Have angels ever entered your life? How do you know? Who are they?
As I moved
through Advent scripture filled with angelic appearances, recent events have
prompted me to ponder angels. Though I have
difficulty envisioning the angels of scripture, I do think they exist.
The angel said:
“Joseph, son of David, have no fear about
taking Mary as your wife ….” Mt 1:20
“Do not be frightened Zechariah; your prayer
has been heard …. Joy and gladness will
be yours, ….” Lk 1:13-14
“Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” Lk 1:28
“Do not fear, Mary. You have found favor with God. You shall conceive and bear a son and give
him the name Jesus.” Lk 1:30-31
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Lk 1:35
“You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you – tidings
of great joy to be shared by the whole people.” Lk 2:10
As I
understand, angels generally appear to announce to folks to step-up into life
rather than back down or away from life.
Despite fears, they encourage people to rise against sometimes unfathomable
odds to inspire goodness, hope in others.
Angels add their light to the sum of God’s light. They remind us, it is the collection of the
days’ little events; crystal blue skies with a warm gentle breeze, a delicious
meal with a good friend, a child’s wonder scattering dandelion seeds for the
first time, a moment where one’s work made a positive difference; their sum is
far greater than any grand event, for grand events are built upon such as
these. Angels disseminate joy!
Joy … gladness not based upon circumstance
Kelly
married my nephew, Tylan, on January 26, 2019.
They recently celebrated their first anniversary. Kelly introduced her seven-year-old daughter,
Emma, into their marriage creating a family of three and inheriting an extended
bunch of nearly thirty. Because she has
family living in the St. Louis area, we’ve shared stories and laughter over
evening BBQ.
My parents
along with my sisters and their families gathered in Wichita, KS, as we often
do, in gratitude to celebrate Christmas.
This year, we welcomed a great grandchild and a new bride-to-be into the
family. Unexpected, Kelly, now battling
cervical cancer, flew in from Florida.
Her body,
compromised for dramatic weight loss, Kelly sported a stylish bandana where
long sandy hair once grew. We circled as
a family for a game of white elephant, where either prank or practical gifts
are chosen and stolen from one another in a light-hearted manner. Despite fatigue, Kelly fired clever humor,
sometimes satirical to others stealing her selection only for her to acquire
another. All thirty laughed and carried
on. Kelly proved a significant source to
spawn it all.
Sensitive
to Kelly, having journeyed with my wife through extensive cancer treatments, I
wondered what cyclone of fears and questions must be pulsing through this young
mother’s mind. What and where were
future treatments going to be as she’d been denied experimental trials due to Marfan’s
Syndrome? How was her new husband’s and
her daughter’s relationship going to develop, given such a short time? Traces found in her lungs and liver; where and
how fast was cancer metastasizing next? Who
will my daughter become? Whose lives
will she touch? How will bills get paid;
medical, college loans, house payments?
Yet, for four days, discreetly
sneaking away for naps, facing nausea and pain, Kelly joined family for meals,
activities, socializing, everything right along with Emma! She missed nothing. In her struggles, Kelly brought an enduring
gift; to prize our time together!
Less than a
week later, we all gathered again in Houston for my nephew Zach and Michelle’s
wedding. Two weeks shy of one year,
Kelly joyfully reminisced her own wedding. She was aware of the family’s
concerns for her failing health as she received an “In this family, no one fights alone” t-shirt with
everyone’s signature scribbled upon it.
And yet, she gracefully, humorously deflected attention to focus on Zach
and Michelle. Spirited, Kelly danced both
literally and figuratively. She rested
when needed. Emma danced for joy!
In recent
years, I received piano lessons from Linda, a talented pianist, music
therapist, and friend. She served many
retirement residents and arranged music for her faith community. Her ability to recall music and play the
piano became arduous. Alzheimer’s
aggressively invaded. No longer able to
provide music to others, Linda’s skill for music reduced to fingering strings
on her guitar.
I’m sure
many would call the following a coincidence.
On a bright Monday afternoon, a card Linda sent arrived for my
wife. After reading it, my wife, with an
affectionate smile, handed it to me.
I imagined
Linda’s tremored hand writing wriggled script across the humorous print. “Now my
memory ain’t what it use to be even my spelling is shot, but am going to
remember you, my friend, all day on Mondays (day my wife received
chemotherapies). I’ve Declared Mondays “Terri
DAY.” You will be on My Mind, love and
prayers, Thoughts especially on Mondays.
I promise no mushy stuff. just
Something to make you laugh! Laughter (and) my music has been my best medicine
as I face memory loss. So on Mondays you
will get something to make you laugh.”
Even with
Alzheimer’s, Linda remains a dedicated therapist!
Through two months, I’ve been mentoring Ray (name changed) and
developing his computer literacy, teaching him how to use a cell phone; though
the physical phone, including my own, was not allowed in the prison. Living in confinement for nearly three
decades, makes learning technology discouraging. Yet, Ray has a patient eagerness to
learn. Seems all the residents within
the Transition Center (Dept. of Corrections facility for phase 1,2,3 parolees)
recognize Ray for his enthusiasm often exchanging a fist pump or brother
embrace. Ray emphasizes peace to
residents as he attempts to become more familiar with his Islamic faith.
A few days
ago, Ray presented a medical record he wanted me to read. What many didn’t know; depression can
overwhelm him. He lacks half his teeth
on one side of his upper jaw and the opposite half on his lower jaw due to
severe beatings from his mother. I
scanned numerous documented instances where his mother beat him as a child so
severely, so often, he entered the emergency room with broken bones, trauma,
and concussions. Many required extended
stays. Thus far, Ray’s completed 27
years in prison for taking the life of another while under the influence of
narcotics. As a result, Ray suffers from
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
When asked
about his mother, he tears up as he says he loves her.
“She’s
still living,” he tells me. “I want to
see her.”
He can’t seem to reconcile why she
beat him. She never visits. He never knew his dad.
“Keep doing
what you’re doing,” I advised.
“What’s
that?” he asked.
“Lifting
the souls of the guys in here.”
Ray smiled.
“I will.”
Joan, a close friend and avid runner with a contagious sense
of humor and vitality, was waylaid to discover ALS waged war on her body. Throughout her ordeals, her husband, Tom,
shared stories of Joan’s exhaustion, rapid muscle decline; ability to swallow,
speak, run. At one point, while sitting
for her young niece, Joan intentionally decided to choose joy.
Her
children printed “I Choose Joy!”
wristbands by the thousands. Despite
deteriorating strength, Joan delivered numerous presentations on behalf of the
Muscular Dystrophy Association to heighten awareness that MDA’s research
extended beyond Jerry’s Kids to adults.
Among many events, Joan led from her wheelchair annual ALS fundraising
walks in Forest Park where she recalled racing 5K’s.
Sensitive
to drawing attention to herself, Joan blushed and spoke synthetically via an I-pad
mike at ALS fundraisers organized by her children. She always lifted, inspired her
audience. Presently, Joan runs and
laughs with the Father. Her children,
grandchildren, friends have formed the Suke Strong Foundation to assist those
struggling with ALS, most recently, a 31-year old mother caring for her
newborn.
The
foundation thrives on Joan’s spirit and joy!
These individuals and so many others you know have stepped
up into life to inspire goodness, hope in others. They share divine gifts that overwhelm, but can’t
be explained.
Joy … gladness not based on circumstance.
My wish for you … joy!
PS. Thought readers
might enjoy this. “Angels Among Us” performed by Alabama
No comments:
Post a Comment