Responses from readers about Robin

Posted by admin

November 29, 2010

Before the Robin response, I just want to mention three upcoming Christmas book signings below. I would love to meet you.

—Saturday, December 4th, 1-3 pm at The Shrine of Christ’s Passion, a remarkable holy spot where the Stations of the Cross are prominently displayed. Signing in the gift shop. 10630 Wicker Ave (U S 41). St. John, Indiana, 219-365-6010
—Saturday December 11, 1-3 pm at the Christian Shop on Dundee Rd near Rand Road in Palatine IL.
—Sunday December 12, 10-12 am, St Rafael Church, 2101 E. IL. Route 173, Antioch IL, 847-395-3474, (Mrs. Mulroney) (no credit cards sales accepted)

As to Robin, here are some of your very interesting comments on his miracle, and why it might have happened.

Maybe because of his honorable plans to supply a feast to those that would have spent the holiday alone, the Lord decided to accommodate them? The Lord does provide our every need, not always the way we expect them to be met. Usually His way is better!
—Vicki

Maybe Robin’s encounter was one of the “usual” reasons….poverty. Spiritual poverty, that is. Maybe he desperately needed a different perspective.

—-Charlene

My ‘reasoning’ for their good fortune had to do with their reasons for the dinner – it is all to do with their heart and not their pocket. What a beautiful story! I’m sure it was to show him how thankful he needs to be and how good people are.

—Mary

For about 7 years I organized nursing home visits with my own, and some friends, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. We had a great collection of retirees who picked up the dogs, went to the designated nursing home for the hour long visit, then delivered the puppies back home. It was very successful so we extended ourselves into a Cavalier Picnic in the Park – the mobile nursing home residents were bought along and other Cavalier owners/ children would come for a day of doggy stuff.

Now, we held this weekend picnic in the autumn, during possibly rainy times, on a property that could get very wet. But it never rained for us. I always told the negative guys that God understands the reasons for this and the needs that are filled by it, as simple as it may be. I loved doing this for 5 years, on the 6th year I realized that it was fading from my life and on the 7th year it rained and rained and rained. We pushed the day into the next weekend but it still rained and rained and rained. Time to stop, I figured.

Great thing was that another Cavalier person in the wings, so to speak, came along and picked up the baton and has a group that runs it to this day.

So, this is my understanding of the heart thing.

—Linda

Hi Joan…as to the story of Robin and his friend getting the turkey and all the trimmings at the last minute…I don’t think there has to be some major crisis for them…the Angels…to appear and help out. I think most people only remember the more crucial issues and forget that every day they are here helping even with the small or insignificant things in our lives.

And as I wrote this paragraph above, my animals, creatures of habit that they are, were bugging me to get their dinner. So I finished the last sentence with ‘…even the small and insignificant things in our lives’…I got up from my desk and went into the kitchen to get their meal. Walking onto the large rug in front of my sink I almost stepped on my glasses that I had been looking for over an hour. I had scoured that rug several times and had walked in that exact place many times…I just burst out laughing as I knew this was ‘their’ way of saying…how right you are! Even with small and insignificant things they are there to help…if we only pay attention….oh! And to always say thank you…they like that!

—Robin

I just wanted to say that I think this miracle occurred because of the pure intention of the event to bring cheer to those whose emotional bank accounts may have been low because they had no one to share the holiday with in spite of having other comforts.
—Joy

Here are my thoughts on the story. In your books I have always been impressed with how God connects with people on a very personal and intimate level. Perhaps Robin Leach and his friends (and their friends) needed a little push to start thinking about spiritual matters. Of course Jesus showed that fear, poverty,etc. matter to God but He is most concerned about our spiritual poverty. I imagine you have probably received this same take on the story from a lot of your readers.

—Kelley

I just had to write you & say I loved this story about Robin. I truly believe in Angels. If you saw my house, you could see that.

I also wanted to say that this chorus was spirited. I have never heard it any better than everyone was singing. I am still crying because I was so moved by it.

—Linda

I just read your angel story about Robin Leach. My immediate thoughts after reading your question were – Robin Leach is very well known. For him to relate an angel story would reach far and wide. Also, God loves all his children, not just the poor. Even though his friends may have been wealthy, God doesn’t care what’s in our bank accounts, He sees what’s in our hearts. I found his angel story to be charming and full of warmth and the Christmas spirit.
—Julie

I think God was reminding us that there are other kinds of poverty and hunger than the literal ones. While it is very important to help the poor and hungry, these people that were invited for Christmas would otherwise have been alone – that is a form of poverty and the hunger of loneliness. God loves all His children, even if they happen to be “rich and famous”.

—Nikki

Perhaps, Joan, it was that line in the first paragraph of the story.
Nobody should have to spend Christmas alone. If Robin was willing to make a gesture to invite those people to share in his celebration of Christmas, who is to say that God did not send an angel to help him play the host? Certainly an innocent miscommunication would not stand in His way.

Remember the shepherds on that first Christmas Eve? Sitting alone, watching their flocks, they were joined by legions of angels singing “Gloria in excelsis Deo!” They, in turn, were invited by the angels to spend their evening in the company of the Son of God and His earthly family.

Perhaps that is all it took: Just a willingness to be generous on this most glorious of evenings.
You know, in a larger sense, those of us blessed with the gift of faith are never truly alone. We may be all by ourselves, but we are never alone. I am ever thankful for the angels God has loaned to me during my earthly sojourn. Except for their watchfulness, guidance and intercession on my behalf, I would not be here today. There have been so many times in my life that I was spared certain death except for one intervening variable: My Angel of God, my guardian dear…
I have never seen my guardians – just not holy enough – but I always feel their presence.

I do know one thing, when God finally calls me home, my guardians dear will most certainly have earned a well-deserved retirement!!!

—Ed

I’m so glad you passed this story on. I was thinking about your question.

The usual reason, I believe, is to show God’s love. I believe one of the saints who knew what it was to go without received permission to intervene and God was rewarding and blessing their desire to reach out to lonely souls and their concern about this lady led to them finding out it was indeed God’s miraculous intervention in the lives of those He loves so much. Look at the fruits, too. They realized they needed to be more grateful (don’t we all!) and were touched by her generosity. God rewarded this trust and also made one of His saints happy, who, like God, loves to share His goodness.

—Jayne

I don’t know anything about Robin or his faith … but why should God only “reward” those in desperate, dire circumstances with special blessings? I believe God is at work all around us, all the time – and most of the time, we’re too busy or distracted to notice.

Jesus said, “I came to give you life, and to give it to you in abundance.” Robin and his friends were blessed with God’s abundance – and he was not too proud to “hide” his story of how he was blessed when he realized he didn’t have food to feed his friends as planned. God has been feeding His people throughout all of time … why shouldn’t God feed someone who has “enough”, just to show God’s bountiful blessings on a day when most of us give thanks to God who has already blessed us?

We who are blessed with faith know that God will give us all we need – and MORE! Abundance!

—Ann

At the beginning of the story, you wrote that Robin was hosting a few friends who would probably be alone, at his home for Christmas dinner.

Alleviating the loneliness of people who would be alone for the holiday, no matter what their income or status, is an important point to consider. Robin was doing “a good deed” providing a place for these folks, and then things went awry.

The Bible doesn’t say that miracles are reserved for only the poor or disadvantaged. So it seems that as much as God loves the poor and the meek, he also loves the rich and “connected” just as much. (For all we know, there could have been rich people at the gathering where Jesus enacted the miracle of the loaves and fishes!)

We are all his sons and daughters, and the physical trappings in our lives are not necessarily relevant to who we are as souls.

I, myself, am not rich, but I have a comfortable life, and I feel that I have been the recipient of small, everyday miracles in my life over the years.

Apparently there is more to divine intervention than is obvious to our human eyes! :-)

—Irene

It is my belief that Angels do not have a distinction between wealth and poverty….they are God’s messengers and fill many needs.

—Carolyn

Oh my gosh, what a story!! In my opinion there could only be one explanation – Divine Intervention – God did this – and I”m guessing it was an angel or anyone of our friends in heaven. Beautiful story – it really does speak to have more faith and God does come through.

—Betty

Wonderful story. You asked for thoughts. I’ve had many small miracles in my life and I’m not poor or unhealthy. They have been without fear or loss as well. I’ve received them when I’ve needed them, none the less, out of the love in which God has for all of us.

Here is a small example: When my daughter was still in middle school, she had an assignment to find objects, out of doors for the book she was reading. The most important object in the book to find was a bird’s feather. Well we went to the forest preserve that autumn and scoured it for the feather but there was none to be found. Upon seeing her frustration, I started to silently pray. As soon as my prayer was finished, I looked down and right at my feet was a perfect feather. But that’s not all, when I showed it to her, she was amazed because it was exactly like the one pictured in her book, black with a white tip. Rather rare in the Chicago suburbs.

Finally, I love the Macy’s thing even though I won’t shop at one here in Chicago until they change it back to our beloved Marshall Fields. But I have no problem with Macy’s elsewhere and the video brought tears to my eyes. Religion is NOT dead in America!

—Dennis

God knows our needs and provides in ways He knows best……..Unconditionally. Money and fame mean nothing if we are in need in some way. Besides, look at all the publicity He is getting from one little miracle! - –Melinda

Sometimes, YHWH, in His generosity, just wants to bless people! In turn, they bless others when they tell of His blessings to them.

—Jo

It may be the reason was for the testimony of the power of God working.. manifesting the food, and neither of the two men were particularly into the real thanksgiving and this has changed their lives. They will never forget who sent it!! They will undoubtedly share this story every thanksgiving about the mysterious woman who was no doubt an angel. Of the awesome power of God working to get his message across. A message to us about being truly thankful for all that we have and turkey or not is not the issue..The message is in changing ourselves being grateful for what god gives us in the way He brings it. It was a good sign that the man left the money.. When the house was no longer there they had to believe in the higher power. And that belief is the message! If he can do that than just think what else can happen and that is a real eye awakener to everyone.

—Judy

“One Christmas Eve we planned to have ham,” my friend Jean Mahony emailed. “It had become a tradition, since Brad had won a ham one year, and another year Megan bought one” (her sibs). “This Christmas eve, however, the stores were all sold out of ham. We decided to just make do with what we had.”

While they were enjoying the evening Ashley (who would, just hours later, become Brad’s fiancée) pointed something out. Mahony spelled backwards is Y NO HAM.

“Not exactly a miracle,” Jean admits, “but a holiday food story nonetheless!”

There wasn’t any need to feed the people on the mount the bread and fish except they were hungry. Apparently these people were not to be left hungry the next day either.
—Orin

My take on the story is that everybody needs to be reminded of what Christmas REALLY is about and WHO it is really about it. Perhaps Mr. Leach and his companions were getting a gentle reminder?

—Christine

I think the “angel” helped him because he was helping others with the dinner he was to provide.

—Nicole

Robin very graciously invited people that would have otherwise been alone to celebrate Our Lord’s birth. We know that Our Lord Himself has told us that where two or three are gathered in His name there He is in their midst.

So it makes perfect sense that Our Lord would make certain that the guests had plenty of food to eat at His party!

—Christine

Maybe God was simply smiling on them? I have many experiences myself where I am not in desperate need, and while I am not talking anything as huge as that, but I often get little “smiles” from God. Maybe He was just feeling like treating them,

—-Steve

God loves us all, rich and poor, nice and not so nice…..and I believe those miracles are faith builders. You never know when your time will come and maybe someone at that party needed to think about their spirituality or to reconsider their beliefs.

Miracles, as we all know, are never easy to understand (especially because of all those who need them so much, who don’t get one. At least they don’t get a really OBVIOUS one.). BUT we leave that in God’s hands and thank Him every day for all the unseen miracles that we never know of and don’t thank HIM enough for such as the car accident that almost happened….that we never even noticed or the terrorist attack that was prevented, etc. I’m sure there must be a million of those a day for each of us and then when you add in the miracle of just being alive, the miracle of being born in this day and age, and in this PLACE….with clean running water, clean air, grocery stores and automobiles and hospitals and beds and medicine and families and long life and freedom and all those things we take for granted each day.

How many miracles each day go unnoticed? If we knew that God intervened on our behalf many times each day without us knowing…..how loved would that make us feel?

–Emily
I wonder if perhaps God wasn’t showing Robin Leach, in a very personal way, that He loved him very much. I believe God was showing Him that His Love was much more satisfying than any lifestyle of the rich and famous.
—Karen

Perhaps all Robin had to do was to share this miracle on WYLL Radio, which he did. I sometimes feel that God may not want us to do grandiose actions to spread His word… it might just boil down to a simple and honest account of what has taken place in one’s life. It would be interesting to know if Robin spied the other turkey the lady purported to have.

Thank you for posting this story Joan and also for the link to the Macy’s store surprise.

—Wendy (Down Under)

I have no idea why a little black ‘angel’ would give two hoots about a bunch of irresponsible confused rich guys needing a turkey. Perhaps she was sent as a, way of explaining that nothing is considered trivial to the King of Kings, especially if it’s a concern of one of His children. Remember the line in “It’s a Wonderful Life’ when his sick daughter lay in bed and one of the petals fell off her flower? “Fix it Daddy.” And so he did. “Fix it Abba, find us a turkey,” and so He did. —-Jerry

Robin and his friend were certainly trying to do good work in helping some lonely people enjoy the holiday. Even though they weren’t poor, some unfortunate circumstances left them in quite a predicament. They tried to solve the problem on their own, but were at the end of their rope. Persevering good will always wins the heart of God, so He sent them an angel to help them continue their good work.

—-Jeanette

Robin began with a charitable heart full of good intentions. When the miscommunication was out, angels sent by God provided what no money can’t buy. It provided a lesson to him and his friends that God cares for them too with the hope that this good will spreads.

—Gloria

I believe that one of the reasons for this miracle was very much like one of the reasons for the miracle of changing water in wine at the wedding of Cana; to prevent embarrassment. Another reason is that we are God’s children and sometimes he has nice surprises for his children.

—Mary Ann

Perhaps the miracle wasn’t directly for Robin and his friend but for the others who enjoyed the food and would most likely tell other people of how it all came about. And, who’s to say that this angel didn’t help many more that holiday season…Robin and his friends may have just been one of many who were so blessed. We may never know who God intends for His message; but if we treat others as we would have them treat us with open hearts and an open mind, His message can and will come across.

—-Kate

Why? Well, Robin tells everyone and is a witness for the miracle…Isn’t that reason enough?

—-Torry

Great job to all my angel friends! Next week we’ll talk about the needs of the