Surrounded by a company of angels....

Eleven days after my son was born, we had to do an errand in the cities.  It was a hard trip for me, an hour and half of sitting each way, but it could not be delayed, even though I was still recovering from a rough Cesarean delivery, and not really up to it.  We were broke, had no credit card, and about enough money for gas and a stop at McDonald's for lunch.  This was in the day before ATM's, so we couldn't access our money even if we had any in the account, which we no doubt didn't.  We were young, stupid, and inexperienced new parents who had no idea what we were doing.  What could possibly go wrong?

I packed up the diaper bag.  Two or three diapers should be enough, shouldn't it?  We were only going to be gone five or six hours, after all.  How many diapers could he possibly go through?  I got Adam into his car seat, and off we went, three babes into the woods of stupidity.

We got our mission accomplished, using the last of our cash to stop and get something to eat, and were just heading back to Mankato when disaster struck.  We were in the middle lane of four lanes of traffic, first in line for the light at the intersection, in very heavy traffic when the car, which was always unpredictable, at best, suddenly refused to move.  Did I mention Valleyfair was closing, the Renaissance Festival was closing, and Canterbury Park was closing, pretty much all at that same moment, and everyone was trying to get through that particular intersection?

We didn't know what to do.  I wasn't allowed to drive yet, and for good reason since I was still healing and pretty fragile.  We were in a dangerous situation, at risk of being hit, with other drivers yelling at us and angry at the disruption in their day.  The car was obviously disabled and wasn't going anywhere without help.  My mom and step-dad were out of town, and as it happened, my aunts and uncles who live in the cities were all gone, as well.  This was the days before cell phones, and there was no pay phone near by, so we could not call anyone, even if they had been around.  I grew increasingly frantic as it dawned on me how much trouble we were in.

Finally, a police officer pulled up behind us, lights flashing.  We were so relieved to finally have someone help us get out of the immediate danger, and grateful he had stopped.  But instead of the assistance we were expecting from him, he started screaming at us to get our car out of the intersection, and threatening us with fines and tickets if we didn't stop impeding traffic immediately.  We tried to explain to him what had happened, but he didn't want to hear it and walked back to his car.  He yelled at us one more time as he roared away, leaving us to our fate, and I sat down in my car and cried.

It was a hard life moment, one of the few times I have felt truly and utterly alone.  We were over an hour away from the safety of our home with our new baby, no diapers, no money, a broken car, no way to get home, no where to stay, no one to call, no one to turn to for help.  I was angry with myself for being so stupid and thoughtless, and frantic about what we were going to do.

Then I saw a car turn off the road and park.  A young man and woman about our age came running through the traffic to us, and asked us if we needed help.  We explained the situation briefly, that our car was broken and we couldn't move it, and they helped us push it off the thoroughfare and turned into a side street.  We were so grateful to be out of the immediate danger, we could not thank them enough.

But they weren't done.

They asked us what we were going to do, and we were honest about our situation.  He said he always went to a repair shop that would still be open, and he could vouch for their honesty.  So he said he would run home, (his house was just a few blocks away,) and call them, and have them come and tow the car for us.  They got into their car, and I thought that would be the last I ever saw of them.  I was wrong.

In a few minutes, they were back.  They had some food, some drinks, and even some diapers for my baby.  (They said they were just laying around from a friend who had been to visit with their baby.  I was so young and stupid, I actually believed them.)  The tow truck arrived, and my husband went with the car, insisting that I go with the young couple in their car.

At this point, the whole thing was almost dreamlike, and I made a decision I would never have made if I weren't desperate to the point of being senseless.  No one in the world knew where we were or who we were with.  Anything, absolutely anything, could have happened, and no one would have ever known.  But at the time, it was the only solution I could see, so I got into a car with strangers, taking my vulnerable newborn with me.  And somehow, some way, I had a complete assurance deep inside me that all would be well, and this was God's way of rescuing us.

We followed the truck to the repair shop, and while my husband was making arrangements to have the car repaired, I got out of the car and was thanking the young couple for all their help.  The immediate crisis was resolved, and I was so grateful for everything they had done.  But I was still desperately worried about what we were going to do next, and how we would get home.  The baby was tired, I was exhausted and stressed, and we were still an hour away with no transportation.  I am sure my emotions were all on the surface and they knew exactly what was going through my head.

Then this tired young couple, who had spent all day at the Renaissance Festival, and needed to be somewhere early in the morning, told us they would not leave us there to our fate, but instead would be taking us back to Mankato.  I resisted.  It was too much to ask.  I also knew it was risky and stupid.  After all, we didn't know them, and no one where we were or who we were with.  But ultimately, it was the only solution, and they had been so kind to us so far, I just couldn't believe they had anything terrible in store for us.

It was a fun ride back to Mankato.  They were upbeat and uplifting, and by the time we arrived home, we were cheerful and relieved and so grateful to them.  We offered to at least send them money to reimburse them for their time and gas, and they refused, telling us it had been a fun evening for them.  Ultimately, we sent them off with a six pack of soda in repayment for all they had done for us.  It wasn't much, but it was all we had.

Right before they left, we asked for the man's business card, and my husband put the card in his wallet.  Regardless of what they had said, we were determined to repay them as soon as payday arrived, and we wanted to know how to get ahold of them.  We thought that would be the end of the story, but it wasn't.

The repair shop called us to give us the bad news - the clutch needed to be replaced.  I called around to be sure we were getting a good deal, and in fact, they were asking about half of what most repair shops were charging.  So we told them to go forward, shocked at how well everything had turned out.

On the day we went back to pick up the car, I wanted to stop by the place where the young man worked to repay him in person and thank him again for everything they did for us.  I asked my husband for the business card so we could call, but the card was missing.  He took everything out of his wallet, where we both knew he had put it, but it was simply gone.  I assumed my husband had lost the card, but fortunately, we remembered his name and the company where he worked, so all was not lost.

When I called his office to talk to him, I was told no one by that name worked there.  In fact, no one by that name had ever worked there as far as the receptionist knew, and she had worked there for several years.  We knew we had the name of the company right, and we were certain about his name.  So how did he have that card with his name on it?

We called directory assistance to get his home phone number, and no one by that name lived in the cities.  We tried the girlfriend's name, and she wasn't in the directory, either.  I determined to get to the bottom of the situation, because it was beginning to feel sort of eerie.

When I went to pick up the car, I asked at the shop about the young man who had come in with us, thinking I could find them that way.  They said they had no idea who he was, and thought we just came to their shop because they were the only ones open that night.  When I said he had told us he went there regularly, they said they didn't ever remember working on his car before.

When I got home, I tore the house apart looking for that card.  It was not there.  It had vanished, along with the young couple who saved us from our own stupidity.  There was no way to thank them further, no way to follow up, no way to contact them.  It was as if they had never existed, other than to help us in our moment of great need.

What is the explanation for this mysterious couple who arrived at exactly the right time, helped us, then totally disappeared without a trace?   I believe they were angels, sent from God, to help us when there was no other help available.

God is always near.  He is always aware of our difficulties.  He knows our every need.  As small and insignificant as we are, when we are in distress, he hears our desperate call and he will help us.  Sometimes, it is through his presence alone.  But sometimes, he sends a helper or two who appear to us in a form we trust and understand, his representatives on earth.

I have thought of these two angels many times over the years.  They have inspired me to help others when it would have been easier to ignore and pass by someone in need.  They have reminded me that I matter to God, and am more than a little cog in his vast universe.  I am important, I matter, and I am worth caring for, even to the point of sending an angel or two when I am in need.

Today I am grateful for the angels who walk with us in our daily journey through life.  We may not recognize them as angels at the time, but angels they are, sent straight from heaven to assist us when we need them most.  God is always with us, but sometimes, we need a helping human hand.  Angels stand in the gap between heaven and earth.  I have the confident assurance that I will never be alone, because God's angels will always be with me.