The Angels Among Us

Yes, there are angels in this world…  And I had more than my fair share watching over me yesterday.

Yesterday my car ceased to function while turning off of 611 onto Old Welsh Rd at the start of rush hour. Needless to say I was terrified on a multitude of levels. First and foremost, that I was helplessly sitting in a car in the middle of a busy intersection with no way to move it. The car wasn’t going to go anywhere without help. Second, because I am poor. There I said it. I.AM.POOR. I have no savings. I have a shitty job. I have nothing, so how can I get my car fixed with nothing?! And if I can’t get my car fixed, how do I get to the aforementioned shitty job?

My first angel was the PECO supervisor who saw me stranded; I wish I had thought to take his name.  He pulled over, placed cones by my car, stood by my open window, and talked to me while we waited for the police.  When he got a service call, he didn’t run off; he stayed with me, trying to calm me down. He stayed even after the police arrived to see if the car could be pushed out of the intersection. It couldn’t though, the car was not budging. Once there were two officers there and a tow truck on the way, my PECO angel came to me, hugged me, wished me luck, and told me God was watching over me.

My second angel arrived in the form of a township police officer. Again, I did not catch his name, so I cannot thank him appropriately. He and the PECO angel tried to move my car out of the intersection and when it couldn’t be moved, he shuttled me out of the car and across the street so that I would be safe. When a second officer arrived, the first came to stand with me on the side of the road, all the time chatting about where I worked, cracking jokes (“Let HIM stand in the road!”), and just basically trying to calm me down. He has no idea how much that helped me. Or maybe he does. He must have to calm people in stressful situations all the time. But no matter if he did it to be nice or because he did it because it was his job, he is my second angel of the day. He asked me if I had a ride home; I said I would walk since it wasn’t that far away and once he found out I live about 500 feet from the police station, he said he would drive me home. But as thankful as I am for my angel, I never want to ride in a police vehicle again…

My third and fourth angels are ones that are always there for me, but are almost never thanked appropriately. “S” picked up my kids from school and drove them home; she listened to me have what must be the billionth mental breakdown (at least the third vehicle breakdown!) since she’s been my friend. I love her more than she can ever know. “C” came swooping in as she always does and told me that she WILL be driving me to work on Wednesday and I WILL let her. She has fed me and the kids, comforted me (without hugging, of course), and listened to me, all the while telling me that although I drew the short-straw, I will be okay. I don’t have a choice with C, she is my pushy, Irish angel and I love her all the more for it (although I will not tell her this directly as she will brush me off for my sentimental nonsense).

My fifth and sixth angels come in the form of those who gave me life. I called Mom and Dad once I was home and safe because, frankly they are the ones I want to call when I am scared. They are my parents. No questions, no thought, they turned around and came here from NJ to make sure I was okay. They took me to look at cars so I wouldn’t be without one but I was too overwhelmed for my brain to function properly. They fed my kids and sat with me while I sobbed for hours. They always come to save the day, especially when I am not asking them to. They tell me they’ve been through this all before and things will get better. It is hard to see the future through swollen, tear-stained eyes, but I will try to believe them. But because I am a horrible daughter, “thank you” is usually the last thing that is said, so I will say it now: Thank you, Mom and Dad for everything you have done for me and the kids. I love you both.

My seventh and eighth angels, well I don’t know what to say about them. I am in awe, overwhelmed, and just stunned by their blessing. “A” came here last night after I asked for her advice and guidance on what to do with the car. She pushed her way in, marched upstairs where I was still sobbing, and told me she had a blessing for me. I refuse to look at it, although I do know it is money. She tells me it is not a loan, it is a gift. She was blessed by a friend in the past and as a result she is paying it forward. Her husband offered to look at the car and have his friend look at it to see if it could be saved. We may be digging around junkyards for Impala parts, but we will get the car fixed. If it can’t, we will sell the damned thing for parts, but either way, she is helping me.  Her words last night: “Sometimes God’s Grace comes in the form of a loud-mouthed, tattooed, crazy lady”. I love you, you loud-mouthed, tattooed, crazy lady. Her husband came this morning to look at the car; he is having it towed to his friend’s shop this afternoon to see if it can be saved.

My ninth and tenth angels… well they are my true loves, my babies. Through all of this yesterday, they took care of me. “E” made sure I had my favorite coffee from Wawa last night and held my hand as we walked to school this morning. “C” snuggled with me and held me. They sat with me while I cried some more and told me that it will be okay. I need to believe that, for them. All I need from them is a hug, a kiss, and a whispered “I love you”. Well, that and getting up on time so that we can walk to school and not be late…

Thank you for reading; please keep us in your prayers as we try to settle the car dilemma. And remember, there ARE angels in this world. I hope you take the time to appreciate yours.

My car being towed away yesterday.

 

Addendum to my post: I have one angel who is with me every day of my life. *If* we talked on the phone as much as we message each other and *if* we still paid for calls by the minute, I would have a trillion-dollar phone bill… Okay that is a *bit* of an exaggeration, but you get my point. We talk every day and I can’t get through my day without hearing from her. I bounce things off of her, I complain to her, share the joys and stresses of my day, and on and on. She was the first person I told (via message) about my car trouble yesterday. She is my #1 Angel.

Back to School

I just got home from a PTO budget meeting and I am smiling…  Why, you may ask, would I be smiling after a budget meeting?  Because it was so good to see the ladies (and one gentleman) again after a long summer of working and scheduling my children’s lives.  I am looking forward for school to start in a couple of weeks for several reasons – (1)  my kids HAVE GOT to get out of this house, (2) it is much simpler to make a work schedule when I know where they are 5 days a week from 8:30-3:30, and (3) I get to see all of the parents that I have become friends with since The Bug started Pre-School.

There were times during the past 20 months that I thought I should move home.  Go back to my parents’, lick my wounds, and start over again.  But then I didn’t want to have to move the kids away from their home, from their friends, from their school – I was there, I did that when I was a teenager and it was HARD on me.  But I lived and my kids would, too, if I moved them.

But the thing that has held me here are the bonds that I have made since The Bug was born.  I have finally found a place where I fit in, where I belong.  I’m not the “new girl” or the outsider.  I have good friends that I have known since college, high school and even elementary school, but HERE is where I feel welcome.  It is my home.

School starts soon and with it will be the mayhem of morning drop-offs, afternoon pick-ups, homework, reports, scout meetings, instrument lessons and on and on.  But it also means seeing my friends on a daily basis, catching up on the playground, working a library shift and seeing the smile on my kid’s face when s/he sees me at school, talking with the teachers and secretaries.  I will feel complete again…  as complete as I can be right now.

Every day I am a little better and as the Beatles said, I get by with a little help from my friends.