Earth Angel

I don't believe in God but I do believe in angels; the earth bound variety.

Last year I was blessed with many angels. The first I'll mention was my neighbor who delivered a very merry Christmas to me and my girls; an act for which she wanted no publicity. She gave us toys and food which I appreciated but didn't really know how to accept gracefully.

Then I got a job, which I desperately needed, but that job meant finding childcare and the means to get Hannah to and from school (the early learning program she was in had no bus service). Many of the parents and caregivers of the children in Hannah's class helped me by driving her to school and to the babysitters' after school. If it was not for them Hannah could not have gone to school last year.

And then there was/is Dima. She is the babysitter for my girls when I am at work. She lives down the road and my girls love her. Without her in the community I would not be able to work.

In a pinch, when no babysitter or transport for Hannah was available- there was Violet, my stepmother, and my dad. They have helped me out of many tough spots and they are the reason I moved home; I knew I could count on them for help. As a single mother you will always need reliable extra hands on deck.

I am writing on this topic because one of my angels has found an angel herself this week. Linda, one of the people who often drove Hannah to the babysitters' last year had an unfortunate car accident on icy roads last week. Her van, which was lost in the accident, is the source of her livelihood. She is a childcare provider for three families in the area and needs her van to transport her charges. Luckily no one was injured in the accident but the loss of the van was a financial blow. Recently I read on Linda's Facebook update that she found an anonymous envelope in her mailbox with an unspecified amount of money in it. Her angel had arrived.

Such acts of kindness should not go unnoticed. We should all be talking about whatever good fortune befalls us. It is my hope that we will all be angels on earth.