The Exceptional Exception

Joann V. Altiero

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781666734041
  9781666729474
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666729481
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Mysticism

Can your enchantment with the beauty of nature lead you to the presence of God? Theresa, a sinner and mystic, is in search of the presence of God. You walk with her in the park, where animals unexpectedly become messengers. Survivor of a turbulent dark night of the soul, her pugnacious and relentless love of God leads her to an old vagabond in the park. His presence is extremely annoying and unexpected. Who is this man, in crumpled clothing, sitting in the middle of Theresa's bench? Irritated by his presence, she is horribly rude, only to find he is wise beyond expectations. They share stories, and Theresa explores secrets in her soul, finding divine providence within her life as a psychologist working with a wounded humanity. This book is for sinners who feel undeserving, but suspect there is more to life, or those who believe religion is hogwash yet still hold a small flame of hope, or the scientists who want pragmatic answers in their lonely journeys. This book is for those facing terminal illness, their families, those who work with lifting the spirits of the suffering who need some self-care, and for you who wish to laugh, cry, and experience life fully, because this story is a gift of love, to be opened by a special cadre of people who may be the Exceptional Exception!

Chapter One

The Awakening

“To love him is to know him,

To know him is to love him”

Altiero, 1998

The sun streams through the clouds, cascading yellow ribbons on a gift of blue sky. A woman pauses to smile before she enters the park—another gorgeous day. A school of finches, their wings fluttering on a nearby bush, applaud the thistle’s beauty, topped by a brilliant array of butterflies rejoicing heavenward. Always prepared, the peculiar woman wears an olive hiker’s hat securely attached under her chin. The hat is a bit bedraggled due to wear, matching the wrinkles about her curious eyes, which have character and a story to tell. She has some water, sunscreen, and bug repellent to complete the entire seven miles. She is a frequent visitor at the park that people are driving by waving with a smile or snicker.

Teresa is drawn to the park and has been hiking there for years. Nature offers a perpetual symphony of colors and sounds throughout the seasons. A butterfly lightly taps her nose with a cheerful welcome. Two cardinals swoop low into the trees right beside her and magically disappear within the cover of the red fall leaves. “I know you are there,” Teresa whispers. Both cardinals are devoted followers of the mysterious hiker and begin their serenade. Teresa is courteous and gently replies, “Thank you, my loves!” The birds take flight ahead of her to lead the way. It is incredible how every hike in the park can offer a new adventure. It is astounding to think that the most awesome spectacles play out here like a movie, with multiple encores, at no cost.

Teresa has always felt tremendous gratitude toward God for creating nature and attributes the gift to God’s benevolence. However, lately, something appears to be changing within Teresa during her walks. She finds herself glorifying and thanking God for even the smallest detail of each monarch butterfly, and she feels at these times a connection she has not felt before. Charming munificence streaming toward her from God suggests that he delights in her enjoyment.

“Does everyone enjoy your gifts as I do?” Teresa wonders. Through exalted experiences of this kind, Teresa is growing keenly aware of her soul’s existence, which brings such delight that she can hardly think. Even more astounding, the animals are mindful of what is going on as she joins them in some secret mystery. Indeed, in turn, Teresa feels a closeness to the spirit of animals and all creation, giving forth the glory of God. She perceives God as a generous father who loves to spend time with his children. His kindness and generosity often bring Teresa to tears, even though she cannot return to her Father what he directs toward his children.

Teresa feels entirely alone, at times, although so remarkably close to her loving Father. She feels separate from the world and other people—very vulnerable as when in love. How could a soul share such experiences with others if they do not experience the soul’s awakening?

One day, while walking in the park, remembering her childhood, Teresa cannot forget some troubling and unusual experiences. When another person witnesses the event and testifies to the occasion, it is fortunate, as happened on that night. Teresa recalls being in her room with her cousin Carla, who was about age eight at the time, one year older than Teresa. The light in the night sky draws them both to the window. Is it a floodlight or a car headlight? No, it is emitting from a supernatural source in the sky—to the amazement of both girls.

A delicate glow appears in the night sky; the street is empty and dark below. Gasping, they draw closer to the window. The light, increasingly intensive, is coming right toward both girls. Vivid white wings extend beyond the brilliant central light source—not frightening but excellent. As the beautiful vision comes directly through the window, it soars straight into Teresa’s chest. Carla’s face shifts from amazement to shock, “I saw the light, it got bigger, and there was a dove. It went into your chest, Teresa! Where did it go?”

For years, the memory persists, and there are times when Teresa’s analytical mind claims the best of her regarding the mysterious event from their childhood. A double hallucination called folie à deux could occur if just one person is insane. As a teenager, Teresa watches her cousin closely to see if she can detect signs of psychosis. If not Carla, would it be Teresa who is crazy? As they grow older, they cannot deny that it happened. When Carla goes to medical school, she is deemed unequivocally sane. Teresa is afraid of herself: It must be me! Finally, during Teresa’s doctoral training, the day of the dreaded self-evaluation arrives. Indeed, that will reveal the awful truth. So, she scribbles and erases, shaking her head as if doomed. A peer looks up and giggles at Teresa’s seriousness with the task. Teresa looks at the woman in desperation as if hiding a terrible secret. The woman, Joya, laughs and cajoles her to be calm. “Joya, great. The day I find out I am the nut case, and you are laughing.”

Before Joya can respond with more soothing words, the department director interrupts to explain that it is okay to have some elevations. “Obtaining higher scores on the scales for schizophrenia or histrionic personality may suggest a bit of creativity or a pleasant, outgoing personality.”

“I will take some of that,” Teresa thinks. “Well, unfortunately, I am not out for lunch, and this is not a smorgasbord.” Oddly, she turns out to be low on every scale except obsessive-compulsive, suggesting that she may tend to worry. No kidding! She needs a form to tell her that. “Look, Joya, I am just a boring bookworm. Well, at least that is safe. I have something new to worry about. I can kill someone with boredom.”

“I am not dead.”

“Well, Joya, you don’t know me well enough yet.”

Teresa begins to worry about being obsessive. The program director then says to the forty adults in the room, “Did anyone get a little high on the obsessive-compulsive scale?” Teresa raises her hand, as does the other fellowship recipient.

“You two are likely the only two that will make it through the program.”

Well, Teresa is sure she will find some reason to worry. Like all the other students that she kills off with boredom. Poor Joya! Joya is studying her with a severe, worried expression. She has put her glasses on to create a dramatic effect that makes Teresa laugh aloud.

“I have a little histrionic tendency, which is dazzling, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, and I love you for it, Joya—just what I need to get off my pity-pot.”

Teresa, from then on, accepting the mystical experience of her childhood for what it is, frequently begins to call on that mysterious light, that visitor from her early days. Her dove friend—a sage, the great comforter—is always with her. As she gets older, she acknowledges the dove as the Holy Spirit.

Not all of Teresa’s experiences have been delightful; shortly afterward, another visit from the light came into a frightening dream. Teresa was seven years old at the time. Upon falling asleep, one night, she finds herself in total darkness. This blackness is blacker than black. If she closes her eyes and opens them again, it is much darker. How frightening. What is that? Who is that? Teresa can hear a tremor in her voice, revealing her fear of the invisible presence, an unidentified thing in the black room. An authoritative voice crackles through the air, lacking human emotion. Shocking Teresa’s body with rivets of pain amuses the presence. With each jolt of electrical current, he yells at Teresa, “Deny your love of God. Deny your love of God!” Teresa senses utter hopelessness in a dark place—a netherworld. She is searching for the flame of hope for the faithful: the love of God to light the way.

Teresa does not understand why the mysterious adult is treating her in this way and telling her to do something wrong. How can she respect him, even though he is an elder? There is something very wrong here, something very wrong. The scary person shocks her again and states, “You deny your love of God, or I will torture you and take you down to the netherworld with me for all eternity.” A netherworld is a place of terrible darkness. Where can Teresa put her hope? She needs just a little flame in the dark. The love of God will light the way!

“I am sad when I think of a place full of darkness,” Teresa reflects. “Yet, I know if I take with me my little flame, my love of God, I can hold a tiny flame in the dark, and that will be my love of God, however small.”

Teresa now responds to the tempter. “Then take me down to the netherworld for all eternity, but I will not deny my love of God. For if I did, it would be better if I had never been born!” The evil entity does not expect this courageous response. Aghast, while retreating, the hideous creature emits a bloodcurdling scream. The deep howl is like the sound of a wounded beast, cast into a bottomless, dark pit and falling into the hopeless despair of its hatred.

How could such a small child, meek and innocent, make an unexpectedly piercing response toward an ancient, evil entity? By the sound of his hissing, the tempter experiences a fatal wound. Innocence is demolishing his relentless pride by a steadfast blow of faith and hope. A bolt of purity, light sent toward the toxic, evil entity, casts out his putrid form. A pure white light, whiter than white, enters the room—a familiar and peaceful presence.

With the comforting light comes a wise voice, gentle and reassuring. “That is the master of deceit, the prince of all lies.” Following his ominous forewarning words came a protective reassurance that she did well. “I only told the truth. I have to have hope,” she thinks. He has no hope, but she does not feel sorry for him. That entity is not of God. He is no part of God. God has no interest in that hopeless creature who hates children—nor does she. For she wills to love God with her entire mind, heart, strength, and soul.

Teresa, now a professional woman, has been working for numerous years with children and adults. She finds it all quite unbelievable—not just the event itself but also her response at such an early age. In the park, during her walk, the sun is now blinding her view. So, she uses her hand as a visor to find the nearest bench. She continues to reflect on the past. At such an early age, how did a child produce such wisdom? A bumblebee buzzes by Teresa’s ear, bringing her back to the present. She flaps her hand to usher the bee away. “Where did you come from, little bee?” Teresa regains her focus, again remembering the oddity of her childhood. A young girl, just age seven, responds to a frightening entity with dedication, truth, and honesty. Her eloquent words can be attributed to the wisdom of the dove from her vision the previous year.

To revisit her childhood and assess her early adulthood helps make sense of where Teresa now stands as she approaches retirement. Divine providence or the hand of God is visible—as clear as the baby blue sky above her head, where a bald eagle soars blissfully, with direction and strength.

Though she has experienced numerous mysterious events, Teresa questions their spiritual v...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Chapter 1: The Awakening
• Chapter 2: Getting What Is Needed, Not Wanted
• Chapter 3: Thy Will Be Done
• Chapter 4: Casting Stones
• Chapter 5: Suffering as a Gift
• Chapter 6: Mercy
• Chapter 7: Faith and Courage
• Chapter 8: Creationism
• Chapter 9: The Eyes and Ears of the Soul
• Chapter 10: Reflections of God’s Love
• Chapter 11: The Mystery of Forgiveness
• Chapter 12: Divine Providence in Forgiveness
• Chapter 13: God’s Comforting Bird Poop!
• Chapter 14: Faith
• Chapter 15: A Calling from God
• Chapter 16: A Nun’s Friendship
• Chapter 17: What to Do with a Gift from God?
• Chapter 18: The Parable
• Chapter 19: My Mary Magdalene
• Chapter 20: The Paraclete
• Chapter 21: Original Sin
• Chapter 22: Highly Sensitive, Purity of Heart
• Chapter 23: Angry at God
• Chapter 24: My Best Friend
• Chapter 25: Love One Another as I Have Loved You
• Chapter 26: You Have Forgotten How Much I Love You!
• Chapter 27: Lessons of Love
• Chapter 28: In the Park