God Sends Angels

St. John's Episcopal Churchyard on St. Croix, USVI on December 2, 2023.

One of my favorite quotes is, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” It has been attributed to Albert Einstein. Regardless of who said it, I choose to live my life as though everything is a miracle. The sunrise. The sunset. The stars. A butterfly fluttering across my path. A newborn baby. Love. Homemade ice cream. But that’s just me. The fact that I am still here with my sanity with all that has occurred in my life and in the world since 2020 is a miracle in and of itself.

Something that I experienced on a recent trip to St. Croix made me think of how many miracles I’ve experienced throughout my life. While to someone on the outside looking in, they may not seem like much, but to me they were unforgettable, life-changing moments. These were just a few of the moments that reminded me of God’s presence and that I am always guided, protected, and overwhelmingly loved.

Several years ago, I was working in a store when an enormous man came in to supposedly make a purchase. As he shopped, he started asking me questions. These were opinionated questions to which I always tried to dance around. I had learned through experience with customers that no matter how you responded, it would typically be the wrong answer. With this customer, his line of questioning attempted to trick me into admitting that I hated men. This could never work, because I love men. Nothing that was occurring made any sense. At points I was actually agreeing with him. Finally, I decided that I would not utter another word. If he wasn’t already angry enough, this now enraged him. A few minutes before he’d arrived in the store, another customer – a retired police officer - had come in and taken a seat in the back. This was unusual, because I knew this customer’s schedule and it was not his day to be in the store. As this man was getting angrier and angrier with me pacing back and forth, he’d look back at the man sitting in the back of the store from time to time. Finally, this encounter was over, and the angry man left the store. The retired officer came to the front. We discussed what had just occurred and I was able to decompress. I know for certain he was my angel sent by God that day.

A few years ago, my youngest daughter and I were walking on a trail near our home. We loved going on our walks together, just taking in nature, discussing the future, and talking about God. This day, on our way back to the lot where we’d parked, we saw a man who seemed to be exhibiting some unusual behavior. He had cut through a section of the trail and had started running at top speed to meet us at an intersection. For some reason, at that time, there seemed to be no one else on the trail – not even a deer.  We both sensed what was happening and had looked around for an out. We picked up our speed. Just then, as soon as we got to where our paths would cross, seemingly out of absolutely no where a man and woman appeared right behind my daughter and me on their bikes. The man turned around and started running in the other direction as if he was just jogging. My daughter and I looked at each other not believing what had just happened, because we’d already looked and could see there had been no one else out there. The couple looked at us knowingly and rode slowly enough away that we were not left out there by ourselves. We hurriedly made our way safely back to our car. God sent us those two angels at that very moment.

Just over a week ago, my husband and I were on vacation and headed to a restaurant. We made a wrong turn and ended up on a road that honestly terrified us. Why did it terrify us? It is because we are from the Midwest where the land is flat and this wrong turn took us up an elevation that was not comfortable – to say the least. The road started out paved. Then it wasn’t. The road started out wide. Then it wasn’t. The road started out having sides, then my side didn’t. All I saw was jagged earth and nothing beyond it. I could have been being dramatic - or not, but I literally saw our lives flash before me and thought so this is how it ends… As my husband steadily drove upward, I just kept telling him to keep our vehicle on his side. He assured me that he was. We made our way up to some houses. At first we didn’t see anyone. Then we saw a man relaxing on his porch and he waved to us. He came and introduced himself and asked us what we needed. He of course knew we’d lost our way. Initially he was offered my husband instructions on how to get to the restaurant we were headed to.  He said it might be a little dreadful because we were going to be in the bush. Then he said, you know what, give me a minute and I’ll guide you all there. (Exhale. Relief). He pulled his truck out of his gated fence and guided us all the way to our destination. We talked briefly with him a little more. We thanked him and he was on his way. I’m not sure whether or not he truly knows what he did for us that day. That day, he was our angel. God reminded us that we were not lost and could never be lost when God knows where we are.

Do you ever think about how we act as each other's angels in this world when we show up when someone needs us? Sometimes our presence is enough. Sometimes the light we shine, a kind act, or a calm demeanor can change everything for someone.