Sunday, January 25, 2009

Angels Among Us











(Do you know how hard it is to find a non-smarmy angel graphic? This is the best one, and it's standing on bubbles.)

OK, can we talk about the US Airways crash into the Hudson?













First of all, mad props to the hero pilot, "Sully" Sullenberger for a textbook perfect emergency landing.....

But I have to think there was SOME sort of divine intervention here, don't you?

When I told my 11 year old she said, "It probably was a guardian angel."

Which gave me chills because she herself was saved by some sort of intervention when she was 1 year old.









I am a Conehead....







Seriously, though- this is her at 1, in our condo in Connecticut. When you came in the front door, there was a stone floor landing, then 15 steep, narrow steps up to the foyer. Obviously, we had a baby gate at the top of the steps.

One morning, I was playing with her on the living room floor after a very sleepless night (she was waking 3-4 times a night).

The doorbell rang and I went to get it- a very large box from UPS. I left the baby gate that guarded the stairs open as I set the box down in the other room, because my hands were full.

Forgetting the gate, I went back to my daughter, lay down with her on the floor and eventually drifted asleep. I mean a deep, dreaming sleep. I was exhausted.

The next thing I heard startled me awake like a fire alarm: a loud, audible voice shouting, "WAKE UP!!!"

My first thought as I jumped up was "Who the hell is in the house???"

The I realized- my baby girl was not in the room.

I ran to the front hall and there she was: standing precariously at the head of the stairs. I grabbed her just in time.

It wasn't a dream, it wasn't a "sense" that I should wake up: it was somebody who deliberately jolted me awake because my baby was seconds away from falling 15 steps down to a stone floor.

I can never prove it, but I absolutely know it - and I'll be forever grateful to whoever it was.

Have you ever had a guardian angel experience?

52 comments:

roy/elisabeth dean said...

I felt a guardian angel with me as my car went down the side of a mountain! My 2 little girls were in the back seat. It felt like the car was in slo-mo....just sort of floating down. I heard her say "everything will be alright" We missed every single tree and landed in some underbrush.No a scratch on us and very few on the car! I BELIEVE! I love hearing Angel stories~ I hope a lot of people share theirs!
♥, Lilly

Mandy said...

This gives me chills.

Yes, I have had experiences where only an angel could have been there protecting us. :)

Mandy said...

I should add that my experience was also during a wreck. As my car was fishtailing into the other lane, I SWEAR up and down there was another car approaching me. I then flipped and rolled my car several times. All the while, I had the peaceful feeling that all was going to be ok. I walked away with only bruises. My car was totaled, the roof was peeled back.

Susan said...

Wow, thanks for sharing that story...
My Guardian Angel works overtime... and I hope he's getting paid extra for it. When he got me, he probably asked God, "What did I do to get her?" Seriously, when I was in college I was driving back home in the pouring rain. I hydroplaned and went across the median. The cars on the other side literally parted like the Red Sea! My Guardian Angel had to have had a hand in it because traffic was so heavy... and the whole time I was spinning I was completely at peace!

Jen said...

I just got goose bumps. Amazing! I totally believe that there are angels around us at all times sometime we feel them and sometime not but they are there.

Jess said...

Amazing stories!
Everyone of them!
Thank you God for Angels!

Tenakim said...

I totally believe in angels and have had a few 'jolts' from them just like that-thanks for sharing!

Jen said...

What a great story! I totally believe in angels and even though I don't have a specific story per se, I do believe I have avoided lots of car accidents because of them. I'm not the best driver (yes I'll admit it) and I think I must have someone "up there" looking out for me and keeping me safe. It is just a feeling that I sometimes have while in the car.

SweetPeaSurry said...

That is an amazing story. Truly! It's wonderful that your guardian angel gotcha movin'! I don't know if I have a guardian angel ... but I've had several very close calls.

have a great night!

Evolving Mommy Catherine said...

Wow. Like so many of the other commenter's I have goosebumps. I can't say that I have had an experience with angels but thank you for sharing your's.

Candice said...

One day I was driving with my music blaring as usual. I was at a stop light and the light turned green so I began to go.

I heard someone yell STOP! DON'T GO! (much like the voice that you heard) so I slammed on the breaks and when I looked to the left a car came speeding our of nowhere and ran the red light. It would have been lights out for me had I not stopped.

I totally believe in guardian angels.

Like the bubble pic, btw. ;)

Ann Harrison said...

What a fantastic story Sue.
I feel everyday my girls make it from sun up to sun down the angels are working their hearts out.
(I'm one of those that sees the darkest side of every situation and it takes a very strong internal filter NOT to share my nightmares with all that are around me. Oh well.)
I'm going to go through my memory banks and see what story(ies) I can share too.

Rose and Jill said...

My sister is a diabetic and we slept in the same bed until we were 14 & 15 because she would have seizures at night. One night in college I woke up about 2:15 in the morning & knew her blood sugar was low. I called her several times and she realized that her blood sugar was low, was able to get up and eat anad was fine. If I hadn't called her she probably would have had a seizure, gone into a coma & possibly died. It still gives me the chills when I think about it!
-R

t said...

Wow. That's quite a story...and you know, there is a guardian angel. In the past few years, I thought it might be my parents but it's amazing how it happens.

Loved the post.

Mary@Holy Mackerel said...

I too have had a few meetings with my angel. Thank god! I've had a few very close calls...And yes, a few times I heard a voice. Very cool.

Leslie said...

OH wow, that's all I can say. I have chills up and down my spine. But honestly, I do believe there are angels among us. I don't have anything specific to share, but I feel that things have been "tweaked" in my life for my protection. It's just a feeling. Thanks for sharing your story.

Aracely said...

Oh my Sue, someone was definitely on watch that day. I believe they are around us too, but I'm partial to the chubby cheruby angels myself.

The Mom Jen said...

Wow, that's powerful.

Formerly known as Frau said...

chills! Yes I'm an angels believer! Love your blog!

Swirl Girl said...

wow !

Rachel said...

Wow...thank goodness for that voice.

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

Thanks for reminding us that we do have our Angels!

Last year after my husband's bypass surgery, he got up in the middle of the night to get some water. I was awakened by the same type of loud voice that you heard..WAKE UP NOW..I bolted out of bed and found my husband laying on the floor..passed out. His new heart meds had caused a huge drop in his blood pressure causing him to faint. The EMT's said he would have died had I not found him when I did. Do I believe in Angels? HECK YEAH!

kristi said...

wow. that gave me goosebumps!

Colleen said...

Yes. Yes. I believed that my grandparents (whom I did not know) were somehow with me at times--just a feeling of their presence. When I had a psychic reading this past year, she was eerily correct in their names and told me that they're not only angels but my protectors and that they've been with me when I've needed them... I also think sometimes Bobby is talking to them, and the psychic told me he has a strong bond with them, and that they were with us in the delivery room. I believe whole heartedly in guardian angels...

kristi said...

I wanted to add that one day I was talking with my then 2 year old and we were talking about angels. She had seen an angel in a story i was reading. anyway, I told her that was an angel in the book and she told me "like the angels that watch from my window." i got goosebumps cause we live in the woods like on several acres with no one around. i will never know if she really saw angels but i know it wasn't someone else.

Beth Cotell said...

I believe you. Thanks for sharing this. I got goosebumps!

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

I don't have a moment, but I totally believe in guardian angels.

However, my hubby was T-boned at high speeds (both cars were totaled, and he just had a couple bruises.) I know he had a guardian angel there.

Hannah D. said...

I just wrote a post about my biggest guardian angel experience! A little over a year ago I was kidnapped and survived.

Here is the post (forewarning you, it's a long one) http://hdandqb.blogspot.com/2009/01/im-survivor.html

Anonymous said...

I was driving down the highway I took my eyes off the road for a second the next thing I heard was someone saying DUCK! I ducked down down as low as you can go in the driver's seat and moved my head to one side. I rear ended a truck carrying lumber. The lumber came through the windshield narrowly missing my head and sheared off the seat belt. It quite a few years ago it still gives me chills. I believe.

Anonymous said...

yup,I've had a few breast biopsies now due to several suspicious mammos and a strong family history,etc. After I came home from the hospital, I was lying down on my bed, just spent and emotional from the experience when I dozed off. I was awakened because I felt "someone" holding my hand and just before I woke up to see who it was, I remember feeling so comforted by it. I opened my eyes and no one was there, in fact, no one was even upstairs in my house! I remember looking at my hand in awe. I even looked under the bed!! It was a strange feeling but a wonderful feeling too. I'll never forget that.

Letters In My Mailbox said...

Angels are all around us everyday. I was reminded of My Guardian Angel. It was another crazy day for this mom of four. They are of course the cutest and sweetest children ever!
The "baby girl" was out in front of our house with my oldest son. First I must set the scene. Our home was a short but winding distance from the street. As best I can recall my husband and I were trying to get everyone out of the house and into the car. Never an easy task with six people! "Baby Girl" was about three at the time and my oldest son about fourteen. I stepped out the front door to see "baby girl" run towards the street looking over her shoulder towards her brother and then at me. She was laughing as she ran. Great big I know I am not suppose to run into the street come catch me thrill on her face. Suddenly out of nowhere a car came flying down the street. It never slowed and I believe it never even saw her. She should have been hit. She was there and so was the car. It never touched her. I know her Guardian Angel was holding on to the hem of her dress! I know it!

Mariah said...

I've heard a voice or two also. Recently though a stick shook that I have hanging above my bed. I had been crying over someone that died. It was weird. I felt like she was up in heaven shaking that stick at me and telling me to go on with my life

Anonymous said...

I totally have chills. Thanks for sharing!

Tami Wyatt said...

About 20 years ago I was involved in a relationship that was very toxic. I prayed myself to sleep many, many nights. One night as I prayed for answers, strength and guidance...I heard a man's voice clearly say, "I am but you're not listening!" I bolted upright in bed and sat there in a panic because I thought there was a man in my room. After my heart stopped beating in my ears and my eyes stopped spinning in circles..I realized that I was actually alone in the room and that it was my guardian angel or God speaking to me. Believe me...I became a much better listener after that.

Anonymous said...

I haven't had any personal experiences like that, but my cousin has. One time when he was driving on the highway, he noticed something in his peripheral vision to his right. He glanced over to see his deceased best friend sitting in the passenger seat. He braked intuitively as a reaction. At the moment he braked, the car in front of him hit a deer. Had he been accelerating at his regular speed, he would've hit that car. Amazing, as is your story.

Emily said...

I believe.
Once I was at a red light. I was in the front of the line of cars. The first at the light. The light turned green and I started to go, but for some reason, I hesitated. At that very moment, an 18-wheeler came screaming through the intersection. I narrowly missed getting hit. I don't know why I hesitated. But something told me to. I believe.

Patton's With Passion said...

Yes. The day we brought my youngest son home from the hospital- we side car'd the crib to our bed AND used a sleep positioner. In the middle of the night, my cordless phone turned on by itself on speaker, with a loud fax machine noise (the phone was not within reach). I woke up to turn it off, and saw that my son had wedged himself between his crib mattress and our mattress. He was really struggling :( If the phone hadn't awakened me, he would have suffocated.

Anonymous said...

That would have been so scary!
I'm glad that everything turned out all right:)

Unknown said...

So I'm a lurker & will resume lurker status after this, but as I was passing through this evening (i read it this a.m.) I remembered when I was 13 I reported my mom's boyfriend for child abuse, they came & talked to me at the school and said they'd take us out of the home the next day after they had everything ready. The whole morning I was excited and nervous. While walking my little brother to school, I said a prayer that all will go well and that I'd made the right decision. Then someone held my hand. Sort of like a parent would. It was so real I had to look down to see that there wasn't really someone holding it. So strange. But comforting and I didn't feel scared anymore. :)

Unknown said...

I have been lurking on your blog since the beginning. Many a night have been spent in our house laughing at your posts. I was truly touched by this one... I feel like you gave all your loyal readers a piece of you. Thanks for that. I'll keep my piece In my back pocket (except when I sit down... I'll promote you to front for that)

Angie said...

Wow, thats awesome! I too do believe and have experienced the like, there are angels everywhere. Bless you~

sassy stephanie said...

Brrrr. You gave me chills.

Dreyer Drama said...

When my son was three he requied open heart surgery. I went to the cemetary to chat with my father in law to ask him to watch over my son. All of the sudden (I swear this was real) I saw him he was sitting there smiling at me and then he was gone as quick as he appeared. Right then, I knew everything would be ok (and it was). I went home and called my husband (he was being deployed to Iraq, great timing huh?). I told him what happened.

Anonymous said...

I'm reading Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult.
Sounds like you would like it.

jill jill bo bill said...

My son, on his way home back to college after my dad passed away, was driving in the rain on the interstate in traffic. He had reached over to change the station of the radio when he heard my dad clearly say, "Lay down in the seat." He said his heart stopped, it was so loud and clear, but he hesitated to lay in the seat. The next second his truck began to hydroplane just exactly the same time as the 18 wheeler beside him. He laid in the seat and totally took his hands off the wheel. They collided and the 18 wheeler's trailer completely took off the cab of Trev's truck from the driver's window to the front windshield. There is no doubt in any of our minds that Guardian Angels do exist, and that my dad was watching over Trevor. He came away without even a scrape from the all the broken glass.

Sarah Gutierrez said...

Amazing story!

When my little brother was 2, he was without a doubt saved by his angel. My mom had put him in the front seat of our Blazer, seat-belted him in, and drove 3 houses down to feed a neighbors dog. When she turned into their driveway, going about 10 mph, somehow he opened the car door and flew out with the momentum of the turn. She reached for him w/her right hand, while trying to keep her foot on the brake. But she couldn't stop in time and ended up running over him.
When she felt the crunch under the tire and no sound coming from him, she thought he was dead. But when she got over to him he just lay there with his body under the car, arm extended into the path of the tire, and totally unharmed. She had run over only his arm, which had nothing but scratches and tire tread marks on it. He was fine. And the doctors shook their heads as to why no bones were broken. We had no doubt his angel was holding that car up.

Anonymous said...

Over a decade ago my then teenage daughter was driving friends home from a local ski hill. They were hit by a pick up truck equipped with a snow plow.My son was critically injured, they had to wait for the jaws of life to get him out so he could be airlifted. My daughter has always insisted in all the chaos a young man climbed in the van with him, encouraging him to breath and remain conscience. The guy was young, had longer hair and wore a flannel shirt and no coat(in the middle of winter in Michigan).No one knew where he came from, who he was or where he went afterwords. But I am so thankful and my son is now a handsome,strong young man, fully recovered, with some extra titanium holding his facial bones together.
Shame on you Sue for encouraging me to be so sappy.

Anonymous said...

That's awesome, Sue.

I'm a believer too.

Leigh said...

That's amazing. I look at all the things I forget to take care of in my tired mommy-mind and can only pray that my guardian angel is as observant (and loud) as yours was!

Also, once at a funeral when I was about 2 I asked my parents who the floating person was. I saw an angel flying above the weeping family. I vaguely remember it (I was so young) but I definitely believe. :)

Lisa-licious said...

I remember my mother telling me that she had seen some family's station wagon overfilled with people get rear ended on I-95 in Florida. She swears she saw the baby, still in it's carrier, FLOAT slowly out of the open back window and land safely, right-side up on the pavement nearby. I believe in angels. Great ABBA song, BTW. I will tell you the really freaky cool angel stories at BlogHer.

Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...

Wow! It's my first time on your blog and I loved this post and all of the comments. It reminded me to stay tuned in to the miracles around me.

I don't have a guardian angel story per se, but twice on retreats (2 different years) friends have come up to me in the morning and said they had a dream the night before about my late mother (whom they had never met) and that she said she was proud of me.

Michelle said...

WOE! That gave me chills...and made my stomach hurt.

I skipped over from some blog claiming you had awarded them some brown baby thing. But I see no evidence of this.

Meanwhile I couldnt stop reading as you are truly hilarious.

My favorite so far has been the lady birthing into her sweatpants...seriously.