Angels All Around

My friend is an angel. He has a simple gift, shared generously. He happens to be trans, which is irrelevant, I suppose, but I mention it because his life hasn’t been easy. He works for too little in a sandwich shop and sees a lot of people each day. But he doesn’t just see them. He sees something about them and says a few words of kindness: “I love your blouse”, “your hair is so beautiful,” “you have such a great smile!” and so forth.

Did you ever think how just a few words can lift someone? What if one of my friend’s customers had awakened that morning feeling like a piece of dirt and picking up a noon sandwich at the shop hears a few words (with a warm smile of sincerity) that give just a little boost?

I know what just a seemingly small act of kindness can do. When I was a member of a church in St. Louis, a friend had heard that I was considering going to seminary but hadn’t decided. She was a single mom and not by any means wealthy. But she took me aside, saying she had heard what I was considering, and that she definitely thought I should go and if the cost was an issue, she would help. I was blown away, knowing she had modest resources. I never asked for that help, but she had said the few words that led to changing my life. Since then I have called her my angel.

Angels are all over. When my husband and I went on a trip to China, he was using a cane to support his mobility. On the Great Wall there were a lot of steps. And over and over, young Chinese men asked if they could help him up or down the steps. Their unsought angelic kindness was a gift and spoke of a whole nation often vilified here.

Watch for your own angels and rejoice. And I’m guessing that everyone who reads this is often angelic! A few words, a smile, sharing cookies with a neighbor, whatever: Claim your halo. Angels are all around.