I have never doubted the presence of guardian angels. There have been innumerable moments in my life that I have know for sure that my life has been in other hands. Accidents, near accidents, and unusual happenstances confirm it day by day.
Recently I went out my front door to check on a noise. I never notice noises when I am with someone, but when I am alone, I always have to know. My friend asked me, “What possible good could come from it?” A proper response I am sure, but if it is a bear, I have to know, if it is a person, I want to know. It is in retrospect a lack of fear, but probably foolish just the same. Anyway, this particular night I heard a door slam, so I went out my front door and climbed the two steps to my driveway. I saw and heard nothing, so instead of taking the stairs back down to my doorway, I missed one and fell headlong onto the concrete porch. I paused for a moment, moaning from the pain, then I pulled myself to a sitting position, took inventory and found nothing broken. I pulled myself up by the door jam and limped shamefully into the house.
In retrospect, I realized my head had narrowly missed a shovel, I had been somehow protected, not even hardly sore the next day. Although two days later, I see that I didn’t help any of my already arthritic joints, but I felt protected from so much worse.
It reminded me of an incident that took place when I was pregnant with my first child. I worked for County Bank in Santa Cruz in the control department where I posted the General Ledger, before the computers came on the scene. The staff lunchroom was across the hallway from our large office. While eating our sandwiches, we were listening to a radio, which was sitting on a window sill on the outer window that looked out on the lower story of the bank roof.
I accidentally brushed against the radio and it fell out of the window onto the roof. There were no screens on the window and in my lack of fear I just straddled the window to reach down and pick it up. I was young and agile even if I was 4 months pregnant. Well I soon found it was a bit further to reach than I thought, so I threw my other leg over the window and stepped with both feet together on what I thought was the roof.
As it turned out, it was a skylight painted over… a brittle glass pane that cracked and let me fall straight through. I however hung up on the sills on either side of the window pane and as I looked down and saw people on the floor below, some 20 feet down, I almost passed out. It could have ended so differently, but me and my first baby were meant to live and I was pulled to safety. Later contemplation on this and many other close calls for myself and my family cause me to continue in my faith in God and knowledge that He does put us in the charge of angels, most times in spite of our innocence, foolishness and fearlessness. Most times I only have the fear later, but find that angels have indeed interceded on my behalf or on one of my family’s behalf. I pray daily for my family, and am constantly asking God to watch over them.
One quick example, has to do with my son-in-law Kenny, who but for the grace of God left the Pentagon before 9-11-01. He was not in the room he would have been in that fateful day because of a decision he and my daughter made. Because of that decision, their three children have a father today.
All my kids have had some close calls, each I am keenly aware of ways in which a worse outcome was thwarted. Each will find their way into one of my future stories, no doubt.
I don’t understand why bad things happen to some people, and why they don’t to others. That is something we will have to wait to find out some day. All I know is that God has been gracious to me, has listened and answered my prayers for protection and traveling mercies. My faith grows with each day, but I realize that I am not indestructible, my day will come to die but although I fear the actual process, I trust that the timing will be perfect in God’s plan for my family. We are taught to come to God like little children, trusting and with wonder.
If I have a wish it is that my family, each in their own way find that personal peace that passes human understanding to see them through their days.
