August 15, 1991|By Wiley A. Hall 3rd
But when she returned to the blank sheets of paper she had laid aside, Pulliam became aware of the second "outstanding occurrence." One sheet was creased in such a way as to form an outline of the Blessed Mother. Literally, she said, she had only to trace the creases in the paper and fill in the details.
The third occurrence happened after she had started the actual painting and was contemplating which colors to use. Again, "a commanding, inner voice" told her, "paint my gown white, to represent my immaculate conception. Paint my robe red to represent my heart. Paint the background gold to represent my glory."
"I didn't question it," said Pulliam, "I just did what the voice told me to do."
Finally, late one night as she lay in bed, Pulliam saw a bright shining semicircle of golden light that indicated how she was to paint a halo over Mary's head.
"So that's it," said Pulliam simply, shrugging her shoulders. "That's what happened."
She is reluctant to call these occurrences "miracles" or even to claim that they were the result of divine intervention. But her family, the members of her congregation, her pastor, all tell her not to question it, to accept the "occurrences" at face value.
"I just feel blessed, whatever happened," she said. "I thank the Lord and I thank the Blessed Mother for allowing me to have this wonderful experience."
So there you have it. She may have been divinely inspired or that inner voice may have been her own artistic muse speaking to her. Take your choice.
As for me, I'm not at all sure there is a measurable difference between the two.
rTC
