There are angels among us

Twenty nine years ago on July 14, 1993, it was my 33 birthday. It was 10:00 pm on a Thursday night with a light rainy drizzle as I was driving back from West Hartford where I had spent a few hours with my Dream Therapy group.

It had been a lovely evening with the group but as I was coming through Hartford on the highway there was overnight construction happening and traffic had come to a stop, periodically inching forward.

I wanted to be home in my bed so I got off the exit in the middle of Hartford so I could take the backroads home. As I was on the exit ramp suddenly the muffler fell down onto the road and was dragging under my car! I knew I could not continue to drive it like that so I pulled over in front of the train/bus station downtown.

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself because it was my birthday after all. I didn’t really know what to do. I didn’t have Triple A. I figured if I could somehow tie the muffler up under my car like with a coat hanger then maybe I could drive home. But I didn’t have a coat hanger and I didn’t really know how to do that. I thought about taking it off but I was afraid to touch it and imagined I might screw it up.

I saw a phone booth (no cell phones back then) so I went over and tried to call Paul. He was in our bedroom with the air conditioner on so he didn’t hear the phone ringing downstairs. The answering machine picked up and I called out to him, yelling for him to pick up the phone! He didn’t hear me.

Then I decided to go into the train station and see if one of the security guards could help me. They said “no, sorry.” They couldn’t help me.

I walked back to the phone booth to try Paul again. No luck. I walked back to my car. I was beginning to feel some fear of being alone, at night, in the city, when it dawned on me that I hadn’t yet asked for help from my Higher Power.

So I said a silent prayer: “God, this would be a really good time for you to send an angel to help me. Please? Thank you!”

Nothing. Sigh.

After a few minutes I decided to walk back over to the phone booth and try calling my brother Greg. I was on my way over, across a parking lot from the road, when I see these 2 guys come out of the train station and start walking towards me. My fear picked up again. I was feeling young, defenseless and alone.

I kept on walking toward them and as I was passing them I looked up, made eye contact and said “Hello.” They said “Hi” back to me.

I was about 4 or 5 steps past those guys when suddenly I heard a very loud voice in my head say “DON’T YOU RECOGNIZE AN ANGEL WHEN YOU SEE ONE?!!”

It surprised me. I stopped, turned around and at the same moment, they stopped too and turned to face me. Then one of them took a step toward me and with a smile on his face said: “Can I help you?”

I felt elated! Like I had just been given a special gift.

“As a matter of fact you can help me. Would you be willing to pull this muffler off my car and put it in the trunk?”

“Sure! I can do that!” He easily yanked that thing off my car and after thanking them profusely, I was (rumbling loudly) on my way.

I was so grateful to those two angels that night. They were there for me and even though I berated myself at first for feeling fear, I also listened to my inner voice that recognized those angels I had just asked for.

I’ve told this story many times and in response have heard (and read about) amazing helpers/friends/strangers/angels that have come to assist us in our times of need. Angels are real. We just have to remember to ask!

Focus on the goodness in humanity and you will see it more and more around you.

Be kind. Be an angel to someone else and it will be returned to you exponentially. This is how we make the world a better place.

I am feeling such sadness and grief over the horrible tragedies still happening in America today. But I’m also looking for the small miracles in everyday acts of kindness.

I say feel your grief yet open your heart to love. Love is what connects us.

I was reminded of “love, love, love” while completing a 3000 piece puzzle with Paul with a Beatles theme representing 100 songs of their Magical Mystery Tour. The Beatles gave the world so many songs to help us remember what is important in life.

“Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”

“Imagine all the people, living life in peace.”

In peace,

Maureen

On the podcast this week . . .

My guest on the podcast this week is Donna Ferris, an author, who has been through some pain and heartache in life. She shares her story of healing and now helps others deal with their trauma and grief as a coach, writer and yoga teacher.

I’m reading the book she wrote called “We’ve got to stop meeting like this!” It’s truly a love story about how she didn’t give up looking for true love. She found it in a partner and she found it in herself.

Listen to this episode to learn more about how writing and yoga can help you in so many ways. And by listening to feedback given to her after she wrote the book, she found her way to sobriety too.

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​P.S. If you are ready to step up into the next greatest version of who you are, then get on my calendar for a complimentary call by clicking here and get my best advice about next steps for you.