Like an angel broken loose from heaven and on the lam, she ran around the camp, infecting everywhere she went with love and laughter. Smiles appeared on tired sweaty faces and giggles could be heard. She ran to daddy and, when he said “That’s my daughter; she has Down Syndrome”, his love for her was as obvious as her imperfection. She thumbed through a book with pictures of dogs and he glowed when he said “She loves dogs. She adores the little ones”. I thought of my pup that I miss and pulled up his picture on my smart phone. When I handed it to him for his approval he smiled and handed him over electronically to this creature of goodness for her blessing. She brought my phone to her lips and kissed my dog. For a full two minutes she locked lips with him; it was like she was doing CPR on a dying man. Though I’m not sure of it, I think I might now have the most blessed phone and canine in the country.
Dad was in dire straits and needed help. A laundry list of physical issues presented and he wanted help. He came with past fixes in his hand and wanted them replaced, but the gentle purveyor of healing arts was interested as much in what was going on inside his heart as he was his body. He cared, and sometimes that’s all it takes to make you feel like there is hope. “Maybe you need to talk to somebody” he cajoled, husband to husband. “Tell me a little about your home life”. This guy is one of the good ones. The kind you want to send your family to for care and healing. But, still, “daddy” denied his issues and asked for pills. With a little disappointment and maybe a little pain in his eyes, the healer walked away to consult for the best answer.
Alone with this dad and his problems, I started to do the only thing I was able to do. “Tell me about your family back home”. But his heart was open too and he asked me simply “How much would it cost to talk to someone?” I suggested we talk with him and assured him that it would for sure be possible and continued my quest to keep him occupied. And then the truth started coming out. “My dad’s pretty sick”. As he described his illness I could hardly believe it. And mom, too. He told a desperate story of his parents back home, a long way from here. They are dependent on him, like his wife and two other kids. “You have brothers and sisters back there to help?”, I asked. “Yeah.” My brother is 11.” My heart was aching, but I had to ask him. “Can we please talk to him about this when he gets back?” “Oh, yeah”, he said. It was clear he wanted to get whatever help necessary to be the man he has been called to be on this earth.
Our healer came back and guided him to the person he needs and left him there. And then he moved on to the next desperate story with a little spring in his step. This was one of the good outcomes. We’ll both carry around the names of a dad and a little angel with us for a good while, and we’ll remind the Creator of them when we can, and know that His healing and help has been offered, and that He is faithful.
I met an angel today.
