Angels Unaware

Thank you all for your kind comments on last week’s blog.  I promised you this week a “non-maudlin” post. My sister looked up the word, “maudlin”, and took great delight in reminding me that it describes a kind of “drunken self-pity”. That’s not exactly what MY dictionary said, but I’ll do my best to cheer up anyway. 

Somewhere in one of our “memory boxes” in the garage, I believe we still have a cassette tape (remember those?) labelled “Angles”.

We laughed about the person who couldn’t spell “Angels”, but the laughing always turned to awe when we listened to it. And we listened to it often.

Apparently, it was taped when 4 or 5 missionary men got together to pray.  This particular time, they were especially low, as missionaries sometimes get when there’s no visible harvest.

Finally they decided, after much prayer, that perhaps singing would lift their spirits.  Someone pushed ‘record’ on the player, and they began to sing. Later, they discovered that what was recorded wasn’t “Angles”, but something much, much more.

While you could definitely hear the men singing, it was the CHOIR of Angelic voices in the background that absolutely astounded everyone!  No matter how many times you said, “Oh it was just some mechanical glitch” or such, there was no mistaking that it was ANGELIC.  Perfect harmony, perfect peace.

I’m going to go search for that tape, and if I find it, I’ll make a digital copy of it. I think it would still prove to be a miraculous reminder that God does show up in the most mysterious ways.

Another one of those unexplainable events was when we discovered that our boy Trevor, had leukaemia.  We were in Alaska, headed home to Japan when the news came.  He had been exhibiting flu-like symptoms, and we thought we better get him checked out before we got on the airplane. 

When the doctors told us the terrible news, we cried, we prayed, and then we started making plans to turn around and head back to “the lower 48” as soon as possible. Tony called his Dad in California and left a message on the answering machine.

Dad had been visiting with Mom in the hospital, where she was recovering (rather miraculously) from a heart attack followed by septic shock and a four-month coma. When Dad got back to the house, he called Mom to say goodnight. While they were talking, he noticed the message.  “Oh, here’s a message from Tony …. let’s listen together.”

“Dad, we’re coming back to California, Trevor’s got leukaemia.”

Naturally, they were both shocked to the core, and heartsick that they were unable to call us back. Dad offered to come back to the hospital, but it was late and Mom said no, they would see each other early the next morning. 

After she hung up the phone, the reality set in and she pulled the sheet over her face and started to sob.  Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her. There stood a lady with snow white hair who said sweetly, “Are we having a bad moment?”  

Mom couldn’t speak, but the lady just reached out and took her hand. Mom kept crying and then drifted off to sleep. Several times in the night, she woke up and was relieved to see the lady still standing there, still smiling, still holding her hand.

In the morning, the nurse came in, opened the blinds, and greeted Mom with a smile. Mom looked around the room, then said, “Oh, could you be sure and thank that sweet lady with the white hair who held my hand all night?”

The nurse paused, frowned slightly and ….. you guessed it, “What woman? We have no one here of that description, and I’ve been right outside your door all night.”

Yes, I’m no theologian, but I believe in Angles.  And Angels too.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Till next time, 

Marsha