“Don’t Stop Looking for Angels”

September 13, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Don’t Stop Looking for Angels”

When was the last time you saw an angel?  No, I don’t mean a picture of one in a children’s bible or on a Valentine’s Day card.  A real angel.    For most people the answer to this question is “never”.   I’ll admit it – I’ve never seen an angel with wings or multiple faces or a bright shiny aura.  But I have indeed seen angels and I know for a fact that their influence in our lives is indelible.

I’ve been thinking about the earthly presence of angels quite a bit lately.  Over the summer I started reading Debbie Macomber’s book “God’s Guest List; Welcoming Those Who Influence Our Lives”.  This modest book brings the reader to really think about those people who have made a difference in our lives.  People we know well, people we only meet for a brief moment, those who live among us, and those who have passed on.  Macomber describes these people as the ones that God has put on the guest list of the dinner party that is your life.  She challenges the reader to develop a list of thirty people who are on that guest list.  At first, I had some difficulty coming up with more than six or seven names but, as the summer went along (and I kept renewing the book from the library), I was able to see the influence of others that I had not initially considered.

We often overlook the presence of these angels in our lives.  Those people who have made permanent impacts on who we are and what we do.  It is no fluke that their paths have crossed with ours.  That’s the job of an angel.  Macomber writes in her summary that “often we don’t recognize the deep impact others have had and how God has used them to shape us into who we are.  By pausing to recognize these influences, we begin to grasp how God’s guest list has impacted our lives.  We begin to see the seeds of influence that have molded our values and character.”

We should never stop looking for the angels in our lives.

A colleague shared a story with me today about an encounter with an angel.  I’m not sure she even realized she had an angel in her presence but I knew immediately as she spoke about her experience.  She went to a new church on Sunday – one that was close to home, where she might see some familiar faces, and where the mass would not likely be much different from her usual setting.  But the presence of the priest at that church changed everything about her church experience that day.  His words about the readings on forgiveness brought meaning to her that she had never received before despite hearing the same readings many times over in the past.  He spoke directly to her as if none of the other people were in the room.  He impacted her life in a permanent way that created a deep and profound change to the way that she had been looking at a stressful and difficult situation.   He was the angel that she needed at this time.  He was the angel she almost didn’t recognize.

I had my own encounter with angels this week when the right rear tire of my car blew out while I was driving 55mph on the interstate during commuter traffic coming home from work.  I heard the sound of the blow out and quickly felt the tire flatten (and smelled the burning rubber!).  Pulling to the side of the highway, I started to run the situation through my mind. How would I meet the kids at the bus?  My roadside assistance expired last week – how will I get the tire changed?  Am I far enough off the road that I will be safe from traffic?

But I can honestly say that I was not stressed about the situation at any time.  How is that possible given the fact that I am stressed and anxious about pretty much everything in my life?

As I parked the car on the side of the road, I remember looking up and saying aloud “Lord, help me”.  I lowered my eyes and saw a car backing down the shoulder of the road toward me.  Before I could get out of the car to check the tire, a young man in his 20’s wearing an auto mechanic’s uniform came to my car and asked if he could help.   He was able to find and release the jack and spare tire, then began the process of removing my flat tire.  As soon as he ran into a problem (the flat tire would not come off the car), a DOT Help Truck pulled behind my car.  The driver had started his help patrol only 5 minutes before.  He was able to finish the job of changing out the tire and getting me on the way to the Tire Center.

There is no explanation for the almost instant appearance of these two men other than the presence of angels.  I didn’t get lucky and happen to get a flat tire in just the right place.  I was given a gift.

When my daughter was in Kindergarten, her entire school sang a song together at the Christmas Concert with a beautiful slideshow in the background.  I think I cried through the whole song because the combination of the pictures and music were so touching.  Every time I hear that song, I’m reminded to pay attention to those special people around us.  The ones who are sent to us and who we need to look for and recognize.

Don’t stop looking for angels.

 “I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us from somewhere up above.  They come to you and me in our darkest hours.  To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.  To guide us with the light of love.  Ain’t it kind of funny that at the dark end of the road.  Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope.  They wear so many faces; show up in the strangest places.  To grace us with their mercy, in our time of need.” – Alabama (1993)

Hope you enjoyed the read.

“Always have a Co-Pilot”

September 5, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Always have a Co-Pilot”

Today is Labor Day and that means a picnic at the Barrow House for the family (my sister insists that we always host an event on Federal Holidays – LOL!)  In order to put together a dinner for the masses, however, I had to take a trip to the grocery store.  Not something I enjoy doing on a Federal Holiday.  Just too many people there with long checkout lines.  But, nonetheless, I had to get that shopping done so on I went.

I was only in the store just a few minutes when I noticed something I had never seen at the market before.  A man was shopping with a list on his ipad!  I always shop with a list too but mine is on a piece of scrap paper attached to a clipboard.  His was beautifully arranged by aisle with boxes to check off when items were safely placed into the cart.  And then he told me the best part of the ipad list – if his wife thinks of another item that needs to be picked up, she can log on to the list from home and add it while he is at the store.  How cool is that?

After getting all my groceries bagged up and deposited in the back of my car, I headed for home.  I live in a town that has the great distinction of being the home of the roundabouts.  If you aren’t familiar with roundabouts let me tell you about them.  Roundabout is a British word that describes a junction of two or more roads where traffic moves in one direction around a central island (Thanks Wikipedia for help with that definition).  Roundabouts are supposed to be safer for automobiles and pedestrians and most statistics do show that.  But, if you’ve ever driven through a roundabout, you may not think it’s the safest thing.  We got our first roundabout a few years ago and it took some time to get used to driving through it safely.  Since that first roundabout we have added many more in our town.  In fact, between my home and the grocery store, I have to drive through three roundabouts if I go one route and four if I go the other.  And there are more being built as I type.

Today, as I approached the second of the roundabouts on the trip home, I had to wait to enter as a car was making its way around the circle.  The driver appeared to be confused about where to go to access the interstate.  A woman in the passenger seat was straining to point out signs indicating the correct lane and exit.  She was using greatly exaggerated hand gestures to show the driver the way to go. (And, I must admit, she looked a mite nervous herself!).  Fortunately, the car and its passengers made it safely through the roundabout and were soon on their way to easier roads.

Once home I had many bags of groceries to unload, food to prepare, and a house to clean.  Despite the need to get these tasks done before my guests arrived, I had an important professional obligation to meet.  I went to my computer and wrote an email to a first year teacher at my school (oh, I did put away the frozen food first – priorities!).  She is very excited about her new job and I know she’ll do a fabulous job in the classroom but she’s really feeling pressure to prepare perfect lesson plans and perform like a veteran teacher on her first day of school.  This pressure is mostly self-imposed and is quickly wearing her out.  I decided to share some wisdom earned through my own attempts to be “perfect” in the classroom over the years.  I felt she needed to know that she was not alone in her efforts but that there are also other ways to approach a brand new teaching position.  I worded my email carefully to let her know that I would be happy to serve as a mentor for her if she chose.  She emailed me back a few hours later and was very appreciative for the advice.  I’m hoping the encouragement will be helpful to her.

So, what does all this have to do with my advice for today?  Always have a co-pilot.  Don’t trust your memory to retain all the items that you need to purchase at the store.  Trust me when I tell you that you will always forget something (and it will probably be the bread, milk, or eggs!).  Use a list – use an awesome list that others can update while you are at the store!  Don’t try to navigate a roundabout in an unfamiliar town.  You need a partner who can read the signs and point out the right paths.  Don’t try to go it alone at a new job.  Find a colleague who will hold your hand (figuratively, not physically) and keep you going straight.  It is important.  Really important.

Everyone needs a co-pilot.  We can try to go it alone but we will never have the success that a good co-pilot can provide.  Get yourself one.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

(Today’s installment brought to you through the inspiration of my friend, Mark.  Eventually all my friends will probably make it into my blog somewhere!)