Angels Are Among Us

I have always loved the concept of guardian angels. It’s a subject close to my heart. The idea that an invisible or visible entity is always around me is exciting. 

When I share this idea with people, those who agree light up like I’m speaking their language, but those who disagree shout, “No comprende?” and look at me like I’ve escaped from the loony bin. They just don’t understand that angels are among us.  

One such naysayer is a friend, I’ll call 'Martino.' Martino always finds time to shoot down everything I say about “unearthly things” such as guardian angels. That is, until he found himself in the middle of a deserted airport at 2:00 a.m. 

After a busy day, packing, preparing, and scheduling people on the other side, he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport for his flight to London. 

It was the usual mayhem; cars pulling up to the curb, police officers motioning for them to move, luggage, trolleys, hugs, kisses, tears, etc. 

It took him forever to go from one check point to another, like he was “crossing enemy lines,” he recalled. He had an unopened bottle of water which was immediately taken from him and destroyed like it was a bomb. 

He and fellow travelers were all being herded from one queue to another until they got to the gate. 

Kicking himself for not drinking the bottle water before it was confiscated, his throat was beginning to get dry as he was rapidly becoming dehydrated. 

If he left the queue to get water, he would lose his place and he had already been waiting two hours. 

As he made his way to the gate, he began to feel as though he was walking across the desert with no oasis in sight. 

All the shops had closed by now, which meant that water was out of the question. To add insult to injury, the flight was delayed. 

Sitting in a row of seats by himself, he noticed a bottle of water rolling right towards him, stopping at his feet. 

He looked around to see who was going to claim it. After ten minutes, no one came. 

He opened the bottle and drank it until it all had slid down his throat. Never before had he tasted water so sweet. 

He sat there and thought about this incident. Asking himself, “Who knew I was thirsty? Was someone following me? Are they always following me?”

Even after he finished the water, he looked around for the rightful owner. He would have paid double, even triple for that water, but no one was looking for it.

When Martino first told me this story, I avoided saying, “See, I told you angels existed.” I just let him come to the realization himself. 

After all, if angels didn’t exist, there would be no angel food cake, angelfish or you reading this. 

We are all part of the angel network. We are here to uplift each other in times of trouble and joy. 

If any place needs angels, it sure is the airport. Martino is now a proud member of the “I Believe In Angels” club. Though his machismo would never let him admit it, we all know the truth now. 

Have you had encounters with angels?