Angels Among Us

Do you believe in angels?  I sure do!  This past week has been a great eye opener to me that our loving Heavenly Father really does know who I am and He sends "angels" to me when I need them the most.  I'm not talking about "heavenly apparitions", I'm talking about those loving friends and family that just "happen" to show up at the right place at the exact minute you need the love and support.  Those people who are willing to drop everything to help out in time of need.

You see, my father-in-law had flooding in his basement, which he discovered on July 4th.  This may not mean anything to those of you outside the USA, but here in the states it's a HUGE holiday.  Trying to round up help on this day is near impossible. 

He called us and we were able to drop everything and drive over to his home and assess the situation.  When we got there, we discovered the entire basement was flooded with about two inches of water.  It was as if a spring had sprung right through his house.  Luckily, the water was clear water and not sewage muck and yuck.  That was blessing #1.

Blessing #2 came when the neighbor had just returned early from a camping trip and ran over to see how he could help.  #3 came later that night when we were able to contact several people to come help us remove all the carpets from the basement.  Up until this moment, my father-in-law and I had been sucking out the water from the carpets to make them lighter to remove.  This was super hard work cuz we had to basically do the work 2-3 times.  Because we were blessed with strong "man-power", the carpets were quickly removed and our job became less burdensome.

Blessing #4 came the next day.  When we first arrived on the scene, we had discovered that more water had come into the home.  I needed to make an emergency trip home, and when I got into my van to return to my father-in-laws home, my sweet angel sister drove up to my home just as I was pulling out of my driveway.  She then offered to take my children for the remainder of the day.  What can I say?  Angels really do walk the earth!!   

Blessing #5 was when we called the "sewer guy" who came and pumped out several truck loads of clean water.  He then said to us, "ya know, my daddy always told me that you're not gonna get rich off of one guy.  I can sit here a pump your water all day and waste your money, but I don't want to do that.  What you need to do is get a pump down there that can take this water out to the fields.  When the "clean" water is down, then I can come here and do some real good."  WOW!  Who else but an angel from heaven would give us the opportunity to look at the situation in a different light?

That is what happened.  We were able to sit back and regroup.  We then remembered that a dear friend had access to a larger pump.  He was able to come set up the pump where it needed to be and get the water away from the house.  (The horses in the corral are really loving having fresh cold water to drink and play in!)  Because he set the pump up, the basement remained dry.  BOOM!  Blessing #6 just occurred!

Blessing #7 came when the insurance was called and said they will cover all of the repairs after the deductible has been met.  This is a MAJOR blessing, because there is a ton of work that needs to be done.  Not only will they cover the repairs, they set up the appointment with the restoration company to come and do the work!  This will save us from having to do many back-breaking hours of labor ourselves!

Even though this has been a very trying situation, I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending the angels when we needed them.  I am reminded of the song "Angels Among Us".  The words go something like:

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 a light of love.

I sang this song for the rest of the day.  It helped to make my "burden" lighter.  It also was a testimony to my heart that angels do walk the earth today.  They are the smile of a stranger that makes you feel better.  A compliment given to someone who is frazzled to their core that helps them see that not everything is bad.  It is a kind word from a neighbor.  It is in the strong hands and backs from those men and women who are willing to lend a hand no matter the day or hour.  Angels are the comforting touch that makes all your cares and sadness melt away.

I could go on and on.  I know that each and every one of you have your own "angel" story.  My most recent one is this experience.  I will treasure my "angels" and thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to recognize them as His love for me.

I hope you can take just a few minutes out of your busy life to listen to the song from Alabama "Angels Among Us"

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Angels Among Us

Alabama

I was walkin' home from school
On a cold winter day,
Took a short cut through the woods
And I lost my way.
It was gettin' late, and I was scared and alone.
Then a kind old man took my hand, and led me home.
Mama couldn't see him,
But he was standing there,
And I knew in my heart
He was the answer to my prayer.

Oh, 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 a light of love.

When life held troubled times
And had me down on my knees
There's always been someone
To come along and comfort me
A kind word from a stranger
To lend a helping hand
A phone call from a friend
Just to say I understand
Now ain't it kind of funny
At the dark end of the road
Someone light the way with just a single ray of hope.

Oh, 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 a light of love.

They wear so many faces,         
Show up in the strangest places
And grace us with their mercies in our time of need.

Oh, 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 a light of love.

To guide us with a light of love

Songwriters: Don Goodman / Becky Hobbs 

Angels Among Us lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

I thank all the angels that have been a part of my life and I hope I can be blessed to recognize all the angels that will come into my life in the future.  I also hope that Heavenly Father can use me as an angel in someone else's life.  Now, go out and thank your "angel" today, then be the "angel" for someone else.