Time to think...

So there he was, the day of the happenings- smitten by a stroke...nauseated to the point of painful misery... exploding headache starting to increase... tests being done and undergoing an Echo gram.

Echo gram

 When the young man finished his job and left with his equipment, I helped Terry get settled and pulled the sheet up under his chin in hopes he could rest and get some relief from his pain.  It was now full daylight outdoors and at a certain moment, the sunlight pored through the slatted blind and the curtain edge, onto the bed.  His white tousled hair was as white as the pillowcases and sheet.  A brilliant sheen.

The streams of light looked heavenly.

That set my mind to thinking about angels as I sat quietly watching him and praying for him.  I thought about my Mother and figured she was probably close by.  She died years ago but I always felt to be quiet, very still, when I thought of her & sensed she was near.  Perhaps checking on things?

I thought about Terry's Patriarchal blessing and how it says....

Dear brother, there have stood in thy presence those beyond the veil, whom you have not been aware of their presence.  They pray and intercede with the Lord in thy behalf.

That evening as I prepared to leave him in the care of nurses, knowing that I had to get some rest, I continued to think about angels and I thought of a real old song.  some sort of a children's lullaby sung by a Maryann Mendenhall Chorale about angels surrounding a child's bed.  describing what each angel guarded over.  so beautiful.  I could remember the tune and just some of the lyrics.  Later I tried to find in on the Internet but no luck.

I'm not one that believes that I have a guardian angel or anyone does for that matter.  Maybe some do and I'm ignorant of it.  I had a Catholic neighbor in Anchorage and she had St. Christopher as her Patron Saint.  She believed that deceased person was her guardian angel and would pray for help from him.  She had a medal that hung in her car from the mirror and a small statue.  One day the news came out with a story from the Vatican that, oops, St. Christopher never existed or wasn't venerated.  He was the most well known and favored of the Patron Saints.  I felt sad for her and told her so.  She said she didn't care what the Vatican said that she still believed in St. Christopher.  Wonder how all of that worked out and if he is a Patron Saint again?

I told her I was glad for the doctrine of the Holy Ghost.  Isn't that the best guardian angel? 

Arriving home I read an old 1988 article about guardian angels 

I remember reading and learning from this Ensign article. As I reread it, I can see those thoughts have stayed with me and influenced my thinking to this day.  I remember being fascinated when President Harold B. Lee shared that airplane incident and was glad it was in the article.

 Here are just a few quotes from the above article.  I hope you take time to read it and enjoy it.

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Who are these angels? The Lord has revealed that “there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.” (D&C 130:5.) Such personages may be spirits—who have not yet been born into mortality or have lived on the earth but who have not yet been resurrected—or beings with tangible bodies who have been either resurrected or translated. (D&C 129:1–9 gives one of the meanings of the term angels as “resurrected personages” and distinguishes between them and “spirits,” acknowledging that either may appear. Many additional scriptures illustrate that the term angels may refer both to spirits and to resurrected or translated beings.)

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President Joseph F. Smith gave us some insight about angels who minister to those on the earth:

“When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. 

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Elder John A. Widtsoe

“The common belief, however, that to every person born into the world is assigned a guardian angel to be with that person constantly, is not supported by available evidence. … An angel may be a guardian angel though he come only as assigned to give us special help. In fact, the constant presence of the Holy Spirit would seem to make such a constant, angelic companionship unnecessary.

“So, until further knowledge is obtained, we may say that angels may be sent to guard us according to our need; but we cannot say with certainty that there is a special guardian angel, to be with every person constantly.” (Improvement Era, April 1944, p. 225.)

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Elder Joseph Fielding Smith from Doctrines of Salvation

 Angels who minister in our behalf—whether seen or unseen—may include departed loved ones who are aware of our circumstances and are concerned about our welfare.

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Just as I care about my children that do not live near me and I can't see them- I still reach out to them in available ways.  I also feel that my/our deceased family members care about and check on us and watch over us.  They pray for us (remember Terry's Patriarchal blessing?).  I do that as an earthly Mother.  Isn't that a Heavenly pattern?  I think so.  If angels are necessary in our lives then they will definitely appear as needed.  A specific, all the time nearby, guardian angel?  I don't have one.  I have a friend in Florida that would debate me on that, with fervent testimony, to the point of generating enough hot-air heat to ignite laundry lint!