A Deal With God: The Power of One
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Deana got back home just after lunch. She went into the bedroom and got on her knees in front of the bed as she stared at a large cross mounted on the wall. Deana began to pray. As she did, tears filled her eyes. Then she began to talk to God.
“Oh Lord, I realize when I first came to Dothan I was unhappy here. When I first met Leon I thought he looked like a hillbilly and I misjudged him. I am so, so sorry. I love Dothan; the people here are wonderful friends and family. I love Leon and I love our boys. I don’t want to leave them. I know I’ve asked a lot from you over the years. This is my final request. I know we had a deal. But I’m begging you, once again, to let me stay.”
Tears streamed down her face. She repeated this prayer three more times. At the end she finished with, “Lord I’m begging you to let me stay. There’s more good I can do.”
Deana climbed onto her bed and meditated. When she was about to start dinner, she kneeled in the kitchen and prayed more until she heard the boys come home.
Every morning and afternoon, Deana prayed. She prayed for Luke. She apologized profusely for disliking Leon when she first met him. She admitted those terrible feelings were wrong. She swore she was madly in love with Leon because, in fact, she really was. She pleaded for God to show her mercy one last time.
Over the weekend, Deana and Leon discussed plans for Leon’s 40th birthday which would be on Wednesday. Leon told Deana he was having trouble getting the day off from work.
Deana asked Leon if next weekend they could go to Hilton Head Island to celebrate his birthday. Deana desperately wanted to go back to Hilton Head Island one last time. Since she wasn’t working, going over the weekend would be perfect.
Leon agreed. “I’ll get off work early on Friday and we can leave Dothan before rush hour. We can have a fun couple of days.”
Monday morning Deana got to church early. She wanted to have time to pray before Gary and Mrs. Jarvis arrived. She asked God for forgiveness and for mercy. Tears streamed down her face as she put her entire heart and soul into her prayers.
Unfortunately, every day that went by, Deana felt worse and worse. She felt sicker and sicker. Deana spent even more time in prayer; some days praying for five or six hours.
By the time Friday came around it was May 1st. Deana was nauseous and throwing up all day. However, she was not going to allow her sickness to ruin her opportunity to go to Hilton Head Island.
When Leon got home, Deana had her things packed for the weekend. Matthew was now an adult and he agreed to take care of Luke and keep an eye on Mark.
Deana took some medicine to try and settle her stomach. She was determined to tough the vacation out. The entire ride she was sick and felt awful.
When Deana and Leon got to their hotel room, they enjoyed the magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean. Then Deana got sick again. She alternated between going to the bathroom and resting on the bed.
Saturday morning was the worst. She could not keep any food down and had a splitting headache. All she could do was rest in bed or sit in a big chair. Deana and Leon tried to watch a movie, but Deana spent most of the time in the bathroom.
Upon Deana’s fourth return to the bed, Leon asked an unusual question.
“Deana, honey, when was the last time you got your period?”
“It was between the first and second weeks of March.” Deana looked surprised at Leon’s question. “I’ve had an inconsistent cycle my entire life. I’ve been later than this before. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Leon tried not to laugh and Deana did not see his quick smile.
“Deana, I need to run to the store real quick. Is there anything you’d like for me to get you at the store?”
“Maybe some ginger ale, sometimes that helps settle my stomach.”
Leon went to the store to buy Deana a home pregnancy test. Leon had seen Rebeccah go through what Deana was experiencing.
Thirty five minutes later Leon walked back into their hotel room. Leon took the home pregnancy kit out of the box with the directions and told Deana to go in the bathroom and do the test.
“You’ve got to be nuts. Five different reproductive specialists all told me I can’t have children.”
Leon reached out and held Deana’s hand. “Please, just humor me; if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. This will only take a couple of minutes.”
Deana went into the bathroom and followed the test instructions. A few minutes later, Leon heard: “OH MY GOSH!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!! Leon, We’re pregnant!”
It was the first time Deana ever saw Leon cry. He had a huge smile on his face. As tears flowed from his eyes, they embraced each other. The joyful news of Deana’s pregnancy was the perfect birthday gift.
Deana found a wonderful OB/GYN in Athens that specialized in high risk pregnancies. She took fantastic care of Deana the entire pregnancy. Toward the end of June, Deana went for her first ultra–sound. She was having a baby girl. In the almost eight years Deana had known Leon, it was the happiest she’d ever seen him.
“Leon, I have the perfect name for our daughter. At the hospital, when I give birth, I will tell you the name.”
Over the summer, Matthew graduated high school with honors. He rented an apartment in Athens with a friend. It was located only three blocks away from the University of Georgia where he would be attending in the fall.
Leon and Deana hired a contractor to expand the rear of their home where the boys’ bedrooms were. The contractor enlarged the rooms and created a cute bedroom and bathroom for a little girl.
On Friday December 25th, 2020, Deana, Leon, Matthew, Mark, and Luke welcomed baby Johnna into their family.
Deana’s doctor was incredulous. “Mrs. Samuels, the odds of you conceiving and giving birth to a healthy baby were probably about a half million to one.”
Deana smiled. “Maybe the odds get better when there’s Divine intervention.”
Later that night, after Leon and the boys went home and baby Johnna was back in the hospital nursery, Deana fell into a deep sleep. God spoke verbally to her one last time.
“Deana Samuels, the baby is your reward. Enjoy a long life. I am very proud of you, my daughter.”
Deana pressed her hands together in prayer. “Lord, I’m so grateful, thank you so much.”
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Johnna
with
Mama Deana and Big Papa Leon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dean Michael Polizzi A.K.A. Michael Haden is a successful Tampa business man and volunteer girls Division 1 competitive soccer coach. His inspiration for this book came from the girls he’s coached. He currently coaches for FC Tampa and has coached some of the most amazing and fascinating young women to ever play sports in West Central Florida. Dean has coached well over two hundred young women and each one has their own amazing story.
Please visit: www.ADealWithGodBook.com.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 REBECCAH SAMUELS
CHAPTER 2 DEANA MURPHY
CHAPTER 3 LEAVING TAMPA
CHAPTER 4 DOTHAN GEORGIA
CHAPTER 5 BIG CHANGES FOR THE SAMUELS’ BOYS
CHAPTER 6 SEASON’S CHANGE, HEARTS CHANGE
CHAPTER 7 MEET THE IN–LAWS
CHAPTER 8 GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS
CHAPTER 9 TAMPA GIRL SHAKE IT FOR ME
CHAPTER 10 THE PROPOSAL
CHAPTER 11 WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
CHAPTER 12 THE RESOLUTION
CHAPTER 13 FINALLY THE WEDDING
CHAPTER 14 DEANA SAMUELS
CHAPTER 15 ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
CHAPTER 16 PROSPERITY
CHAPTER 17 DEANA AND LEON GO TO NASHVILLE
CHAPTER 18 DEANA TURNS THIRTY AND OTHER MILESTONES
CHAPTER 19 THE POWER OF ONE – THE HUGE DIFFERENCE ONE PERSON CAN MAKE
CHAPTER 20 THE END IS GETTING NEAR
CHAPTER 21 GETTING READY FOR 4–20–2020
CHAPTER 22 A SECOND SURPRISE ENDING
ichael, A Deal With God: The Power of One