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| o'clock in the morning when we happened
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| | nearby printer. After she finished the
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| to run into a friendly police officer who
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| | errand, she was to meet our daughter,
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| led us to our hotel.From that point,
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| | Katie. Katie was about to be confirmed
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| nothing especially eventful happened
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| | and needed a dress so the two of them
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| except that we found a wonderful little
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| | were going to look for one together. As
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| Guest House in the city of Sliema, the
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| | Evie was about to cross the street, a
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| Soleado, and took up residence there.
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| | fugitive in a stolen car ran into her at
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| During our week's sojourn, we spent most
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| | a high speed, hurling her more than ten
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| of our days visiting Valletta and doing
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| | feet into the air and striking her head
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| other touristy things and our nights
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| | against the windshield as she came
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| trying out new things to eat. I actually
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| | down.At 5:30, Katie came home very
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| liked Octopus and Rabbit stew. And the
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| | worried. Mom hadn't shown up. She told me
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| snails weren't too bad, either. With our
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| | to turn on the news and we watched a
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| time on the island dwindling to their
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| | report about a police chase in downtown
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| final hours, we decided we wanted to
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| | Minneapolis that resulted in the injury
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| visit Gozo, one of the three islands that
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| | of a middle-aged woman. She was sure that
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| make up the tiny country. We had read
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| | was Mom. Worried, I called a friend at
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| about its rustic charms in a guide book.
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| | Evie's workplace. She told me no one had
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| Where the big island of Malta was highly
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| | seen her since noon. When I called
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| developed, Gozo was a step back in time
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| | Hennepin County Medical Center, I got
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| to Malta of the early 1900s. On the next
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| | crushing news. Evie was in intensive
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| to last day of our stay we made up our
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| | care.Beside myself, I got into the car
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| minds to go. That morning we took a bus
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| | and tore off for the hospital. Even now I
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| up to the 'whale's tail.' Malta is shaped
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| | wonder how I got there without getting in
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| like a whale and the ferry landing was at
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| | an accident myself. A nurse led me to a
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| the northernmost tip.The ferry has been
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| | hospital bed. The swollen bruised and cut
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| in service for more than a century. It
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| | face I saw lying on the pillow had me
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| wasn't fast, but it was dependable. We
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| | making a dash for the closest rest
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| munched on pastizzi, a Maltese pastry,
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| | room.The head nurse was waiting for me.
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| and drank capuccino while we sat on the
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| | It was a miracle Evie was alive, she
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| deck of the stodgy vessel and watched the
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| | said. She had been struck with such force
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| landing place slowly come into view. The
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| | and had suffered such head trauma that in
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| trip took less than half an hour and we
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| | most cases she would have been killed
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| soon landed at the village of Mgarr,
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| | instantly. Even more miraculous, she was
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| (pronounced Em-jarr.)Not knowing what
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| | awake and lucid when the rescue team
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| else to do, we hired a local cabbie to
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| | brought her into the emergency room.
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| show us the sights. He began by taking us
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| | Although she couldn't talk, she
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| to the capital, Rabat, which is also
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| | understood what had happened and
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| known as Victoria. After walking along
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| | responded to questions with eyeblinks. I
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| the top of the wall of the city and
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| | went to her bed and took her hand. She
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| visiting gift shops, we were ready to try
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| | squeezed it. The next day, we had our
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| something different. The driver suggested
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| | first post-accident conversation. She
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| that we pay a visit to Ta Pinu. Pope John
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| | sounded so much like the Evie I had known
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| Paul II had visited the church, and it
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| | and loved that I couldn't control my
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| was known as a place for miracles. Leon,
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| | emotions and I started to blubber. The
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| our cabbie, told us that the walls were
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| | nurse was right. It was a miracle.The
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| lined with discarded canes, casts and
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| | second miracle wasn't apparent until
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| crutchs that were no longer needed after
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| | months later. Despite the horrendous
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| supplicants had made their pilgrimages
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| | collision, she had sustained only a
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| there.We were happy for the suggestion.
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| | broken pelvis and a minor brain injury.
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| Malta has some of the most beautiful
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| | Her physical injuries were the first to
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| churches in the world, and we hadn't
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| | heal. But to this day she still has
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| grown tired of looking at them.True to
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| | double vision looking down and problems
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| our guide's word, we found hundreds of
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| | with her short term memory.One day months
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| typewritten accounts as well as plaster
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| | later, she happened to find the medal she
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| casts and other accoutrements for the
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| | had bought at Ta Pinu. She remembered the
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| lame and disabled. Many of the stories
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| | miracles. Was she another? We will never
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| were especially touching, dealing with
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| | know if it saved her life, but we're both
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| children who were born with deformities
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| | glad she had it with her on that terrible
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| or had been injured in accidents. Hopeful
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| | day.After spending many years as a
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| parents had brought them there and left
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| | substitute teacher and selling
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| their testimony to the wonders the church
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| | collectibles, John Anderson is a
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| had performed. We're Methodists, so we
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| | full-time free lance writer. His first
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| were a little skeptical. But we also know
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| | novel, The Cellini Masterpiece, was
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| that there are too many unexplained
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| | published in October of 2004 by iUniverse
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| things that have happened to rule out the
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| | Press.
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| possibility of miracles.As we were
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