[03/17/02]The unique, bittersweet story of a Vicksburg family is drawing national attention.

The Abraham family’s story has been woven throughout the last 13 years in patterns of three. It will be aired on “The Rest of the Story,” by Paul Harvey, Monday at 6 p.m., on local affiliate MS 103 in Jackson.

Lila Nosser McRight of Greenville, a friend of the Abrahams’ and a native of Vicksburg, said she heard about the story in a conversation with Freddy Abraham.

“I think it’s such a sweet story,” McRight said. “It’s very significant to me.”

It began in 1989, with the death of Julie Abraham, a daughter of Freddy and Sara Abraham. Julie, then a student and All-American tennis player at the University of Mississippi, died of surgical complications in Vicksburg.

She died on Christmas Day and was buried in a section of the cemetery called “The Three Crosses.”

In 1999, on Christmas Day, Sara Abraham received a calling. Since then, she has been working to resurrect “Crosses Across America,” the project responsible for placing three consecutive crosses symbolic of Jesus’ crucifixion on roadsides nationwide.

More than 2,000 crosses have been erected as a result of the project.

On Christmas Day 2001, the Abrahams’ daughter, Angela Ladner, came to her parents with unexpected news. She is pregnant with triplets three girls.

“I thought that there is something going on here,” McRight said. “Here Sara is working on the three crosses and Angela is having the three babies.”

The coincidence is striking. Three different Christmases, then the recurrence of three crosses and now three babies, announced on Christmas day.

McRight said she wrote longtime radio commentator Paul Harvey, not expecting anything to happen.

“I’ve never done anything like this in my life,” she said.

But Paul Harvey Jr. called her back, wanting to verify the facts of the story.

“I nearly fainted,” she said.