I have written about Angels before but usually the ones that come back to earth as messengers to reveal new information to a prophet of God. This message is about all angels, even earthly angels, angels that live all around us, and there are many of them. There are many of us who have become aware or even acquainted with earthly angels, they talk about them often. Some even write poems or songs about them. Sometimes they are referring to a beautiful young woman who has caught their fancy, sometimes it is about somebody who may have saved their life, or often they are referring to little children with their angelic faces. So, too, many are referring to their mothers. I am sure that all of our children think of their mother as an angel but on one special mother’s day, one of our son’s and his beautiful wife were listening to a song and it reminded them of his mother. They were so touched by the words that they sent the words to her, along with a gift of flowers. The song happens to have the right name as well, it’s called “Angels”.
The lyrics;
“Me and some of the boys were sitting around the other night
Started talking about politics, religion, love and life
And what a shame it was about 9/11
And what about hell and what about heaven
And is there or isn’t there angels here on earth
And then one guy said well you can take that for what it’s worth
If it’s something I can see or something I can touch
Well I might believe in all that stuff
So I just had to say to him
Are you telling me that you’ve never seen an angel
Never felt the presence of one standing by
No robe of white no halo in sight
Well you missed the most obvious thing
Man are you blind just look in your mothers eyes
And then I said who went through the pain
And smiled through the tears on the day of your birth
She counted your fingers and toes and thanked God you were whole
Son you outta know who loved you first that’s right
And who always came running every time you cried out
And how many more things have you forgotten about
And who tried their best to teach you wrong from right
And how many nights did she leave on the light
While she waited and prayed that you came in
And who’d be there for you right up to the end
Think about it tonight
Aww man are you blind just look in your mothers eyes
That’s right”
That son has since past away and is now with an older brother who also passed away several years ago. They are now the other kind of angels, the kind that just might come with a message. A message for his sweet wife, daughter and family, his brothers and sister. Maybe even with a message for his parents, especially his angel mother. Why do I believe that it could be so? Because angels are supposed to comfort those who mourn. This son’s, sweet little 7 year old granddaughter took her grandfather’s death especially hard. She couldn’t understand where grandpa had gone and why she wouldn’t be able to see him again. As great-grandparents we don’t get to see her very often either, but our son looked quite a lot like me, his father. While at a wedding reception, held a short time after his death, she came over to me and sat next to me and in just a little while, she was on my lap. It was obvious that she missed her grandpa.
Months later, her mother told her grandmother, that one day they were sitting at the table when she said something to the effect that, “We don’t have to worry about grandpa anymore.” Her mother asked her why she said that? She replied that, he had come to her the other night and told her that he loved her, that he was OK and that she didn’t need to worry about him anymore.” Yes, there are such things as angels. If there is anyone on earth worthy to receive an angel it would be an innocent little child, and especially a ‘grandfather’s angel’. This son’s wife asked why he wouldn’t come and visit her, afterall she missed him, too. She missed him laying next to her as they slept and all the comfort they had provided each other. Well! Just over a year after his death one night she said he did come to her while she slept. He cuddled up to her and put his arms around her, she could feel him there. Then, he was gone but she was comforted and she, too, believes in angels.
Back in 1911 Nephi Anderson wrote; “The unseen world mentioned by Nephi represent our ancestral angels who will come to our aid when we have done all that we can do on our own. And so throughout the years, reaching into the millennium of peace, this work of Salvation will go on, until every soul that can be found from earthly records will have been searched out and officiated for. Then the unseen world will come to our aid, the broken links will be joined, the tangled threads will be placed in order, and the purposes of God in placing salvation within the reach of all will have been consummated,” Nephi of old said; “And when they shall say unto you; Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, should not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead?” May we be so blessed as to be worthy of such a visit, when we have sought in vain and have run out of earthly records.
“Gone is the face we loved so dear; Silent is the voice we loved to hear; Too far away for sight or speech, But not too far for thought to reach; Sweet to remember him who once was here. And who, though absent, is just as dear.”
A sister described an occasion in the temple where she had brought names of her ancestors. She was just finishing up the initiatory work for several of her family and was trying to decide which one she would do their endowments that day and the sister working in the initiatory said, “Do that one. She wants to be done today.” It so happens that she was her grandmother whom she had never met before but whom her mother said had always been a mean woman. She hadn’t planned to do her until last. This sister insisted, with tears welling up in her eyes, that she do her grandmother and she did. Her grandmother was there in spirit asking and pleading for her work to be done. What other reasons might we have to seek help from those who have moved on to the other side of the veil? Angels are messengers and they have returned with many messages from the other side; many of our scriptures are made up of their messages. Why not seek their knowledge on an individual basis of things that we have not yet experienced and yet desire to know? May God help us to have the faith of a child to humble ourselves to be worthy of such visits.