A Conversation

 

 

 

A conversation with an angel:

 

I was standing in the checkout lane at the grocery store, waiting to buy a few items I had come in to get.  

"Can I be Frank with you?"

I looked behind me. An older gentleman with white hair and a beard looked at me expectantly. 

"Sure, you can be whoever you want. What's up, Frank?" I said.

"No, I don't mean 'Frank' as a name," he said "I mean can I talk to you, straightforward. You know, like one on one, man to man, and truthfully.... frank."

"Oh, OK. So what's on your mind?"

"I notice you seem to be putting up an excellent front with your current situation. Outwardly you seem to be bravely facing the hardships, but I also notice that deep down you seem to be actually struggling with it.  I think you ought to be more open and let more people into your life."

How did this guy know me so well? I took a closer look at him and noticed a faint glow about him. Who was this guy?

"The reality of it is," he said, "people really care about you. When they ask how you are, it is rather dismissive to just say "I'm doing O.K.", when in all honesty you don't feel well. You need to open up more."

"Who are you?" I asked. "How do you know about what thoughts are going through my head?"

"Oh! Let me introduce myself," he said. "My name is Peter. But you can just call me 'Pete' if you want."

"O.k. Pete. Give me the lowdown. How do you know about me?"

"Well," said Pete, "I work with this guy who has an interest in your well-being. He feels like you may be taking it a little too hard on your own. You know, there are people in your life that actually care. You have to learn to let them in. It's not just good for them to feel better when they help you, it's also a way for you to help yourself."

"Pete," I said, "I have been a loner all my life. I have been self-sufficient and always handled my own problems..."

"And, yet, sometimes you can't handle the problems..." replied Pete. "You tend to get disheartened and fatalistic when you can't work things out, and just say to yourself 'Screw it', when just right next to you might be someone sympathetic and have a solution. You should come to terms with the fact that you were never meant to travel this world alone. Everyone needs the help of others."

"But, what if I am burdening people with my ills? No one needs the heartache of listening to someone unload their story on them..."

 "You underestimate people. Sure, the stranger down the street might not be receptive. But I'm talking about your friends and your relatives. These people genuinely want to help and want to know how you are facing up. Those are the people you should not dismiss with that non-committal 'doing O.K.' when deep down you are either hurting or feeling depressed. Those are the people who can help you right the ship when it starts to keel over, so to speak."

I pondered this for a moment. It was true. I tended to not let people into my private life. That self-sufficiency attitude was entirely a major pressure point in my attitude. IAs I thought about what Pete was saying, something he had said earlier caught my memory.

"Pete," I asked, "just who is 'this guy' you mentioned that cares so much about me? And, for that matter, who ARE you? I mean, really?" 

"Who am I?" said Pete. "I guess you might call me someone who has a special interest in your well-being. Everybody has someone somewhere who is looking out for them. You know, like Clarence did for George Bailey."

"George Bailey??? You mean like the guy in It's A Wonderful Life? So that means you're my Clarence? My guardian angel?. But then that means that other guy must be..."

"Yeah, you got it. God. God cares about you. And God sends his representatives in all forms. Including as your friends and relatives. So use them. And don't forget to thank the guy who sent them."

*******************

So. Did this conversation actually happen? I'm not saying. But the message is clear. God cares.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy