Guardian Angel

I never used to think in terms of Angels. I called my husband and later my children "Angel" as a term of endearment and I used to think of my maternal grandmother who passed in the summer of 1991 as "an Angel sitting on my shoulder", but I never put much thought or credence into Guardian Angels. That was until recently.

A couple of months ago I was rushing around after dinner to get my oldest child and me out the door to make our respective Karate classes. This entails leaving the dinner table in a mad dash, changing into our individual gi (Karate uniform), maneuvering our heavy gear bags down the stairs, loading the car, and fleeing to make it on time. This night in question my daughter was acting particularly needy and wanted Mommy so I took the one year old upstairs with me. My son was changing in his room and I in mine while my daughter played nearby. My son and I met at the top of the stairs to confer on a plan. I decided to open the gate that shields our daughter from flinging herself down stairs so I could quickly grab my bag and her and get my son's and my exodus underway. I opened the gate, turned to find my daughter and pick up my cumbersome bag, and I heard a noise. I devastating noise of something falling down the stairs. My heart stopped beating. My brain went into overload. I turned to see my daughter at the bottom of the stairs, on the hard, cold tile floor, crying. I emphasize that word because she was alive. We have sixteen steps that go straight up and down - no landing - and my daughter had flung herself down the steps in the half second it took me to open the gate and look for her. I was almost comatose. I was in a panic. My husband, who was already downstairs cleaning up from dinner, got to her first and picked her up. He looked up the stairs bewildered and searchingly. I almost died again and again. I was so worried it was a physical sickness I was feeling. My daughter, still crying, seemed outwardly fine and unhurt. I rushed to be with her. I begged my husband to let me hold her. I hugged her while he did a once over to see what the damage, if any, she contracted. She seemed no worse for the wear. He checked her pupils' reaction to light - fine. He checked for cuts, scrapes, or bumps and bruises - none. We made her walk - she did. We even were able to make her laugh. She seemed... perfectly normal! After several tense minutes, a call to the pediatrician, and an all-clear diagnosis, we were able to exhale. Our daughter was going to be fine. In fact, she was virtually unscathed. How could that be? I know she is a baby and thus rather pliable. I know she did not "tense up" like adults or older children might have done realizing that they were falling and could get hurt. But to live through that unscathed? My husband and I both feel she was nestled in the hand of a Guardian Angel. We see no other possible explanation. Someone/thing reached out and cradled her to safety. We are forever grateful and I am 100% more cautious than I ever was before.

My story does not end here. In the last few days I was given more proof that Guardian Angels exist. This time I was the beneficiary of life saving efforts. I was in our dining room cleaning up from our New Year's Eve festivities. I was stowing noise makers, party hats, and taking down a "Happy New Year's" banner that hung on our china cabinets. We have two cabinets that are fitted to connect on the top by a facade piece. On that piece I sat three pitchers for decoration. As I was putting the sign in my storage bag from that piece of furniture, my daughter entered the room from a different entrance opposite the room from me. I turned to smile and talk to her. She was being particularly cute walking around with the little pink purse she was gifted for Christmas. Suddenly she dropped her purse and it made a loud noise so I moved a step or two towards her (and away from the china cabinets) to see what it was she was caring in her purse. The moment that happened a thundering noise startled me from behind and the sound of broken class followed. I hunched my shoulders and was a bit in shock, confused by the events. The last thing I remembered was my daughter's purse hitting the floor with a thud and now there was mass chaos behind me. The exact spot where I had been occupying only moments before! My daughter, untouched, but scared by the noise and broken pieces behind me, began crying loudly. She was visibly shaken, put her arms up to reach me, and I went to her. When I turned around I saw that the facade piece had gotten off it's perch and, under the weight of the decorative pitchers, had given way leading to the crash. Everything underneath the piece was demolished - a candy dish for Christmas was a casualty. My husband, cool in the face of disaster, ran to the basement and brought up gates to secure the two entrances to the room. He instructed me to get my daughter and me safely out of the room. She and I were thankfully spared any damage from the accident. My husband surveyed the situation, cleaned the dining room completely from broken glass and debris, and even cleaned and mopped the floor to make sure no glass splinters would harm his family. I wanted to help but my daughter was clearly shaken by the event so any time I'd try to put her down she'd cry and make the "up" signal. We were attached the rest of the night until bedtime. But here is another instance where I could have been injured, but someone/thing protected me. I was right there until my daughter dropped her purse and pulled my attention. I can't tell you how many times I ignore her when I have chores to do. Why did I let her distract me at that instance? My only explanation, like why my daughter survived her fall unharmed, is we have a Guardian Angel watching over us. And for that I am very very grateful.

Do you have stories that you feel contribute to your beliefs in Guardian Angels? I would love to read them. Leave your story below. Thank you for reading mine.