Lorrie's Story
My name is Lorraine Coffey and I am a very ordinary young Irish woman whose life's
journey until now is not much different from anyone else, yet time and time again, simply
sharing my story can inspire, uplift, and sometimes bring comfort to others and give them
hope.
From a young age my interests lay in the love I had for athletics, I excelled as a javelin thrower and had a passion for it, so much so that I became a national and European schools champion . It was my dream and goal to represent Ireland at the Barcelona Olympics. I was privileged to be taken under the wing of the British Olympic coach and he believed that I could achieve my dream.
Sadly, at age 18, my dream was cut short when an unfortuante incident occured while training , leaving me with a serious back injury, cutting short my very promising career.
Without my dream to focus on, the years to follow were to prove extremely challenging. The personal choices I made left me feeling trapped during my early twenties. These choices went along way to breaking my spirit. The only light in a great darkness were my two beautiful children. I had lost all passion and love for life, I felt so lost, lonely, and afraid inside, and when I looked at my life I thought, "Is this what I have become? Is this what my life is to be about?". Then one day when at my lowest, a desperate figure crouched in the corner of a room with nowhere to turn, it was as though a video began to play in my mind. I was taken back to a time in my childhood when I had contact with a very beautiful world, a world that for many seems distant or pure fantasy, and yet, when I was aged just 11, this other world brought me a message that was to save my mother's life. It was this memory that was to remind me that I was not alone. And so, whilst crouched in my corner, I made a desperate cry for help. I think no matter who we are, when life's experiences have brought us to the point where we are on our hands and knees, whether we believe in a God or not, with nowhere to turn, we call upon God and heaven for help. I did, and my call was answered, and this is where my journey begins.
It was soon after this that I was to experience a night that was to change my world forever.
Within my bedroom was a small portable TV which switched off automaticaly. That night I awoke to the sound of the TV still being on. I sat up in my sleepy state, standing at the foot of my bed was the most beautiul man I had ever seen. He seemed old and worldly yet he had a beautiful youth about him - timeless is a better word. His skin like porcelain, his eyes warm and brown, his hair dark brown and brushed back to fall to the top of his shoulders. He wore the most magnificant robes, he stood with his arms held outstretched, not to speak and yet I understood everything he wanted to communicate to me. His presence was enough to fill me with absolute wonder. He put me back to rest, as if to tell me he would always be with me, and for the first night in almost four years I slept peacefully. It was one of the most beautiful and uplifting experiences I have ever had.
I awoke the following morning with an inner strength and a renewed excitment about my life and life itself. This feeling I will never forget. My heart was singing. I was back! My life did have meaning. I felt so alive that I could hear, feel and see heaven all around me and its great beauty. It was not that a magic wand had been waved and my problems disappeared, but this new-found inner strength was to carry me through my difficulties. From that moment on, all I wanted was to be of service. I wanted to continue feeling the beautiful experience I had, I wanted to share this with people, to help people as I had been helped.
Over the next few years I found a new life and friend who kindly offered me work in his health store, during this time I was always thinking of the beautiful life-changing experience that I had, I developed a hunger and passion to uncover the truth about our existence, ....I wanted to see God; I wanted to speak with God; and most of all, I wanted to feel God in my heart. Why would heaven not want to speak with me, if it really existed? I began to rekindle the questioning heart and mind of a child, to search and uncover the Divine within my life. This search which was to bring the next change within my life.
In early 2001, heaven once again was to open its doors to me. I was to paint the world that heaven was to bring to me. I felt an inspiration and excitement so great I felt compelled to draw, I had not painted before and after various failed attempts I found I could paint with my fingers and pastels, I didn't know what I was going to paint, I never had any intention of painting Angels, but sure enough, these beautiful messengers started to appear as I painted. In time, I would find out where the purpose of my new passion would bring me and the adventure that I, and those others I love so much, were to embark upon.
It was with time that myself and the owner of the little shop, Eugene, set off together and bought a house in Co. Wicklow, the garden of Ireland. We had no idea what the purpose of buying such a house was at the time, but we loved it. The house had a beautiful room which was once a dance hall. One night I had a dream that I was to hang the paintings and the writings in this large room and simply open the doors. Which we did.
And so was born our Angel Sanctuary, a place where people could come to search for
meaning in their life, a place for reflection, a grieving soul in need of comfort, a person in
need, needing to be uplifted or inspired, just as I once did. A place where people can come
and share their story and experiences, and it is these people and their stories that has helped
us see the purpose for my work, and have given us the courage and strength to help create
this Sanctuary, so heaven may be just a little more present within this world to reach the
aching hearts and souls of so many.
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