There are Angels Among Us

There are angels among us. I don’t necessarily mean heavenly angels on assignment from God, though their possible existence I find unprovable yet strangely comforting. I mean men and women who seemingly spontaneously come out of nowhere, serve and assist you, and then rapidly disappear. It makes you want to give thanks to God, as well as your helpers.

Angels have been popular in many cultures for millennia. They are viewed across different religious traditions as heavenly beings from a higher, better place. The word “angel” itself comes from the Greek, “angelos”, meaning “messenger.” Though technically an “angel” is a messenger from God, I believe people serve as angels unaware when they happen on to the scene at the right time and do just the right thing. Surely most us have had such “angel encounters.” There are many quiet, unassuming people out there making a difference in others’ lives by assisting just when it has to be done, if it is going to get down. Countless angels are working among us in the medical field right now.

I remember when our older son Matt was in a car accident in Las Vegas, back in 1993. His head went through the windshield, tearing back the skin of his forehead. He began to bleed profusely, so much so that he was not expected to live until help arrived. Then out of a crowd of strangers watching a precious young man die, an emergency room nurse showed up, made a tourniquet out of Matt’s shirt, stopped the bleeding, and saved his life. As quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared back into the stunned crowd. She was an angel, human or not. She did the task of an angel, helping, making a difference, and in this case making the difference.

I’ll never know who she was, never be able to thank her. And by the time I found out about the accident, she had already rendered her invaluable service. So what is the best thing I can do? Pass it own. I owe some stranger my son’s life. The best I can do is to be there for others, as the need arises. Maybe not always in every circumstance, but in the ones that open up for me to quickly step up to the plate of willing availability.

I also remember the time my car hit a patch of ice and slid off the road in the farm country of southern Wisconsin. My wife and two small children were with me. Keeping the engine running for warmth, I headed for a farm home some fifty years away. They graciously let me in to phone for help. Yet even before I could make the call, three young men in a pickup stopped, retrieved big shovels from their truck, and quickly got my car out of the ditch. Before I could get out there to thank them, they were already out of sight. To me they served as angels, whether or not they were human or not.

I must add for dog and cat lovers, like me, that such domestic pets can also serve as angels. They can be messages of love and loyalty, comfort and companionship. We had a certified German Shepherd assistance dog for twelve too short years. She was often called a “miracle dog,” who worked with mentally disadvantaged children. Two years after she passed, we got a rescue dog, an Anatolian Shepherd, named “Wally.” Every old man needs his “therapy dog.” Wally has certainly been an angel to me.