by Thornton, EJ
Tears began to roll down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed. I could barely speak, but I managed to whisper, "Thank you, Jesus."
The beautiful glow on the cross started to slowly fade away. Glory and everyone there, who had been awestruck by its beauty, began to gather themselves back together. Silently and as close as they could be to one another, they left the church and loaded into the waiting cars with the rest of the family for the ride to the cemetery.
The procession was several blocks long. Most of the angels flew a protective circle around the cars. I rode near Glory. She was quiet. She was calm. She was a comfort to me. I put my arm around her and she sighed peacefully. I whispered in her ear. "The Lord promised me that these angels would look after you. They've done a great job so far. I have every confidence they'll do a great job from now on. I love you. I wish I could ease the pain of your missing me."
"What were her choices, Martin?" Mother joined us.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You have to realize that her pain is her choice. The only way for her to avoid this pain right now, would be for her to have loved you with less than her full heart. But she did love you with her full heart - you know she did. If people choose to love in life, when they lose those whom they love, they will have pain. The only other choice is to avoid love, but that is to choose to live in pain. Let her mourn. It's her tribute to you and to your love. She wants to do it. She needs to do it. Soon, her peace will overcome her pain." Mother's voice was so soothing for both me and Glory.
We rode silently the rest of the way to the cemetery.
I thought about what Mother had said. I had to allow them their time to grieve. It was necessary, though incredibly hard to watch. Glory, Sarah, Peter and Jeremi had changed. They accepted the peace that had been bestowed upon them by Jesus. The tears stopped flowing and they stood firm and together, silently, reverently and peacefully.
Finally Brother Hamilton spoke the words I'd spoken over so many in my lifetime: "In grief of your death, but in gratitude for your life and in the pleasure of sharing it with you, we commit your body to be buried. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, rest now at the end of your days on Earth. Rest now, in the hearts and minds of all you love and who loved you."
A few people, mostly my grandchildren, placed flowers on the casket and walked slowly to their cars. Hugs, support and love was exchanged between everyone there. It was touching to watch those whose lives I'd been a part of, give love and comfort to one another.
The cars left for the reception at Vivian's, with angel protection all around them.
I stayed behind and sat down on the cool grass. George stayed with me. "What are you thinking about?"
I looked at him, peculiarly. "You know what I'm thinking. You always have up to now."
"Your mind is so flooded with all sorts of thoughts and it's difficult for me to tell which one is prevailing."
"That's the truth." I did have so many things on my mind. It was hard to sort it all out.
"Funerals are hard days, for both living and angel," he assured me.
I nodded, then asked, "Are you having a hard day?"
"Yes, but yours is probably harder." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Your mind is full of questions. Ask them."
"I have so many questions, it's hard to choose one to begin with. I want them all answered."
"Start with the most important."
"It's about what happened at the church," I said.
"He answered your prayer, Martin. He gave her strength and peace. He appeared to them in a way that they could easily accept and yet they knew it was Him. They will always feel the peace of that moment anytime they remember it. I've seen your prayers answered before, what's so different now?"
"Yes, but I . . ."
"Talked to God?" George finished my sentence. I looked at him, my brow furrowed with a million more questions. "Of course you did." He laughed at me. "You're a new angel! What did you expect? You're in Heaven. Wherever you go, you're in Heaven. You're still thinking like a person, Martin, waiting for some desperate moment to call upon Him. Talk to God anytime you want. Actually, I'm surprised you it took you this long." He chuckled and shook his head. "You'll get the hang of this - sooner than you think."
"I thought He. . . I mean, He's just. . ." My loss for words made me feel so basic.
"He's just what? He's just there whenever you need him. He's just there like He always promised to be. He appeared to you in life, several times. I know because I was there. What's so different?"
"I saw Him. I literally saw God," I said quietly.
"Yes, you did." He was silent for a moment to let me comprehend what I had just said. Then he smiled like a wise grandfather about to bestow the "moral of the story" to a young child. "Do you know what the most beautiful thing about being an angel is, Martin?" I shook my head. "When you were living, you had to walk by faith. Now, as an angel, you get to walk by sight."
The joy of that simple statement was the most profound I'd ever felt. We sat there, I stared into the sky, contemplating all that I had experienced and learned in the last few hours. Sheila was right: It does just keep getting better and better. We sat there just long enough for me to feel rejuvenated. I had places to go!
The festivities were at Viv's, so that's where George and I went. The reception was in full swing. Lovely food, kids playing together and my friends and family talked and told stories. Most everywhere the mood was lively. There were some pockets of people comforting whoever was crying, but they were the exception to the rule here today.
Peter and Jeremi told the story of the cross at the church to anyone who wanted to hear. As soon as they were finished with one group, someone else brought somebody else and said, "Tell them what you told me!" They gladly did.
Glory sat in Viv's most comfortable chair and everyone made sure she was taken care of. Whoever was nearby refilled her plate or glass. They made sure she was comfortable and never alone. Viv was never more than a few feet away, unless she was getting what Glory needed. Naomi held Glory and rocked her from time to time as Naomi felt Glory's mood turn to sorrow. Naomi was quick to get another angel's attention, so that their charge came to visit with Glory. It was abundantly clear that Glory was well taken care of, on all levels.
Slowly people started to drift out. By early evening, it was down to just the family. They were all exhausted. Peter carried his sleeping baby boy out to the car. Jeremi walked out, helping Glory. Everyone followed in a procession, kissed Vivian and thanked her for all she had done. Sarah and a couple of the older girls stayed to help Vivian clean up.
When they got home, Glory took off her coat and her shoes and sat down on the couch. Before the rest of the family even got all the way into the house, she was asleep. They all tiptoed quietly around her and settled into quiet activities.
Peter put his son to bed. He and Melinda started to pack up for the trip back home the next day. Jeremi snuck out to the garage and reappeared after about ten minutes, wiping his mouth and smoking a cigarette. Sarah dragged herself home about an hour later and went to change her clothes but fell asleep on the bed instead.
Jeremi called Jeannie, but just long enough to make arrangements for her to pick them up at the airport the next day. He promised to tell her all about everything when he saw her tomorrow. Then he sat down to watch TV and was asleep before too long, himself.
Finally this day was over.
Chapter 12
All the angels who could get away for a bit went back up to Heaven and into the garden. We all rested on each other and talked about what a day it had been. Some angels in the group reminisced about their funeral days and how taxing it had been on them. They told me about the presents they had left behind and the wonderful experiences they had had. I attended most of their funerals and now I could imagine those events from their perspective. I could see their angels working and I remembered the presents that they had given me. Some of their presents were similar to what I'd given my friends and f
amily. Some of them were uniquely individual to both the giver and receiver. Only God could mastermind something so magnificent.
I began to feel my strength return. It was surprising to me how drained I felt by the end of this day. All the other angels helped hold me up and were there with me, when I needed them. Being surrounded by that much love and support was unlike anything I had felt on earth, even during our best times. The angel party lasted all night, until one by one the Guardians were called back to their waking or troubled charges.
When the last angel left, George asked me, "What do you want to do today, Martin?"
"Learn," I responded. I'd been rejuvenated. I was eager and ready.
George crossed his arms and studied me for a moment. "Hmmm. A course in Guardian Angel, 101, coming right up."
We were off!
As we flew, he explained, "I want you to get good at knowing how and when to appear to people. We can do a lot of good work here while you're training."
"Okay," I said eagerly. That sounded like a lot of fun.
"You want to learn, so let's go to school," George joked.
Suddenly, we were at some big high school, students everywhere. There was a lot of undeveloped land around it, so it must have been a new suburb of a fairly large city. There was a girl sitting alone, under a tree reading a book. She looked comfortable being alone, like she had done it frequently. There were three boys nearby who talked about her saying truly horrific things. They planned on "inviting her to a party" that only they were going to have fun at. They were definitely already high on something, especially the ringleader. He was angelless with him. The other two had angels who desperately tried to get them to leave, but to without success. The girl's angel, aware of the danger, tried to get her charge to go inside, also to without success.
"Hard-headed teenagers!" I thought.
We heard the leader say, "Look, there she is, all alone. Let's go."
"What are we going to do?" I asked George.
"We're going to only appear to those boys over there. We're merely going to go over and sit with the girl until those boys lose interest in her," George explained.
That sounded easy enough, but there was something lacking in the plan I thought, so I asked, "Are two grown men going to look a little strange sitting by her?"
"Good point," George said. "Imagine yourself eighteen again and wearing, oh, let's say, jeans and a T-shirt." So we both did that. "Now focus on the boys." I did that. Then we walked around the corner and right up to the girl. She turned around quickly, like she had heard us approach. I looked at her.
"Focus on the boys!" George commanded. So I did.
They approached from the other direction and were still some twenty feet away. We stared them down. The girl looked up, then turned away slightly. She showed absolute zero interest in and barely any recognition of the boys.
The leader cussed at his cohorts about their plans being blown. The boys' angels looked relieved, as did the girl's angel. All of them thanked us for our intervention. The boys walked away. Soon after that, the morning bell rang and the girl got up and went into the school.
The boys, who still had angels with them, went into school, too. The angel-less boy stayed out and cussed them out for their choice to leave him. He wandered out into the parking lot and back toward his car and left the school by speeding out of the parking lot. The speed at which he left the lot attracted the attention of a nearby patrol car, which promptly pulled him over.
"Good work, Martin," George said. "How d'ya like that?"
"That was great. But did she see us?" I asked.
"No, but I believe she heard us. You have to maintain focus when you become visible or somebody may see something more than you intended. To a great extent that's where ghost stories come from."
That made sense. I think I'd started a couple of those ghost stories in my day, myself. "What if those boys would've tried to take us on? What would we have done then?"
"I would have caused a diversion and we would have disappeared. The boys would have been left scratching their heads, trying to find us and probably fighting each other. The girl would still have been safe."
"Should her angel have appeared to them? Would that have helped?"
"Maybe, but she probably thought the prospect of those boys seeing two girls might have been more enticing. It's hard to say. We all protect our charges the best way we know how and it's as individual as we are and as they are. We simply gave a helping angel hand. Someday one will do the same for you and you will be very grateful. Wait, you'll see."
Chapter 13
"What's next, Martin?" he asked.
"Naomi will send word if Glory needs me, right?"
"She'll send word," George reassured me.
"Where are Peter and Jeremi? What time is it there? They're due back home pretty soon. I want to see what happens when Jeremi and Jeannie get back together. I want to be there for their reunion."
"Very well. Let's go."
We went to Jeannie's apartment. She scurried around like she was getting ready for a big date. The girls watched her every move.
"But we want to go with you!" Carole begged.
"I told you, baby. You have to stay here. I want to spend some time alone with Emi. He's got a lot he says he wants to tell me and, well, he'll come over later and you girls can see him then," Jeannie explained.
Pearl, Edwina and Marie laughed together. Marie said, "That makes twelve." They laughed harder.
"Twelve what?" I asked.
"Times that Carole has asked to go with her to get him. They're all excited about Jeremi coming back into town. She's a persistent one," Marie said about Carole.
"But Mommeeee!" was interupted by the doorbell.
"Saved by the bell," both Pearl said out loud and Jeannie muttered to herself simultaneously, which made all of us laugh louder. Jeannie answered the door. It was their babysitter, a young teenage girl, and her angel.
"Hi! I'm almost ready. Carole, would you please show Ashleigh what I've pulled out for you for dinner?" Then she turned to the babysitter. "Keep them out here, please. Let me get finished dressing, then I'll get out of here." The babysitter acknowledged and followed a stomping Carole out to the kitchen.
Marie buzzed by Carole's ear and said firmly, "Straighten up!" Carole stopped her stomping.
Jeannie disappeared behind her bedroom door. When Lynne tried to follow her, the babysitter picked her up and played with her.
A few minutes later Jeannie emerged from the bedroom. She looked very sharp, definitely ready to go out for the evening. "It would appear that they're going somewhere else after she picks them up from the airport," I said, but it was more of a question for Pearl.
"Yes, she and Jeremi have plans to go out," Pearl confirmed.
Jeannie kissed both the girls, gave the babysitter some final instructions and flew out the door before Carole could ask a thirteenth time to go with her. Pearl followed closely behind. We bid the girls' angels good-bye and we were off as well.
Instead of going with Jeannie in the car ride to the airport, we joined Jeremi, Peter, and family in the air. Jeremi stared out the window, lost in his own thoughts. He had on my letterman's sweater. He looked anxious. Henry was nearby, so we joined him.
"How's he doing?" I asked.
"He's glad to be headed home," Henry said.
"We just came from Jeannie's place; she's ready to have him back," George said.
"She's a worrier," Henry said. "This whole time, Pearl said, all she's done is worry about him. He's had things to keep his mind occupied, but he did miss her, that's for sure. He misses you more, though, Martin. You're who's on his mind right now."
"Then let's get his mind on Jeannie," I said. "I want him to quit moping around. Tell us a story about the two of them and make sure Jeremi can hear you."
"Okay," Henry agreed. "Let's see." He thought for a moment. "A few weeks ago, Jeremi and Jeannie took the girls out to go bowling. Do you remember that, Jerem
i? When you went to the bowling alley with the girls?" Jeremi was still deep inside his own thoughts. "Jeremi!" Henry clapped his hands near his face and Jeremi jumped. Jeremi looked around for a second to see if he could figure out what had just happened. Failing that, he shook his head, muttered lightly to himself and stared out the window again. "Okay, now that you're with us, Jeremi, let's tell the story of you and Jeannie taking the girls bowling. It was the first time you met the girls." A distant look and a slight smile crept onto Jeremi's face. "It was the middle of the day, so the bowling alley was fairly empty. There were only a couple of die-hard bowlers a few lanes away. You rented these funky-looking shoes and found a colorful bowling ball for Carole. Yours was slick black and had the name 'Al' engraved on it, so you called it 'Big Al' all night." Jeremi smiled wider, on one side of his mouth. "While Jeannie picked out her bowling ball, Lynne helped you enter the names in the machine. Since the girls were with you, you had them put the bumpers up. Carole went first, with her running self and threw the ball. Actually she did pretty good, as long as she ran straight. If she ran up at any angle at all, the ball zigzagged all the way down the lane. She bowled a fifty-six and a seventy-one, really good for a five-year-old. Jeannie did all right, too. But you and 'Big Al' and Lynne had quite a day. You put Lynne on your hip and bowled. You bowled a one-ninety-eight and a two-twenty-five, some of your best games ever." Jeremi's smile grew wider with each detail. "But then you realized you that you were using bumpers and if you bragged about it to anyone, you'd be clowned!"
Jeremi shook his head, looked out the window and mumbled, "Uh, uh, uh."
Peter sitting next to him, asked, "What?"
Jeremi looked over at Peter and leaned back and tried to dismiss his question, "Oh nothing, I was just thinking of something."
"What?"
