January 2006 The Megaphone Page 8
My Angel
by Julie (Stout) Crim
Are
there really angels? Do they walk around on Earth? Do they protect us? Do they
only protect us if we believe? Oh, there must be a thousand questions we all
have on the subject of angels. I don't have any answers; however, I did have and
angelic experience ... of sorts, to share with you.
One day a few years ago, a friend and I decided to meet for lunch. It was the
Christmas season so we stopped at a gift store before dining at the restaurant
next door. Because the weather was very cold, I was in my new winter coat. The
day before I'd had my hair styled and cut. I was pleased with the results and
felt good about this, the day that was to become a forever memory.
Soon after we stepped inside the gift shop, my friend Anita went one way and I
the other. I walked along the outside aisle, browsing, looking at everything,
really ... just killing time while my friend shopped. About halfway down the
isle was a break in the shelves and a straight back chair. I didn't notice
it until I was almost in front of the man sitting in the chair.
He smiled at me and said hello. I smiled back and said hello. We said a few
words about the cold weather as I slowly moved along. Just after I passed him he
said to me, "You look especially nice today. I like the new hair
style." Of course I said thank you as I continued down the aisle. Turning
and starting back up the other side it slowly dawned on me that I didn't know
that man from Adam and how did he know my hairdo was new? Maybe he'd seen me in
the beauty shop. Maybe he'd come to pick up a wife and I hadn't noticed.
I turned around, retracing my steps but he was no longer there. There was no one
in that part of the store. Kind of funny I thought, but oh well. I forgot him
and continued my browsing until Anita was finished. We walked across the parking
lot and into the restaurant finding a table to our liking about halfway back.
Shortly after our food arrived, here came the little old man I had talked to in
the gift shop. He said, "Hello again," with a big smile, looked at my
plate and said, "You'll like that sandwich." With that, he continued
on his way to the back aisle of tables. I was sitting facing towards the
front so didn't see where he went. Anita asked me who he was and I related the
meeting with him in the gift shop. She too thought it was unusual.
When I said it was strange, the way he acted like he'd seen me before, she
laughed and said, "You don't suppose he was your guardian angel, do
you?" We laughed at the absurdity of the question as we began to eat.
But something kept nagging at me. I would brush it off as we talked of this and
that but the idea of an angel kept coming back to my mind and finally I turned
around.
I didn't see him. The restaurant was busy and most of the tables were full. I
asked Anita if she had seen where he went. She hadn't.
When we were ready to leave, I put on my coat and walked to the back aisle
looking for him. He was nowhere to be found and there was no way out except for
walking past our table. I stopped and asked a group of diners if they had seen
an older man in a suit and topcoat. They hadn't. How did he get out? Was he an
angel?
I've never seen him again. Was it all my imagination? Anita saw him. I'll never
know for sure. Maybe my imagination was too active? Maybe I dreamed the whole
thing up. But what about Anita?
Hebrews 13:2
One more small story...
I have a niece who had a strange experience when she was 4 years old. She lived
with her family out in the country close to Lapel, Indiana. In the summertime,
the corn grows so close to the roads that intersections are hard to see unless
you almost stop.
This little one was with her daddy when they came upon a very bad accident at an
intersection. They were the first ones there and they both recognized one of the
vehicles as belonging to a friend. Daddy jumped out of the car telling the
little girl to stay put and not to open the door! He had parked back a ways so
she wouldn't see anything upsetting. He knew by looking at the twisted metal
that the people could be horribly hurt or even dead.
She later told me she knew her daddy was upset and she knew their friend was in
the accident so she was afraid and began to cry. She said a beautiful lady
walked up to the car. All of a sudden she was in the car sitting beside her and
saying not to cry. The beautiful lady told her that her friend was going to be
alright and the other boy was with Jesus and he was happy. The girl stopped
crying and felt better. She tried to get out of the car to tell her daddy what
the lady had said but the doors wouldn't open. The lady stayed with her until
her daddy returned and then she just disappeared. The little girl told
her daddy what the beautiful lady had said but he didn't give it another
thought until later that day. And then . . . what was there to think? Who knows,
it could have been a make believe story, then again it could have been her
guardian angel. I wonder if she'll ever see her again?
Do you believe there are angels here on Earth? Would you share your
experience with us? Please, either write the Den or write to me, or call me.
JJ/Julie (Stout) Crim '57
Yuma, AZ