Traveling Angels

This morning in church, our friends Nancy and Bruce were visiting from the Mid-West. Nancy reminded me that when they were here last February we were talking about ski accidents. How ironic it was that I was in a ski accident a few weeks later. I shared a story with Nancy about my accident, that I haven't told too many people, because I didn't think they would understand. When I broke my leg that day, I was alone on the hill, as Bill had skiied on ahead.  I screamed for help and two people showed up, who happened to be ICU Nurses, who were skiing that day. When they told me that they were ICU nurses, I knew that God had sent them to me and I wondered if they were angels in human form. I later learned what at a blessing it was that they showed up. They had made a comment that I couldn't be moved. I later learned the reason why I couldn't be moved...the broken jagged bones in my leg could have sliced the major artery running along side, thus ending my life. What a blessing it was that Bill had skiied ahead of me...he may have moved me out of the way... While in the hospital, I couldn't stop thinking about the nurses who helped me on the hill. I kept asking God if they were angels. Did he intervene to prevent  something bad from happening, like paralyisis or death. I couldn't stop thinking about it and have thanked him for allowing my leg to break instead. This little story has played over again and again in my head.

Traveling Angels

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room.
Instead, the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night, the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.
After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest.
When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.
Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole source of income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel,
“How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him!” She accused, “The second family had little, but was willing to share everything…and you let the cow die!”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When I stayed in the basement of that mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and was unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.
Then last night, as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Like I said, things aren’t always what they seem.”