Go take your brother a hundred dollars; he needs it. This is the message from the Good Lord that Aunt Dorothy McKelvey kept getting over and over one week in May, 1984. Which brother was God referring to? According to Aunt Dorothy, it was my father, Loyal Pritchard. Like most of us, she kept putting it off . . . thinking she would take him the money at some point when it was more convenient. One day, however, God made it clear that NOW was the time.
Aunt Dorothy developed a migraine headache that started in the morning and relentlessly plagued her into the afternoon. Nothing she did brought any relief from the pounding pain. Suddenly, she remembered that God had been nudging her all week to take Dad a hundred dollars. Her excruciating pain prompted her to say this prayer: "Lord, if you will just ease my head, I will go right now and take Loyal this $100 bill that I have in my purse."
Believe it or not, as soon as she uttered her final word, the headache completely disappeared! Do you think she wasted any time hopping into her car and driving straight over to our house? No, she didn't! She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had heard her plea and healed the migraine, and she intended on keeping her promise to him.
I was home from my third year of college that afternoon. Dad was actually asleep because he was under the weather. There was a knock on the front door, so I went to see who our visitor was. I opened the door, and in comes Aunt Dorothy with a determination that I had not seen in her before. She said, "Where's your daddy? I have to talk to him."
I answered, "He's asleep in the bedroom . . . he's not feeling well."
She said adamantly, "Well, go wake him up and tell him I HAVE to talk to him."
Aunt Dorothy was like another mother to me, so I did as I was told. Within a few minutes, Dad sleepily entered the living room wearing his undershirt, pants and no shoes - only socks. He and I sat down on the couch while Aunt Dorothy remained standing. She walked over, stood in front of Dad and said, "God wants me to give this to you." With that, she handed him the $100 bill that she had been carrying in her purse for some time. She then told us about her terrible headache and how God had taken it away when she promised that she would bring Dad the money that very same day.
Dad accepted the gift with gratitude, but what he didn't tell Aunt Dorothy, and didn't tell anyone but me until a few years ago, was that he owed someone exactly a hundred dollars, but, because he was out of work at the time, couldn't pay his debt to the man. The company that Dad worked for had laid off a large number of employees, and my father was one of them. The lay-off was temporary, but Dad was uncertain as to how long "temporary" was going to be. Knowing that this person had a lot of bills to pay as well and really needed the hundred dollars that was due him, Dad felt badly about not being able to pay the gentleman. Being the prayer warrior that he was, he prayed and asked God to somehow provide the money so he could deliver on his settlement. Never did he dream that his younger sister would be the key to answering his request.
It seems that God answered Aunt Dorothy's prayer so she could help answer Dad's prayer. And, who knows? Maybe the man to whom the debt was owed had also been fervently praying for funds to come through so that he could pay HIS bills. These are certainly great testimonies to the power of prayer and to the deep faith that both my father and Aunt Dorothy had.
Aunt Dorothy was a pretty, charming, funny and classy lady. "Big Bird," as she was called by her grandchildren, loved family, friends, laughter, flowers, pretty clothes, and parties. She also had a big heart and was always the "belle of the ball."
I would even go one step further and say that Aunt Dorothy was also the belle of an entire town - my hometown of Dadeville, Alabama, where she lived her entire life. She was very creative and had a great skill for growing and arranging flowers. She did floral arrangements for numerous weddings and social occasions in Dadeville for many years. There is no doubt she will be missed by many in our beloved, close-knit city.
Most of all, she will be missed by those of us who called her Mom, Big Bird and Aunt, for her family was truly her greatest love and inspiration.
Until we meet again, Aunt Dorothy, keep an eye out down here for all us!
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