Angels

Today is Day 1 of the A-Z Challenge, a huge blog challenge that I have participated in for the past few years. I have no set "theme" this year. My only goal is to keep it positive. I am going to try to write about things that make me happy, things I love, things I have accomplished or seen, music I have discovered, people I have met. I hope to introduce you to new things, connect with you, and learn from you!

I'll admit it: I put too much thought into this post, at first. I wrote down all my possible topics and even e-mailed a few friends, asking their opinion on which topic they would most like to read. Everyone gave me a different answer, so I was back at step 1. And then I decided to just start writing. Whichever topic felt most "right" would end up coming out. That is the approach I will take for the rest of this challenge. Just write, and it will be right. (Cheesy, huh?)

When I was a little girl, I loved watching Touched By An Angel. I thought the stories were amazing, and they always made me FEEL something. Comfort, maybe.

For as long as I can remember, I have believed in angels. It could be my Catholic upbringing, or it could just be part of who I am. All I know is, I believe in angels. I believe each of us are watched over by angels. I believe I have a guardian angel who has comforted me in times of distress and saved me in moments of danger. When my anxiety was really bad in college, there were many nights when I stayed up crying, praying for comfort. And then I would feel- literally feel- a hug. It brought me peace when I needed it the most.

I believe that angels also speak to us through other humans. Take, for example, the time I did my 1/2 marathon. I believe several "angels" helped me through that race. There was a point where I didn't' think I was going to make it, and a little girl sporting a Taylor Swift t-shirt handed me water and told me to keep going. And then again, when I could see the finish line but wanted to quit, a fellow walker slowed down so we could walk together. When I told her I was going to run the rest of the way, she said she was going to was going to walk. I ran ahead, and heard her cheering for me behind me. When I crossed the finish line, I looked behind me and never saw her again. That is probably coincidence, but she was an angel to me.

There are other examples- like when my brother was nearly killed in a car accident after having a seizure, survived, even though the police and bystanders said there was no way he should be alive. He walked away with no injuries. Or how, whenever my mom can't find something, she prays to Tony, a student in her class who was killed by a drunk driver quite a few years ago, and she suddenly finds her item.

I can't explain to you why tragedies still happen, even though I believe in angels. "Why didn't angels save ____". Those are things none of us can answer, and nothing I say can justify those losses. All I can say is that life, and death, are explainable. It is not up to us to understand it or to fix it. We just have to be present, and be aware.

I do not know if my guardian angel is someone I know who passed away. At times I feel my grandma's presence, other times I feel Laurence. Or my angel could be someone I have never met. But I know I have one.

The next time something extraordinary happens to you, take some time to think about it, focus on it. Remember the words exchanged, remember who was there. You may discover something bigger.

There are a lot of songs about angels, but this one is probably my favorite. Enjoy.