The Guardian's of the Way

My first angel experience happened when I was just eight years old. At the time I didn’t realize it as such but experience has taught me that angels’s come in many forms and serve many purposes. This short story is about that first encounter.

When I was in third grade I was invited by one of my classmates to hang out with him after school. I was pretty excited because unlike me, he didn’t live in suburbia but lived out in the “wilderness’ which I thought was pretty cool.

After school I talked my dad into dropping me off to meet him. We decided we would meet at the end of his driveway, which was nothing more than a long dirt road, and make the hike to his house through the adjacent woods. My dad told me he’d be back after dark to pick me up. I remember how the late afternoon sun made the snow on the ground sparkle and the chill of air as we began our little adventure.

We had about an hour or so of daylight left but when you’re eight years old that seemed like more than enough time to hang out. After walking the dirt road a few minutes we took our shortcut through the woods back to his house. The daylight was quickly fading but it was awesome how it cast the trees in their long shadows which made the woods seem more alive. This was like a far out winter field trip for an eight year old city boy.

There are many little details I recall about that day. The crackling sounds of leaves and branches beneath our feet, a grey squirrel that seemed to tag along and the air becoming colder which made it easier to see our breath. The time passed quickly because we completely ignored it. A light snow had begun to fall and it was dusk by the time we reached the clearing and made our way to his house in the distance.

When we made it to his home I remember the wonderful smell of hickory and wood burning in the fireplace and the fresh pies his mother had made in the kitchen. It smelled like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled up into one big holiday. She told me my dad had called and he was on his way to pick me up. I didn’t even have time for a piece of homemade pie. That didn’t matter because our hike more than made up for it.

The Road Home

It was twilight by now so I thought I better be on my way. At the time I didn’t realize that where my dad dropped me off was a half of a mile away. I didn’t pay too much attention to distance during our time in the woods. Having fun usually doesn’t involve paying attention to such detail. Mischief and adventure rule the day when you’re in third grade.

How hard could it be to find my way back? I was told to simply follow the dirt road back to where I was to meet him. Besides, In the second grade I was a Boy Scout for a week before it became boring. But in the wilderness I soon discovered that there are no streetlights and darkness comes quickly and seems even “darker” outside the city limits. It took me only a few minutes to realize I was completely lost. The road had turned into a narrow path and with no light to guide the way. I now wished I would have learned a few Boy Scout survival tips that short week.

I picked up my pace as every sound around me seemed to be amplified in the cold of the autumn air which made every noise  seem more frightening. It was pitch black by now and the stars were the only light I could see. Having no clue to where I was going I figured running would get me there faster. Now that’s eight year old logic in action. I was beginning to panic because I had no clue which direction to go or if either a bear or coyote would be the first thing I would run into in the dark.

Remember the dreams where there is someone chasing you and your legs are moving but it feels like you’re getting nowhere fast? That’s how I remember this experience. The woods became a blur and terror now grip me. Then complete silence. The next thing I remember I was laying flat on my back and as snowflakes softly landed on my face, my running had come to a sudden end.

I now know there are moments in our lives that a power much greater than we could ever understand has intervened on our behalf and they occur more than we realize. My guardian angel that dark autumn night was a pine tree that stepped out in front of me as I ran through its home. It stopped me dead in my tracks and I was lying like a wounded snow angel in the leaves and snow on the cold hard ground.

At first the only sound I heard was my own breathing. I was calm and everything was completely still except the bump that was beginning to grow on my forehead. For a brief instant it seemed time had become non-existent. Then out of the silence, I heard a distant voice coming from behind me. I slowly sat up and turned around. At the bottom of the hill there were headlights coming from a small clearing. It was my dad. My bump and I were now safe.

The Screenplay of the Angels

Looking back after all these years, I can see the lesson that experience has taught me. Angel’s come in many forms. That night my angel stopped me in my tracks and revealed itself as a tree. The truth about angels is they are always present and come in many forms in any given instant. Here’s a secret only truth and experience can teach you. Angel’s are and embody the power that is within you. They assist you in recognizing and fulfilling your unlimited potential. They help unleash the beautiful song locked inside you that longs to be heard and they are that still small voice that protects and wants only the best for you.

I am convinced we are the authors of our destiny because the script we write in this life comes from the sacred pen that the eternal has given to us. Imagine the power of that statement. We are the very angels we seek because we are directly connected to source of all things. Think about your own life and begin to see all the angel’s that have helped you get to this present moment.

In my panic, I thought I was lost that night but the angel which took the form of a tree and literally knocked me down so that my dad’s voice could be heard. “Be Still and know I AM God” Remember these words because they are sacred and the angel’s amongst us reside there. The stillness is their home and from out of that stillness all of life evolves and eventually dissolves.  

James Robert Kessler

Because of Him Art Ministry 2011