Not all angels have wings; just a few

Not all angels are endowed with wings. Some exist among us. Last night, this author met two of them.

Driving home from work, I was afflicted with a flat tire. Pulling off the road at the first opportunity (this is a two-lane highway without shoulders), I stopped in the parking lot of a local business. The owners were sitting outside, enjoying the lovely evening. I sheepishly asked if they had a compressor, and the gentleman came over to look. The wife went and got a compressor. But he indicated that the tire was shot (it was).

He proceeded to try to put on the spare, but it clearly was the wrong size. (It had been replaced a year prior but not needed until today.) Living paycheck to paycheck as so many do these days, this author is three days from payday, has less than $30 in the bank, and was prepared to ask a friend to borrow some money.

The man proceeded to make a phone call, toss the wheel and bad tire into his beautifully and patriotically decorated Jeep, and leave. His lovely wife brought water, and we went on to have a delightful conversation. It was clear that we shared political views and a deep love of our country.

Not long after, the man returned. He had a brand-new tire on the wheel and put it on the car. I asked how much I owed him, and wanted to write him a post-dated check to cover the expense on my payday. He refused, and asked only that if I saw him stranded someday, to help him as he’d helped me. Absolutely, sir, absolutely.

They were both a godsend, and this author is extremely grateful for and to them.

God works in mysterious ways. Boundless gratitude to Him and to them for their kindness, generosity, and humanity. New friends were made as well, and that is the greatest gift of all. ~ Dawn Merrill, American Thinker

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Not all angels have wings; just a few

DGH: 1 day ago – My turn, abbreviated version on the activities of one, Joe Strader…

I was on a trip to downtown Chicago. I was out for a meal and was approached by a woman with a gas can. “Sir, can you give me some money for gas?” She asked for $10 so she could get gas to get her children home. She said that they were in the car a couple of blocks away waiting for her to return.

I said I would do better. I would go with her and fill her car up. She would not have it. She only wanted the cash. I returned to the hotel self-satisfied about my ability to rebuff her panhandling.

After a few moments the hotel loneliness set in and my thoughts turned to the woman. There was a quiet voice in my head. “Joe, it was not about the gas.” I had the distinct feeling that I was sent to that place and I failed to see it. Maybe she just needed someone to care. Maybe she was going to waste it on drugs. Neither mattered. I was put in a place to possibly make a difference. I made a little vow that if I could be given a second chance, I would do different. And then I went to sleep and forgot about it.

Two weeks later I was driving home from a trip and stopped at a rest area. A woman approached me with a gas can and asked, “Sir, can you help me? I need gas to get home.” I answered, “Yes, I most certainly can.”

I followed her to the next exit where I filled her car with gas. I started the pump and went inside to grab a snack. As I was leaving, she was on the phone talking to her daughter and I happened to overhear, “I’m headed home. God sent me an angel.”

I am not an angel, but we never know when God might send us to people that just might think we are one for nothing more than showing up at exactly the right time. Maybe God put me there for her and maybe, just maybe, God put her there for me. Not all angels have wings; just a few. [end]

• Dawn Merrill, American Thinker: Not all angels have wings