Friday, August 9, 2013

Angels among us...

I have been inspired today to write about angels from this post on Facebook: Priest aids accident victim

I used to read Where Angels Walk: True stories of Heavenly visitors by Joan Wester Anderson (ISBN:0-345-38338-9) to my kids when they were little because I thought it might help them feel a little more powerful in a scary situation (God says all you have to do is ask for an angel to help you) and because I believe that there are angels among us.  If you have never read this book, I highly recommend it!  I was looking for the publication date because I see on the cover it says "New York Times Bestseller" and it was 1992 - after the story below occurred - so we were not influenced at all!

My own angel story was a little more scary at the time - in fact very frightening, but it all turned out OK.   It was 1991 and Dillon was around a year old - give or take a few months - he wasn't really talking well yet but on this day he spoke perfectly in a baby sort of way.  I was in nursing school and working nights at Driscoll Children's Hospital so we would nap together in the afternoons.  On this one day, we were laying there and he said as he was looking at the foot of the bed, "I don't want to go with those men." I was confused as to where that came from, so I said, "What men?"  He said, "Those men (pointing to the air at the end of the bed)."  "What do they look like?", I said calmly.  He said, "They are all in white and they want me to go with them."  So, again, I am a believer in angels and that innocent children can often see them when we can't but I didn't want him to go with them either!  So I said, "Tell them you don't want to go with them!" And so he did, "I don't wan't to go with you," he replied in his baby voice.  We laid there a little longer in silence with him laying very still watching the end of the bed.  I asked him, "What did they say?"  "Nothing." "Are they still there?" "No, they left."

Although I was glad they left, I couldn't help worry that they may be back another day.  Honestly, I still worry every now and then but I figure if God spared him then, He must have thought twice and has something special planned for him.  I will always treasure all the time I have spent with my kids but every now and then, when I think of this, it makes me treasure Dillon's time a little more....the fact that we had time.  I can't imagine what my life would have been like without his crazy, funny, witty, neurotic self.  I love this kid (as I do all....disclaimer).  :)

My husband is a hospice nurse and he, like other hospice nurses, report that the dying often visualize something similar and often talk to those angels in the room.  They can see them very clearly even if you can't. Sometimes its not people they knew in their lifetime.  For example, there's the story of the young man who sees a boy at the end of his bed but doesn't know him.  He tells the nurse.  The nurse sees that this is a sign that the end is coming near and notifies the parents so they can come.  When they get there, she warns them of him seeing this little boy and tells them that in her experience, this is often an angel that has come to get the patient.  Mom is excited and says she'll be right back.  She comes back with a picture of a young boy and shows it to her son, "Is this the boy you see?"  He said, "yes, who is he?"  "He is your brother.  He died before you were born and we never thought it was necessary to tell you about him because it only brings sadness," she replied.  She was overjoyed to know that her sons would be together.  

OK, two more, similar but different stories: (I love these kinds of stories!)

A very old man is dying and the wife reports to the nurse that her grand-daughter that stays with them told her she was afraid to go by Grandpa's room because there were so many people in there - only she and the grand-daughter were home.  So the grandma questioned her....she said, "The room is full of people, but I don't know them."  Grandma looked in the empty room and asked if they were there now, and she said, "No, but they'll be back." The Grandma asked, "Are you scared? Are they going to hurt you?" and she said, "No, I'm not scared...they're just laughing with grandpa really loud."  :)

My father-in-law passed of a massive heart attack - first one, when he was in his 60's.  My brother-in-law, his son, passed away during a work accident that took his life immediately and unexpectedly (of course).  He was in his 30's.  My sister-in-law (the daughter and sister to the deceased) was visiting her mother-in-law (no relation to the deceased) who was dying. Her mother-in-law had never met either of these people.  She had been very sleepy and not talking but woke enough to tell my sister-in-law that her father and her brother (called them by their names) are fine and are here. 

I wonder who will come to get me....