A song by Alabama in 1993 carried a message that has lingered with me for years:
Oh, I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hour
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give
To guide us with the light of love
Recently, my sister took her fourth child on a coming-of-age trip to the Daytona 500. As I scrolled through the photos that she shared, one stopped me in my tracks. The picture stretched wide across the massive racing landscape, but in the foreground sat a woman who looked just like my mom, who passed away last summer.
I zoomed in immediately. From behind, the resemblance was uncanny. The thought ran through my mind: my mom had joined them on their trip–quietly present, watching from a few steps away.
I remember the first summer after my dad died. I planted a garden, and as I stood back to admire my work, a cardinal landed on a low branch above the rows. It lingered there, almost as if inspecting my work. I smiled through tears, imagining Dad checking in.
Moments like these have woven themselves throughout my life. I still pause when I find a feather along my path or tucked in an unexpected place. Years ago, someone once told me feathers are reminders that we are seen, watched over, cared for. Whether or not that’s true, I receive them as gifts.
But Alabama didn’t sing only about the supernatural. They sang about a kind word, a helping hand, a phone call from a friend, a single ray of hope.
In today’s world, we desperately need angels among us.
Sometimes they arrive in grand, unmistakable ways. Other times, they show up in laughter on a stressful afternoon. Recently, in the middle of a long day, colleagues cracked silly jokes about sniffing the medical tape. It lightened my load, and stress loosened its grip. The trajectory of the day shifted.
Maybe that’s how angels work. They might look like encouragement at just the right moment. Maybe they feel like presence when we thought we were alone.
And maybe–just maybe–we are invited to become those angels for one another. A smile. A text. A small act of noticing. A simple reminder that we are looking out for each other and caring for one another. And when we do, we guide one another with the light of love.