Sanibel woman says she received divine sign from mother 2 years after Hurricane Ian

Two years after Hurricane Ian, a Sanibel woman said she received a divine sign after moving back into her home.

Sanibel Community Church only missed one Sunday service after Ian. The church’s rebuilding is still going on. It’s here that we met 87-year-old Carolyn David, who is thankful for this church.

Her faith saw her through a terrible time and is helping her move forward.

At 87 years old, David doesn’t mind the grunt work of gardening.

“I work in the yard every day, pull weeds. I mean, I’m bored, and I’m lonely,” David said.

But with all her might, David couldn’t get her husband, Jack David, to leave their Sanibel home when things started to get bad during Ian.

“It was horrifying, to say the least, but he was fine,” she said.

Jack had dementia. The pictures on the walls around his bed helped him manage the disease. It was in that room that David said he survived Ian holding onto his bible.

First responders found Jack, and days later, he was reunited with his wife. Sadly, though, he passed away before they could get back in their home, but out of nowhere, David said, wildflowers started to bloom.

A Christian group gutted and cleaned her home, and the youth group at Sanibel Community Church painted her walls.

One day, when she was doing yardwork, David received what can only be described as a divine sign.

“I looked down and, just like you would see this on my arm, was on a branch attached to it, my mother’s bracelet that was in my closet on the other side of the house. Now, when I saw it, of course, I got a little teary-eyed, and I knew right then God had provided it for me to let me know my mom was thinking about me,” she said.

It was a sign she needed. Jack was not only her partner of 67 years, but caring for him became her purpose.

As she looks for her new purpose, she wants you to know this: “If you have the Lord, Lord God in Heaven, and you have a sense of humor, I think you’re going to make it.”

David and the other members look forward to when the fellowship hall and other buildings reopen.

The sanctuary is open, but the church hopes to be fully operational by the end of October.