Angels encouraged me

The angels have been out early this year. The first one showed up last month when my mother fell. The unseen angel kept her from breaking anything. Mom is still in rehab for a few more days so I know she remains safe for now.
I had been in a blue funk all week, what with the worry about my mom, plus a few minor malfunctions at home. The water softener that replaced the dead one still isn’t working properly. The repairman has scheduled yet another visit to see if it can be revived. A week after the softener died, a fitting on a water pipe decided it wanted to retire, so it split. No major disasters, just the usual day to day maintenance that is a part of life.
Then I got a note from my daughter. She wasn’t the angel, just the mother of one. It seems granddaughter Emma’s Aunt Rachel had come for a visit. Rachel was telling her boyfriend about the guineas that Emma and her family used to have. Emma said an owl had eaten one, and she had proof.
With that, she ran upstairs and retrieved the letter from Santa that Santa’s official scribe (me) had sent her last year. It stated that Olivia the owl had told Rudolph that she was sorry for eating Emma’s guinea hen but Olivia had been so hungry and the guinea was so delicious and she promised not to do it again. Emma said, “See? Proof!”
I was astonished that she not only kept the letter but remembered what it had said. For those who don’t know what a guinea is, it looks like a polka dotted chicken with a tiny naked head. They eat bugs and are used to deter snakes and other vermin. Sadly, none of the guineas have survived. Between Olivia the owl and other dangers such as trucks and coyotes, they have all perished.
Emma restored my faith that things I write really do make a difference, if only to offer proof of how a bird met its maker.
Then today yet another angel entered my life. I was at the local big box store that is not noted for outstanding customer service. I asked for help with a bag of water softener salt. A gentleman in line behind me offered to load it into my shopping cart then he followed me out to the parking lot so he could put it into the car for me. He will never know how grateful I was for his assistance although I thanked him profusely.
I didn’t used to believe in angels. But I am at a loss for any other explanation. How else to explain how encouragement arrives when I need it the most? How else to explain the faith of a child? How else to explain why that particular guy was behind me at the store? How else to explain the random blessings? It has to be angels.
My late father-in-law also believed in angels. His favorite stories were of the angel who led him safely to town one snowy day in late March. He graciously allowed me to adapt that into a Christmas story for a contest one year. Another of his stories involved an angel who changed a tire for him when his car was wedged firmly against the curb. He had more angel tales but those are the two I remember the most. Is he the one who sends the angels when I need them?
Is it perhaps my own dear grandfather who sends them? I don’t know if he believed or not, but now that he is one, it could be him providing help and encouragement when I need it.
Or is it that angels just naturally enjoy brightening someone’s day? I hope that I can be an angel to someone sometime. Angels don’t come out only at Christmas. They are around all the time. I hope you are blessed with your own angels when you need them.[[In-content Ad]]