Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Guardian Angels

"Do you believe in archangels?" asked the bedraggled, tallish man outside my Norfolk, Virginia church.

I had been shoveling snow off the steps when he appeared. He asked the way to the homeless shelter and I pointed out the direction. He literally held his hat in hand and seemed pained to asked me for a bit of spare cash.

I went inside pretending to go to the church office to fetch it out of a cashbox; in reality, I took it from my pocket. I went back out and gave it to him. He thanked me, bowing his tall, lanky frame.

He said goodbye then asked, "Do you believe in archangels?"

I felt the hairs on my arms stand up and prickles run down my spine. "Yes," I replied, "and guardian angels, too." I returned to my shoveling and he walked away.

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Saint Don Bosco had an interesting guardian angel. You may read about ... him? it? Here.

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