I Believe In Angels....Well, At Least The Earthly Kind
My father had come and gone from our home a number of times before leaving for good.
My poor mother endured much, aside from being left alone to manage the 4 or 5 of us that were still home, she never learned how to drive and hadn't worked. Our father left us with a wagon, but not any wagon. It was some kind of specialized Chrysler, big engine, dual carburetors, 10 miles to the gallon. Nobody could work on it but him and some specialized guy 30 miles away.
My 3rd sister was doing driving at the time. Can you imagine, a 16 year old, in charge of all the family driving, given a car that could beat every single car it came up against? According to her, she knows this to be true.
The fact that he left us and opted not to support us in any tangible way didn't help that situation. I remember a trip to see my grandmother in Palm Springs. It got late and my sister went to turn the lights on but, lo and behold, the fancy electrical system that operated the "tilt up" panels that covered the headlights would not work. The lights were on but they were covered. The desert road to Palm Springs is not known for being well lit, especially back in the 70's. We drove 10 miles an hour and tried to safely pull off the road whenever traffic approached.
We eventually got there but I remember the disheartening feeling we all got everytime something like this went wrong. When you are living on the edge, one car repair can be the thing that makes or breaks you. Thankfully, when things got really bad, someone would step up and help out. Four bags of groceries would show up or a friend of a friend would repair the car at cost, etc. Angels showed up.
Thank goodness for Angels.
Do you have an Angel story?
My poor mother endured much, aside from being left alone to manage the 4 or 5 of us that were still home, she never learned how to drive and hadn't worked. Our father left us with a wagon, but not any wagon. It was some kind of specialized Chrysler, big engine, dual carburetors, 10 miles to the gallon. Nobody could work on it but him and some specialized guy 30 miles away.
My 3rd sister was doing driving at the time. Can you imagine, a 16 year old, in charge of all the family driving, given a car that could beat every single car it came up against? According to her, she knows this to be true.
The fact that he left us and opted not to support us in any tangible way didn't help that situation. I remember a trip to see my grandmother in Palm Springs. It got late and my sister went to turn the lights on but, lo and behold, the fancy electrical system that operated the "tilt up" panels that covered the headlights would not work. The lights were on but they were covered. The desert road to Palm Springs is not known for being well lit, especially back in the 70's. We drove 10 miles an hour and tried to safely pull off the road whenever traffic approached.
We eventually got there but I remember the disheartening feeling we all got everytime something like this went wrong. When you are living on the edge, one car repair can be the thing that makes or breaks you. Thankfully, when things got really bad, someone would step up and help out. Four bags of groceries would show up or a friend of a friend would repair the car at cost, etc. Angels showed up.
Thank goodness for Angels.
Do you have an Angel story?
"living on the edge" I understand that more than you'll ever know!
ReplyDeleteI need an Angel to show up.
♥♥♥
DeleteCall it angel, call it compassion, call it being human, whatever, accept it and sprinkle it everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea
Deletethese days, many of us are one illness away from certain disaster.
ReplyDeletemy fave charity is philabundance (www.philabundance.org); they help people with food. I contribute $$$ for that purpose.
A worthy charity!
DeleteAngels are few and far between in my experience. That's why they are so special when they show up. I've had a couple of nurses in my life who swooped in when I needed them most and helped me with their kindness and expertise. I'll never forget them.
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I ran out of gas on a rural road in Ontario. We were scared and didn’t know what to do though we figured we were safer if we stayed together.
ReplyDeleteA man driving by stopped. He looked like a construction worker. He had a gas can with gas and gave us enough to get to a gas station which he directed us to..
We said that day and have thought since, sometimes angels wear work boots and carry gas cans.
So many good people in the world. Thank goodness for their love and compassion!
ReplyDeleteI have no angel stories but it's so good to hear that people step up when we need them most.
ReplyDeleteI have an angel story of today. When I woke this morning, my basement had flooded again in this wretched, unseasonable and constant rain for 24 hours. The ground was too frozen to absorb it all. The last thing one needs at 6:30 in the morning. All that and the rest of the house in a bit of chaos. I can only deal with one bit of chaos at a time gracefully. When I went to put the cart out for trash pick-up, I noted a plate by my door with some cookie-candy things all wrapped neatly so they wouldn't be wet. A surprise from my neighbor. I don't need candy or cookies (there is a dif between want and need!) but to see something thoughtful after such a grim start to the day was an angel moment for me.
ReplyDelete