Angel Unhinged

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This Angel Story was sent by my delightful Sister Clytie. Here is the story in her own words.

When I was first married, I drove a 1972 Datsun 2000 Roadster hard-top convertible. I rarely drove with the top down, because it entailed a great deal of work to get it off and stored. One of the hinges actually had to be removed with a crowbar, although the other side was so loose, it would sometimes fall down at odd times, with a loud "BAM!"

I frequently drove to Pendleton, Oregon, to visit my husband's grandparents - a four hour trip. On one occasion I was traveling by myself through the Columbia Gorge, my little car fully loaded for the weekend trip. I was tired, and the trip was long and boring, with no stereo or radio to divert my attention...

Suddenly, a loud "BAM!"

I woke up, realizing I had drifted off to sleep and was swiftly heading toward a very steep embankment, a vertical rock wall in front of me! I was shocked awake and shakily headed my little car back to the highway. I took the next exit and sat for a while.

Only after I had calmed down did I think to fix the hinge that woke me up. But it was already hitched!!! Astonished I looked at the other hinge - the one I needed a crowbar to undo, and there it was, hanging down ... undone. I had to use all of my force to push it closed again!

How did this happen?   I can only imagine an angel saw me falling asleep and flicked the hinge with an agitated finger to wake me up. I don't have any other explanation. In the entire time we owned the car the hinge on that side, only fell down that one time.

I, for one, am deeply grateful to God for His protection of my sister as she drove that lonely road. I think about what my life would be without Clytie in it, and I am bereft. There is something so wonderful and beautiful about the sweet relationship between sisters.

The Columbus Day Storm of 1962

Tis' getting cloudy and windy outside, herald of a storm moving in tonight. It won't be near as bad as the storm which hit the Pacific Coast Columbus Day, October 12, 1962.

I was only four, but I remember the sky overhead bubbling like a pot of stew. The clouds were an odd yellowish green color, and the trees swished with a peculiar swinging motion.

Then Mom whisked my baby sister, little brother and me, with Zat the Canary, into the house to stand in a corner next to our big oak China buffet. 

As the wind began to howl, Mom remembers she said, "Let's pray." My little brother and I instantly dropped to our knees.  I don't remember praying, but I do remember feeling totally safe--as though we were in a place where harm could not stray.  

In the living room, we watched the wind bend the glass of the wall-sized window inward, until it shattered into a million pieces. All that glass flew past us, crashing out through the big kitchen window. Miraculously we weren't touched.   

Thinking back on my memories from my child's eye view, I strongly remember the sense we were inside a warm bubble of protection. I wasn't afraid one bit.

Then there was a lull in the storm. We crawled out the back window of the bedroom and walked to the middle of the field between our house and my grandparent's home.  The wind must have began again, but I don't remember feeling it against my face.  From my child's perspective, though I could see the wind bending the trees so their tops nearly touched the earth, we were still standing inside a bubble of still air.

We remained in the middle of the field for a long time.  Poor Mumsie was afraid to go inside my grandparents' place, because of what had just happened inside our house.  Then we watched as Grandpa's two-story barn sagged to its knees. Tons of hay blew out of the peak to hang in a giant hay ball in the sky--it looked just like a huge bristling baseball. Then the top of our house peeled back like a can of sardines and flew away.

It is amazing that everyone, including Zat the Canary came through that storm in one piece.  As a kid, standing inside that warm bubble, I loved it all.

After the storm, Mom and Grandma cooked dinner on the old wood stove.  They had found meat in the freezer and had pulled fresh vegetables from the garden.  The stew was hot and good.

In the days after the storm, I have memories of sleeping in the living room listening to the music of rain dripping into cans everywhere on the floor. We didn't get our electricity back for quite awhile as I recall.

I hope we never have another storm like that one--I think I would have more sense to be afraid now that I'm an adult!!  Thinking back, I am grateful for that wonderful sense of protection.  I am convinced God's mighty power kept us from harm that stormy day.

Funny thing, I've loved storms every since.  I suppose my heart still remembers how I felt as a child during that wild storm.

Here's a link to a great website with some extraordinary stories of survival during the great Columbus Day Storm:  Memories of the Storm of 1962.

Angels on the Highway

The evening after we returned from our 30th anniversary celebration, I received a message that our friends in Carson needed me to speak for their Mother/Daughter tea--their speaker had become ill and was not going to make it.

I almost said no, because I suddenly had the strong impression if I went, I would be in grave danger.  Yet something inside me knew I must say yes.  So I did, but not before asking everyone I knew to pray for safety on the road.

I had one day to prepare.  They wanted to know if I could bring my Mom, so I asked Mumsie if she'd like to come with me.  I was delighted when she said she could.  Time with Mumsie is to be treasured, even in heavy traffic!  Traffic in Portland was congested and slow.

I was in the middle lane, cars on both sides, when I noticed the man in the big SUV on my right was drifting into my lane.  It didn't seem real, when suddenly he swerved at me--he didn't even look to see if anyone was in his way.

Just in time, the car on my left sped up, so I was able to swerve into the left lane, while laying on the horn.

That SUV had come to within an inch of the side of my car.  Mumsie could not believe he'd come that close without actually hitting us.  Mom and I were both shaking, as the man backed off and pulled in behind us.

Only supernatural intervention could have saved us.  It was SUCH a close call.

But then less than a minute later, ANOTHER car--a big old boat of a car tried to pull in front of me into a space that wasn't there--as he did so, the car in front slammed on their brakes. Mom was saying, "Slow down, slow down," as I miraculously missed hitting the back left-hand side of that idiotic young man's bumper.

Once again, we were safe.  Both Mom and I distinctly felt Angels all around us.  Watching--keeping us from harm.

I slowed to a crawl, grabbed Mom's hand and I cried.  The big silver SUV was still behind us at a discreet distance, following us onto The Dalles freeway.

Then traffic slowed once more.  The SUV changed lanes to pass us. 

Said I, to Mumsie.  "I am going to give that guy the 'Mommy look.'"

I slid my glasses to the end of my nose and as that man passed us, he looked over at me.  I gave it to him both barrels.  His mouth opened into an O, his eyes were huge and he looked terrified.  We followed him at a discreet distance, until he suddenly crossed three lanes of traffic to take the next exit.

When we arrived in Carson, Mumsie and I were not surprised to hear that, at the time we faced that great danger, several of the ladies had been led to pray. 

Astounding.  But not surprising.  There was a feeling that we had avoided an evil attack of some kind--that there were invisible forces all around us, fighting and protecting us from an awful fate.

I know it was my destiny to speak that day.  Something didn't want me to get there.

I believe what I was led to say made a difference in many lives.  I am grateful to God for His protection and for our beautiful friends in Carson.

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Halloween Tale

It was Hallow's Eve and I, my sister Clytie and our friend Annette had been invited to an overnight Harvest party.

We drove through the darkness, following the directions we'd been given.  There would be signs along the way, we were told.  As we drove into the country, then up into the surrounding hills, the road became increasingly narrow.

The roadway turned into gravel, then finally into grassy ruts, slowly becoming so narrow only one car could possibly fit along its length.  As we neared a hairpin corner, the air seemed abnormally still.  Except one yellow leaf caught by my headlights just overhead.

Chills had been running up and down my spine for some time.  That leaf began to shake and twirl.  It waggled at us from a branch filled with leaves as motionless as stone.  That was the last straw for me.

"Are you guys spooked?" I asked.  They were.  I wasn't the only one who had been experiencing a terrible sense of foreboding.  With great difficulty we turned around and headed down the hill.

As we neared the bottom of the hill, Sissy screamed.  An insubstantial fuzzy white figure (too big to be a dog, too small to be a person) leaped from the forest.  It was running upright toward the passenger side of the Volkswagen.  I stuck it into second and gunned the motor as best I could.

Shaking, we pulled into the driveway of the nearest house.  We knocked on the door, hoping to ask for directions.  The door slowly opened and a man peered out at us.

His words were slow and low--full of menace.  "Don't go up there," he hissed, pointing a gnarled finger back toward where we'd been.  We tried to ask for directions.  "Do NOT go up there."  His eyes burned.  He opened the door walking out onto the front steps.  "Do NOT go up there," he said--even louder.  We gingerly backed away.  "Uh, thank you, sir," we said, quickly turning to walk toward the car.  As I put the car in gear, we watched him look both ways, then slam his door shut.

We burned rubber all the way up the freeway until we saw the lights of the city.  We stopped at Dunkin Donuts, where we sipped hot chocolate and devoured a fleet of donuts.  In the bright lights it hardly seemed possible our experience was real--it was like a story from a scary book.

The next morning, we returned to find out what had happened.  We discovered the sign to the party had been knocked down.  Others who'd spent the night told us the signs were up when they'd arrived--just a little while before we drove that same road.

I am convinced the terror we all felt, unbeknownst to one another and that oddly rocking leaf, was evidence of God's angels protecting us.  Something evil waited at the end of that road.  We were warned.  Thank God we listened.

To this day I wonder what was at the end of the road.

But maybe I don't.

Angel in the Night

Years ago, I lived with my grandmother in her basement.  In the summertime, Uncle Dale would gather excess junk wood from around the place to burn.  A hard worker, Dale was born with acute learning disabilities.  He is an unusual man, who learns by asking questions and watching others work.  He lived with Grandma, helping to care for her until she died.  Uncle Dale is amazing and I love him.

One long-ago evening, we built a fire out on the lip of the canyon.  We pulled big old logs next to the fire and sat, watching the flame grow brighter in the gathering darkness. 

That night the conversation turned to angels.  Dale told a fascinating story from his own childhood.  He was very young when he and his two younger siblings were left at home alone.  In those days they didn't have electricity and as the sun set and the air grew dark, Mom and their brother Lawrence became frightened.  The children huddled together beside the front window, waiting and watching for their parents' return.

But Uncle Dale wasn't afraid.  He told me he wasn't fearful, because there was an angel watching over them from a nearby tree.

I asked him what the angel looked like.  Uncle Dale's description was amazingly detailed.  The robes the angel wore were made of light.  You couldn't see the angel's feet, because beams of that rainbowy light scudded down the tree to ripple across the ground. The angel held a shining sword and he smiled down at Dale as though to say everything would be alright.  Curiously he says when he told his younger siblings not to be afraid, the fear which had surrounded them vanished.

I believe sometimes God allows children to see past the fabric of our everyday world, into  supernatural events, which adults often disbelieve, or ignore.

I am so grateful for Dale's story.  I often wonder how many times we have been protected by God's angels and did not know it.  Perhaps that sense of peace and safety as we travel down the freeway comes because His angels are watching over us.

This isn't the first angel Uncle Dale saw as a child--but that is another Angel Story for another day.

Ting-Bumper Angel

25 years ago, Mums and I, along with my tiny baby daughter, were traveling up I-5 through Washington State, on our way to speak at a Ladies' Retreat. 

Suddenly, a small blue car sped out of nowhere to play near ting bumper with the back of my Volkswagen Bug.  Having no ax to grind, I obligingly moved over.  As we watched the teenage boy aggressively spin through the traffic ahead I observed, "That kid is going to get someone killed."  I could see other drivers around us felt the same.  Vehicles in the lanes around the teen would not let him through. I shook my head.

Just then my little daughter began to scream.  Mom tried to comfort her, but to no avail.  Nothing helped!  So we took the next exit.  I thought maybe she was hungry and needed to nurse.  

However, as soon as we parked the VW, she stopped crying and gave us a BIG toothless smile.  She didn't want to nurse and was as happy as a clam, waving her plump little arms and giggling into the air.  Mumsie and I were both mystified.

But when we drove back to the freeway, traffic was at a standstill.  "There must have been an accident," I said.  As we drew closer, I felt a little ill--there, mashed against the median was that small blue car.  Rescue vehicles were just arriving on the scene.  Drapes covered the driver's side door.  

Cars we'd traveled next to for miles were crunched and broken, scattered along both sides of the freeway.  If we hadn't pulled over when we did, we would have been right in the middle of that terrible accident. 

Mum and I were shaken to the core.  Looking at the people, some of them standing beside their crushed vehicles, I realized the three of us had escaped a horrible fate.  It was a very close call.

Later we smiled over the thought of a big ole' angel swooping down into our tiny Volkswagen Bug.  Catching my wee baby's attention, the angel must have told her to cry like the dickens and to not let up until we'd pulled off the freeway.  As soon as we were out of danger, I'm sure my baby received a big warm angel hug.  Perhaps she was smiling and waving goodbye as the angel flew away.

Miraculously our lives were spared.   All three of us had a lot more left to do here on this earth!   

I believe God often sends His angel messengers to protect those He loves.  I am so grateful for His protection on the highway that day.

Biker Angel - Guest Heart Thursday

This Angel Story comes from our wonderful neighbor Jerry.  He is a tough Vietnam Vet with a very big heart.

As Jerry tells it, he was riding his bike on the freeway, when he came up on a huge gang of scary looking bikers on Harleys.  They were going under the speed limit, holding traffic back behind them.  No one wanted to pass this group of mean looking bikers for fear of what they might do.

But Jerry decided he wasn't going to put up with that, kicked his bike into high gear and drove up through the middle.  The bikers parted as Jerry made his way through.  Then he was off and away.

Awhile later, when he stopped for a break, who should come riding up, but that same group of tough guys.  The bulky leader stalked up to Jerry and growled, "Who was that big guy you were riding with?"

Jerry told the man he had been riding alone.  But the biker insisted Jerry hadn't been alone and made it clear, if the large, well-muscled fellow Jerry had been riding with hadn't been there--things would have not gone very well for Jerry. 

Another incredible story of God's protecting angels at work!

This is the first time I've posted this blog on Guest Heart Thursday.  Can you see the big heart just over that big angel's shoulder?  For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Her Darkest Hours

This morning I was praying for one of my Best Friends. She is dearer to me than life. My Friend is facing hardships I can only guess at. She feels the darkness closing around her. I have been so burdened and grieved for her sake. 

As I brought my most precious Friend to my Lord, the sun broke through the clouds. Gasping in awe, I snapped this photo. Though I enhanced it a little so you could see what I saw, I didn't need to change much.

The Shepherd Who loves my Friend sends a gift--a message--He brings the light. Light will ALWAYS triumph over darkness. "And the darkest hour of the night, is just before the Dawning light, and now before this moment is gone--get ready! Here comes the Sunrise!"

Light is always stronger than darkness...Our loving Shepherd Who weeps, He Who understands sorrow like no other, comforts and leads His flock. He gently holds the wounded ones close to His heart and tends to their hurts with His own hands.

Those Boston Angels

It took an entire week to travel to the East Coast for a variety of drama performances. We were in the scariest and most dangerous part of Boston setting up for a performance that evening. While my family and the "Bish" went out to get some dinner, I stayed in the old building behind the set, carefully applying layers of makeup which would transform me into 99-year old Sarah.

A little later, I heard the heavy front doors open and slam shut, footsteps, whisperings.  I sat still, listening intently.  It wasn't the Bish, or my family.  Those doors were supposed to have been locked.  I instinctively knew something was wrong.   Whoever it was, wasn't supposed to be there.

Darkness and fear flooded the room. I began to pray. As time stretched along with the shouts of the intruders, I felt the prayers of angels joining mine . . . Then suddenly there was a terrified yell, running feet and the big metal double doors slammed shut.

Blessed silence.

I bent my head to thank God--I sensed the glory of the angels' garments scudding in bright streams across the floor.  It was breath-taking.  We kneeled together there, worshiping God, thanking Him for watching over me, this place, my family and our friends.

The evening’s performance was touched by the power of God. Later that night we finished striking the set, packing everything into the big trailer.  The  Bish and a few others joined us to rest and talk after a big job well-done.

Then I noticed the small boy perusing the empty auditorium, awe written all over his face.  “What is it?” I asked.

“I was wondering,” said he, question marks all over his face.  “Who are all these people standing around dressed in white?”  I was dumbstruck. 

They were the angels.  The ones God had sent to do His bidding.  Those Boston Angels, watching over us, keeping us from harm.

Triumph Over Evil

 It is time for another angel story.  This wonderful story of  an encounter with pure evil vanquished by God's power and love comes from Melinda.  She is a courageous young woman who's life inspires me. Here is Melinda's amazing Story:

My husband was out of town, and except for the two dogs I was alone in our old two story home. Prior to this night, I had been being drawn to religious things, books, churches, things connected with God. I guess one could say I was definitely "seeking" as I really did not know Him.

I was tired and fell asleep downstairs on the sofa. I woke up about 4:00 a.m., and decided I better get upstairs to bed as I had to get up early to go to work.  I could not fall asleep right away. I lay there and the dogs were soon snoring lightly beside me. They were large dogs, one a lab mix, the other a husky mix. They took up most of the bed, so I felt protected with my dogs around me.

I was almost asleep when I swear I saw a dark form come in through my bedroom window. My heart pounded and my logic tried to figure it out. I wondered if I could call for help without anyone hearing the phone. I tried to think of what I could use for protection.   Oddly enough, I noticed the windows were closed and my protective pups had not awakened.  They were not barking, but still slept soundly beside me.  

Yet I still had the overwhelming feeling that someone, or something was hiding behind the bedroom door.  I wondered if what I felt was real--My brain went into overtime...playing out all types of scenarios and possibilities. I remember even thinking maybe this was one of those alien abductions. After all wasn't that how they were always described?

Then with an incredibly quick motion a big, dark, black, thing leaped onto my chest. I refused to believe it was real....yet I could feel its weight on my chest...the sheer pressure of the thing.

I was afraid to move--afraid to open my eyes.  Though I felt fully awake, I still thought I might be dreaming.  I knew I had to determine if what was happening was real. I was trembling.  I decided if I could reach out and TOUCH the thing through the covers, then it must be real. I slowly moved my right arm and hand to touch what felt like a thigh across my chest. To my horror I felt something SOLID!

I couldn’t help it, my eyes popped open. Big mistake! I was consumed with terror as I stared into the most evil looking eyes I have ever seen.  The more fear I felt, the heavier the thing became. It seemed its strength grew from my fear.  Another part of my mind noted my dogs still remained still and sound asleep beside me on the bed!

I did not know what to do. I was so afraid.   As the thing grew heavier and heavier, I realized I was having a harder and harder time breathing. I KNEW I could die right there in my bed and no one would be the wiser—and who would believe such a story?  I, myself barely believed it was real, yet it was happening to me.

I thought about all the things I would be leaving behind...worrying about my dogs and what would happen to them...all my "stuff" and what everyone would have to do, going through it all.

All these thoughts ran like lightning through my mind, as this darkness, this frightening creature-force-being-presence grew stronger and stronger. I could not move any anything except my eyes and they were still locked into that terrifying gaze.

I decided to shut my eyes and NOT acknowledge its presence... I refused to feed its strength by giving it more of my fear.  But the terror seemed overwhelming.  I suddenly realized I needed  help if I was going to survive.

I began to pray to God.   I prayed for His help--I asked for His forgiveness of all the things I had ever done wrong...I told God, I did believe in Him and in His power and protection.  I said, I could not battle this evil thing without His strength.

Then unbelievably the ceiling of my bedroom rolled back like a scroll.  The corners of the room were held open by shining angels. I remember they looked right at me....such brilliant light all around them, illuminating their faces and bodies. In that instant, I also felt the presence of God.

Such bright light and peace....I could FEEL His presence and smile...His love...His protection. I lay there, the weight of the thing still pressing me down.  Yet I was filled with the most incredible sense of peace I have ever felt in my life. I was so relieved....was so assured all would be well and taken care of if anything did ever happen to me.  If I died that moment, I no longer cared.  I smiled...I clearly remember that smile coming across my lips....and being surrounded by that extraordinary warm, bright light. As God’s peace surrounded me, the evil being grew weaker and its weight began to lift.

I watched as the thing became a mere puff of black smoke which quickly rolled up and out of the top of the ceiling where the angels were. In an instant....the angels let go of the scroll and the glory of God and the angels vanished and my ceiling became a ceiling again.

It has been a long time since I’ve told this story to anyone. Because of my experience that night I have never been the same.   I know God watches over me and over those I love.  And I am incredibly grateful for His Presence in my life.

You can find Melinda's wise and insightful blog at Breathe!!  Please drop by with an encouraging comment for this remarkable young woman.

Woodland Protector

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I think I was around 12 when it happened. My siblings and I, along with our cousins were all set to go down to Deer Valley. It was a favorite place of ours, where the mud flats created from the bubbling spring formed next to a stream where huckleberries grew on a giant log bridge span. We would build forts from fragrant fir and cedar branches. We gloried in exploring the surrounding woods.

                       

But this day was different. We stood in the sunshine at the road at the top of the trail and a darkness seemed to fall over the forest. Each of us, as we'd start toward the trail to Deer Valley, felt an uneasy fear and a curious reluctance to go down that trail and would turn back. It was as though there were an invisible wall through which we could not pass.

Finally we gave up trying. For all seven or eight of us to agree to that was a bit of a miracle in itself! But we did and we all trouped back to the house where we played games in the big circle lawn instead.

Later we talked about what happened--it was then we realized we'd all had the same strange uneasy feelings. We had all felt an invisible wall had been erected at the top of the trail. It was as though an angel barred our way, to keep us out of harm's way.

Years later Mom told me about a car chop shop located just a few yards from the trail to Deer Valley. Police had stormed the woods and several people had been arrested. It was functioning right around the time we were kept from going down into the woods. The criminals had a sophisticated operation going, they'd even cut down trees and put a driveway into the wooded area so they could not be seen.

For years I've wondered what terrible danger we would have dealt with that day if we hadn't been stopped in our tracks. Though sometimes I get really curious, I thank the Lord for protection from the danger we never had to face.