Scars of My Guardian Angel

by Russell L Martin

  He climbs up on Hollywood and as he turns around getting ready to bail off, I’m absolutely positive now.

  Uriel takes a normal little dive into the pristine water and as he surfaces he’s smiling. “I know Chado, they’re gone… All my scars are gone. After your latest story, God removed the last of my scars. Hallelujah to the King! I am healed and renewed!”

  I stand in ankle deep water, watching this mighty Warrior Angel gently help the toddlers, one by one, onto Hollywood’s back. With each movement, Uriel’s huge muscular back flexes, showing no sign of the deep lacerations that previously covered his skin. My heart is filled with joy as I acknowledge the love and healing power of God. Suddenly, without any warning I’m overwhelmed with sadness and humility. With this great heaviness pressing down I am forced to my knees. Now feeling the cool water flowing across my legs I bow in humility. With the sensation of hypnosis, I close my eyes as crystal clear visions start to play out.

  I’m standing in the midst of each battle watching Uriel as he protected me from the dark principalities of hell. With each injury from the spears and swords of the demonic fallen angels, I feel a deeper sense of humility and sorrow; knowing my wrong choices had brought this pain upon my Guardian Angel.

  I lift my hands toward Heaven, “God, how can I ever repay Uriel for his pain, loyalty and love, as You, O Lord, had him watch over me?” With my eyes still closed I feel the touch of someone as they grab my hands.

  “Little Soul, stand up, let your heart be filled with joy.” As I open my eyes, there’s no one there; “Hey, who just touched me? Am I losing my mind?” All the kids and Uriel are still playing and swimming around the horses. Could that have been God? Was I just now touched by the Holy Spirit? “Dear Lord, are you still here?”

  I suddenly feel a gentle breeze coming from behind me and I watch as it creates ripples on the still water. I hear the laughter of the children cease as they all stop playing and become silent with all eyes on the growing ripples. As I look up and down the beach, every kid has their attention on the wind that now seems to be going in circles just a few yards from shore.

  “Hey Uriel, what’s going on?”

  He smiles as he points over at the swirling whirlpool of water. Summer and Lori walk up and stand beside me.

  “Dad, you’re going to love this.”

  “Love what; what’s going on?

  Lori whispers, “Chado, we thought God was going to wait until tomorrow to open the tunnel.”

  “You mean He’s about to do it now?”

  “Yep, God just showed up!”

  * * *

  As we continue to watch, a very small water spout appears in the center of the whirlpool. Now gathered behind us, hundreds of kids start cheering and clapping.

  The small waterspout resembling a miniature tornado starts growing, getting taller and wider with each passing second. As I stand in awe looking up at this 500 foot pillar of water, “Hey guys this must be how the children of Israel felt when they witnessed the parting of the Red Sea.”

  “Yeah Dad, or maybe when they followed the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of clouds by day across the desert.”

  I feel someone grab my hand and as I look down it’s the green eyed toddler, “Hey, my Pawpaw, would you hold me?”

  “You bet Sweetie.” I pick Rosie up and place her on my shoulders, with her letting out a cute little giggle.

  “How’s that Sweetie?”

  “Thank you my Pawpaw, I can really see good from here.” As I start feeling a strong wind coming from behind us, Rosie is now clinching onto the hair of my head.

  “It will be over in a second Pawpaw, God’s moving the water.”

  I notice the sea is receding; the wind is actually moving the water back, away from the sea shore.

  Rosie points as the giant water spout moves offshore leaving a tunnel exposed. “There it is Pawpaw; we get to see the sea monsters today!”

  I follow as everyone heads through and down the long tunnel. It appears to lay on the bottom just like the pipelines we use to lay in the Gulf of Mexico. The only difference, this pipeline is transparent and large enough to drive a semi-truck through. As we continue to descend deeper, fish of all species are swimming up to the children .

  “Hey Pawpaw, you can put me down, I want to pet the fish.”

  “Pet the fish; Sweetie you can’t pet the fish, they’re on the other side of the tunnel.”

  I gently set Rosie down; she looks back at me grinning from ear to ear, turns running over to the side. A huge grouper that looked to be four or five hundred pounds sees Rosie and immediately swims up directly in front of her.

  “Oh, so you mean you’re going to play like you’re petting the fish.”

  She lets out a funny little laugh, turns and sticks her hand through the transparent tunnel wall. The grouper acts like they’re lifelong friends as he gets close enough for Rosie to start rubbing his head.

  At this point I feel I’ve seen it all, until I catch a glimpse of a large shadow appearing in the distance.

  “Hey Summer, what the heck is that?”

  Before Summer can answer, I see several more giant shadows appear, and they all seem to be heading in our direction.

  “Hey Rosie, could you pull your hand back in please, it’s making Pawpaw nervous.”

  “Oh, Pawpaw, they’re friends and there’s nothing to be afraid of. They won’t hurt us.”

  “Dad the one in the middle, well I think God calls that species the Leviathan.”

  “My goodness, he’s huge!”

  Summer and Lori start laughing. “What’s so funny?”

  “Dad, that’s just a baby.”

  “What, you have got to be kidding; it’s the size of a railroad tanker.”

  “Just wait, its mommy and daddy will be along soon.”

  The other large shadows come into view; it’s a school of giant white whales. They swam straight up to a group of kids doing the same thing as Rosie. Their little arms dangling on the other side of the tunnel looking like fish bait .

  “So what do you think Dad, ready to pet a fish?”

  “Give me a second; I’m still trying to get a handle on the kid’s safety.”

  The baby leviathan gets close enough for me to make out its features. Thinking back on memories of dinosaur pictures, I’ve never seen anything that even comes close to this animal. Its scales looks like a warrior’s shield, all layered like tiles of a roof, fastened together in a way that could never be penetrated by a spear or sword. Its head shaped like a crocodile with two sets of jawbones overlapping one another. Several rows of teeth resemble those of a great white shark. Its tail is flat and wide like a whale allowing it to move with great speed.

  This giant swims right up to Rosie, gently nudging her friend the grouper out of its way.

  “Come on Pawpaw, come pet Tizzy.”

  “Okay Sweetie, is your friend Tizzy a boy or a girl?

  Rosie turns cupping her hand and whispering, “She’s a girl, silly willy.”

  I chuckle at Rosie, and slowly stick my hand through the side of the tunnel, peering into the fiery red eyes of this prehistoric beast.

  Tizzy the sea monster, now becoming my new friend, moves closer and allows me to touch its mighty forehead. Just as I was getting used to the whole petting a sea monster thing, I swear Tizzy winked at me just before she swam off.

  “Wasn’t that fun my Pawpaw?”

  “Yes Sweetie, that was awesome. Let’s go catch up with Summer and Lori.”

  We continue several more fathoms deeper, (for you land lovers, one fathom is around six feet). At this point of our journey we seem to be a couple hundred feet down. The kids are having a blast running back and forth, some pointing out their favorite fish or sea monsters, others still reaching through petting whatever fish that comes along.

  As we catch up to Summer, “Hey Dad, check out that family of sea turtles; isn’t this beautiful?”

  “Yes Sweetie, I could have never imagined an
ything as spectacular as this.”

  “Look, look, I see Tizzy’s parents coming.”

  When I thought I’ve seen it all, Tizzy the leviathan swims out to meet her parents and she looks like a minnow swimming beside a shark.

  I hear my Dad and Uncle Spike coming up behind us, “Now that’s a full grown fish right there, wouldn’t you think?”

  We all are laughing while admiring the biggest fish in Heaven.

  After spending some quality time with family and friends at fifty fathoms, we see the kids all start heading back up the tunnel.

  “What do you think guys? Are y’all ready to head back up?”

  “Sure Dad, but before we go I want to show you one other fish.”

  “Okay, where is it?”

  “Hang on big brother. Okay, do it Summer.”

  Summer pulls out a small conch sea shell and starts to blow through it. She actually played sort of a melody that sounded pretty awesome.

  “Okay, what now guys?”

  I see Lori point, “There he is. Come on old timer, over here.” A giant white whale slowly swims up, stopping just on the other side within arm’s reach.

  “Go ahead Dad, give him some love.”

  I reach through rubbing his side, and when he feels my touch he backs up until his left eye is within inches of my face. As I gaze into the eye of this whale, I sense a mysterious kindness coming from another one of God’s special creatures .

  He turns and slowly swims away disappearing into the dark blue depths.

  “Okay Summer, why did you want me to meet this guy?”

  “Daddy, do you remember Jonah being swallowed by the great fish?”

  “Sure Sweetie, Jonah refused to preach in Nineveh so God used the fish to get his attention, I believe he stayed in his belly for three days and then the great fish spit him out on dry land. After his whale ride he journeyed for three more days to Nineveh, finally fulfilling God’s command.”

  “Well Dad, the white whale you just petted, he was the mighty fish that swallowed Jonah.”

  “You mean God brought a whale from Earth.”

  “Yep, He brought a lot of creatures from Earth.”

  “Hey Chado, you know that horse you’ve been riding.”

  “Sure Pop, what about him?”

  “His real name is Comanche and he was owned by the US army back in the year 1868. He actually survived the Battle of Little Bighorn. He was named for his bravery and loyalty in the fight with the Comanche. We believe God was disappointed with the wars between the American Indians and the horse soldiers, but He loved Hollywood enough to bring him to Heaven.”

  “So Hollywood was at the Battle of Little Bighorn, wow, and that’s where Custer saw his last sunrise!”

  Almost back to the beach I hear Rosie, “Who was Custer, Pawpaw?”

  “Oh, he was just an ole arrogant soldier that let his pride get the best of him. He and his men were killed in one of the many foolish battles fought back on Earth.”

  * * *

  As we walk out of the tunnel, kids scatter in ten different directions. Moushie and Rex run up to get a quick pet, then dash off to catch up with Dad.

  “Hey Daddy, would you like to swim a bit more, go hang out with Pawpaw Travis or maybe get our campsite ready for the night?”

  “Hey that’s right, we’re outside the wall and we get to see the night sky. Yeah, let’s get our camp ready.”

  “Okay Pop, you want to help gather some firewood?”

  “Firewood, we can have a fire in Heaven?”

  Lori and Summer chuckle, “Brother, we can have or do just about anything we want, as long as it’s pleasing to God.”

  I hadn’t noticed before, but there is drift wood lying everywhere. As I happily start gathering the scattered wood I hear Lori, “Hey Chado, watch.”

  I turn and see the giant water spout moving back in our direction. As the last kid walks out of the tunnel the waterspout centers directly over the opening. I feel a breeze coming from across the great sea and at the same time the waterspout decreases in height getting smaller and smaller until it’s completely gone. As the wind continues to blow in our direction, the dry land we had just walked across is now covered with water. We all watch this miracle of God as the entrance disappears.

  “Hey Uriel, is it always like this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it just seems like the miracles are constant, every time you turn around there is something cool happening.”

  “Let me put it like this, Heaven itself is a miracle. The little toddler, Rosie is a miracle. You’re a miracle. So to answer your question, is it always like this? Yes, it’s unending. Chado, you need to remember, when God loves someone, its depth, height or width can’t be measured. He wants to continually please His children here in Heaven. So yes, Little Soul, it’s unending.”

  “Thanks Uriel,”

  “Hey Chado, hand me that last piece of driftwood. We need to hurry and get back before the concert starts.”

  “A concert, I thought it was going to be a symphony!”

  “Well, the concert is first with the children’s choir, and I don’t want you to miss any of it. Well truth be known, I don’t want to miss Rosie singing. I just love to hear that toddler sing!”

  As we approach our campsite sheltered by the coconut and palm trees, I see Dad had already started the fire.

  “Hey Uriel, what are those kids picking up out of the sand?”

  “Remember how God fed the children of Israel with manna when they were in the wilderness?”

  “Yeah sure. Is that manna they’re picking up?”

  “No I don’t think so, it’s probably sand shroons.”

  “Sand shroons, what the heck are sand shroons?”

  Uriel starts laughing, “You will love this. God sends special food to His kids, I’ve been around from the beginning and He still surprises even the Angels with all sorts of delicacies. But I do believe those are sand shroons the kids are gathering.”

  “So what do they taste like?”

  “That’s the funny part.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well just say your favorite taste is dark chocolate, oranges, or maybe like your dad the taste of fried quail. Whatever it might be, when you bite into a sand shroon that’s what you taste. And get this, during your meal if you crave something different, your next bite will explode your taste buds with whatever you’re craving.”

  As I drop my arm load of fire wood, I can’t help but laugh, thinking about this whole food thing.

  “Hey Daddy, what’s so funny. ”

  “Ah nothing Sweetie, Uriel was just educating me on sand shroons and my funny bone got the best of me.”

  I was just about to find a comfortable spot to lay back when Cuddles, Moushie, Rex and the two spider monkeys plopped down right where I was about sit.

  “Well guys, I hope I didn’t trespass on your spot.”

  They all look up giving me some kind of silly animal grin. I walk up and give each one a good scratch, and as I observe Cuddles, I’m thinking bear skin rug, yeah, that could be comfortable. So I pat the giant bear on his wide forehead then slowly lie back against his thick soft fur.

  AHHH, I could get use to this. “Cuddles I hope you don’t mind if I use you as a pillow.”

  Summer and Lori walk up with a handful of sand shroons. “Here Dad, try this out.”

  Before I took a bite, “Let me see, what would be something I feel the desire to taste...”

  “What’s your favorite food, Dad?”

  “I guess grilled steak and shrimp is my favorite.”

  “Well, take a bite and see what happens.”

  As I bite down and slowly start to chew, the bitter taste of olives fills my mouth. The two spider monkeys start screaming, jumping up and down on the back of Cuddles. The kids, Dad and everyone else burst out laughing.

  “What the heck Summer, what did you just feed me?”

  “Dad you forgot to give thanks.�
��

  “That’s right, shame on me. Heavenly Father, forgive me for not remembering to give thanks. I pray you bless the kids that picked these sand shroons that you have provided. Amen.”

  “Okay Daddy, chill out, and try it again.”

  “Are you certain it’s not going to be bitter ?

  “Trust me Dad, down the hatch.”

  “Okay, just for you Summer.”

  As I tried it again, the awesome taste of steak and shrimp screamed from my taste buds. “Wow… double wow, this is unbelievable! Can I have another?”

  “Sure Pop, eat as much as your heart desires, just leave room for desert.”

  Leaning back against Cuddles, we watch the evening sun set, as we enjoyed a delicious dinner provided by our Maker.

  I notice a group of around a hundred children line up behind the conch seashells, preparing for the evening concert. The wind suddenly stops blowing, the stillness brings a complete silence over the whole area. You could hear a pin drop.

  I notice the toddler Rosie, with a childlike elegance, walks over and stands directly in front of the choir. A puff of wind hits my face from a different direction, another, and then another, now a steady soft breeze.

  Summer leans over and whispers, “Dad, keep your eyes on the sun. Something special is about to happen.”

  As I stare at the setting sun directly behind the choir, I notice the sea looks like a sheet of glass reflecting the bright red clouds and two distant moons that have now appeared.

  With only a sliver of the setting sun remaining, the light and reflections from the sea create a bright white cross that expands its light throughout the heavenly skies.

  I feel the wind getting stronger as I begin to hear a multitude of different tones coming from the seashells. At the very second Rosie starts to sing the cross slowly begins to disappear.

  The voice of this special little girl blends with the breath of the Holy Spirit, as it swirls through each of the shells. This heavenly duo is now creating a harmony like no other .

  Just as the children’s choir joins in, the light of the cross fades away. Feeling a sense of total peace, I lean back against the thick fur of a giant grizzly bear named Cuddles. My two favorite dogs are now laying their heads in my lap. I feel my sweet daughter’s touch as she leans over and places her head on my shoulder.