English Definition of Yow
- Expression of humorous surprise or emphasis.
You’ve been divorced four times? Yow!
- Expression of pain; touch.
Yow! I dropped it on my toe!
YOW, Angels to the Rescue
by Pam Kesterson
I fell asleep, and remained in a peaceful slumber, that only a pregnant mother experiences from exhaustion combined with over sensitized emotions that require major settling down and rest. Then suddenly I heard jackals and dogs snarling and barking in high shrill screams all around me. The noise and a decaying stench jarred me awake. I bolted up, throwing off the comforter in the process, but then a thick cover of dread and foreboding blanketed me instead.
I scanned the room to identify the barks, snarls, and howls that sounded like some dog creature. I could barely see, but then I made out sparse shades of light that cast eerie shadows from the small nightlight. I felt my skin crawl as I searched the dog shapes, large and smaller and I froze from a primal fear. I wanted to hide under the covers, but they were in a pile on the floor. How could this be happening to me? I have to protect my baby.
I was frightened and expected the saliva-dripping dogs to bite us with their razor sharp teeth that snarled from decaying muzzles. More dog creatures ran through the bedroom door knocking others over to see who could devour me first. These dogs were more like rabid wolves and scrappy, decaying coyotes. They came in all sizes, and all with intentions satisfying their hunger. I was a plumb meal in a helpless body, now sitting up in the bed with flashes of fear and my life, our lives, ending right then and there.
Some of the dogs vaulted to the bed, though seemed to freeze mid-air. I summoned all my faith, but the little life inside of me summoned more, picking up on my slack. I felt it kick inside of me with a rage, an awareness of maturity beyond its four months of existence. Still I saw the dogs lock their red eyes on mine. I was terrified and froze, so my child took control. I trusted the situation and held back the screams that threatened earlier. The tiny, yet powerful spirit welled up more and this time his spoken words took charge, with great authority and assurance the voice demanded, “Satan, I render you useless, and I render you ineffective.”
Brightness flooded the room, and a sweet scent wafted and mingled the yellow illuminating glow. All at once the room filled up with Angels, large and small, fifty, a hundred, two hundred, too many to count in my state and because they wouldn’t hold still. One particular Angel guarded our bed, and its presence comforted me, as its mighty wings swept the vicious dogs off the bed with no effort. Then it almost enveloped us in a cool, but soft embrace. The other Angels in the room rounded the dogs up and escorted them with all the authority of the Creator. The dogs tucked their tails between their legs, and limped away, fleeing from the bedroom.
Just as suddenly, the Angels disappeared and at that same moment the phone rang and snapped me out of my vision, or dream, I didn’t know what it was, except an amazing experience. In the absence of noise from the barking dogs, then the fanning and flapping of wings from the Angels, I heard the humming of the bedside digital clock that sat next to the phone and the clock flashed 4:00 AM as if an energy surge tripped its wires. In the delayed reaction before I responded to the ringing phone, I knew that my little person inside of me would be born at 4:00 AM five months later, and I also knew that he was a boy.
My baby kicked inside of me in rhythmic nudges as if to say, “Answer the phone, already.”
Still trembling from the experience, I put my left hand on my belly for support and to stop my shaking. I suspected the phone rang concerning the recently organized prayer chain in our church because our Pastor had been battling cancer and we formed an around the clock prayer group for special prayer requests. When prayer was needed a written request went out to everybody who accepted the challenge of joining with others, no matter of the time of day or night to pray. We had volunteered the previous week and had received calls a couple of times, but always in the daytime.
All the prayers started with our Pastor, and often he would have a short message of encouragement as he, in essence, gave everyone marching orders for prayer and even how to pray. There was nothing like an on the job training for the prayer warriors holding up and interceding for others needs.
Not only had our Pastor gained assistance for his grave and pressing problem, but others also found a way to minister and help by giving their time and reaching outside of themselves. So after receiving an encouraging heads up and okay from our leadership and the entire congregation, volunteers signed up and soon the chain had its structure. Not only for our Pastor but other prayer needs as well. The prayer chain started with a request and worked its way down to the bottom.
Though, my husband was out of town that night finishing up on a landscape project four hours away, as the owner of the company he had to be there. I was comfortable being alone for a night. We lived in a safe neighborhood, and had security all around us, but apparently, some defenses couldn’t keep some evil away. But I found that the protection of Guarding Angels supersede any electronics, now, then, or in the future. But I found that the security of Guarding Angels supersedes any electronics, now, then, or in the future.
After I had talked to my husband on the phone that night, I said my nightly prayers, then went to bed at a reasonable hour without knowing I’d have the most intense and surreal manifestation of my life. No experience before that time or since then can quite compare.
Oh yes, back to the phone call. As if in slow motion, I finally picked up the receiver, and the familiar voice of one of the organizers of the prayer chain came across the other line. He passed on the information to me, and I wrote it down on the paper I kept next to the phone for this purpose of praying with an unwavering focus in mind. It also had the names and numbers of the people I needed to call. Likewise, they would call the five names that had on their list and would read the message verbatim.
I knew with the clarity of a pregnant woman that had just experienced another realm, which this particular message given as a directive to the intercessors would ring true my entire life and its effectiveness would assist with the needs at hand. The words for the prayer chain confirmed so much. He read to me, “Satan, I render you useless, and I render you ineffective.” The prayer chain continued for a season with great success and five months later our loving, and inspirational baby boy was born at 4:00 AM, whom our Pastor helped name, Ian.
Refrigerator GrillWe found out later that only certain species of tortoises need to hibernate, while others do not. The following year SoSlow did the same thing and in the same place. Later he grew too much, and with his shell too high he wouldn’t fit under the vent of the refrigerator, so we made another warm and quite area in a special box that worked well for many years.
Pam Kesterson 