Angels Among Us

You know those stories you hear about where someone was in desperate need of a miracle and upon opening their door, they found exactly what they needed on their doorstep? You know the ones. The ones that never ever happen to you. The ones that you wish would happen to you. The ones that just don't happen to regular people.

Sit back. I have a story to tell. These things really do happen to regular people like me. And like you- regular people who are just trying to survive every day, living paycheck to paycheck, doing whatever they can to make ends meet; young mothers and fathers who are trying desperately to make sure they provide the best life they can for their little babes.

From time to time, I have been known to exclaim with frustration, "I just wish a miracle would fall out of the sky for us! I hear about these miracles that just fall out of the sky. We sure could use one right about now." This is the kind of statement that usually occurs when I look at the balance in my checkbook and I just have no idea how it's going to work out. How are we going to pay our bills? How are we going to eat? How are we going to pay for the gas it takes to earn the money we need to survive? How are we going to do this without accepting help from others, and how are we going to do this and maintain our independence? How are we going to hold our heads high as we admit to others that we just can't do it on our own?

I haven't asked for a miracle to fall out of the sky for awhile. Maybe that's why not one, not two, but several miracles happened to fall out of the sky for us. Angels were looking out for our family over this Christmas season. The Lord was able to provide for our family and used some very special people in order to carry out His will. I am so humbled that He thought about us,  noticed us and selected certain angels that would heed His promptings to help us. I used to hear people begin their miraculous stories with "I was humbled..." and thought, "Blah blah blah...what does the even mean? That would never happen to me anyway."

Now I know what that means. It's a mix of, "I really don't deserve this," and "I am so thankful to have it," with a dash of "What in the world did I do to deserve this?" and a pinch of "I hope I can do something to return the favor some day." It's a feeling of wanting to cry happy tears and hug whoever it is that is sitting closest to you at that moment. It's a warm glow of, well, humility. And gratitude.

So what happened, you ask? As we were climbing the steps to our apartment after returning home from our Christmas trip to visit family, we noticed a small envelope on our doorstep. We thought maybe my visiting teachers left a card there. Upon opening it, we found an unsigned card with a gift card that was for no small sum. Who in the world was it from? We have no idea! Robbie and I speculated and bounced ideas off of one another, but we just couldn't figure out who in the world would want to do something like that for us. I mean, us? Why? Of course, we did what any young married parents would do. We shared our gratitude on facebook, hoping that the mystery person would step forward or at least give us some sort of clue. At the very least, we hoped the mystery person would understand how grateful we were for their generous gift.

After I posted my status update, Robbie and I discussed some of the responses that we got on our way home from grocery shopping. Some related miracle stories of their own. Some told about the prayers they offered and the manner in which they were answered. I told Robbie, "Perhaps we should just pray, 'Heavenly Father, please provide for our needs. We do not know what they are, but You do. Please provide.'" I know it may sound silly, but I'm not sure if I've ever prayed that way. I try not to ask for too much, and I try to ask for things like, "Please help me be a good mom to Lily. Please help us to be safe." Those kinds of things. I don't usually ask for help with our tangible needs. Perhaps I should because we desperately need help with those things! Who better to ask for help than Heavenly Father?

After we unloaded our groceries, I checked the mail. In the mail, we received another unsigned card with a generous sum of cash in it. Who are these angels among us? I don't know! I received a generous gift card from my Aunt Stephani and Robbie received a generous check from a Bass Group that his dad is a part of. Just because. They sent it just because. I am so thankful that there are such thoughtful and generous people looking out for our family. I just wish I could return the favor somehow. Hopefully, one day, I will have the opportunity to be numbered among those angels among us and bless another family the way we have been blessed.