Angels in the Room

The memory of walking up the lane (Lazears Lane where I grew up, Brooke County, WV) was very scary at night...in the dark. No street-lights or pavement, the gravel road seemed "long and windy" to a small girl. As if the darkness was not enough, the eerie "sounds" surrounded you; screech owls, bobcats, dogs, "whispers in the wind". I remember quoting my memory verses from Sunday School all the way to the house....over and over again...."The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1). I was afraid of the dark...

Darkness is daunting, it does not show you the path ahead. You cannot "anticipate" the course the road may take; sometimes curvy, sometimes straight, often just bumpy. Hanging on seems to be the best option during the "iffy" times.

There is a lamp in my Father's home. This lamp is very special....not because of it's monetary value, but it's sentimental price (priceless to me!). The first time I saw the lamp, I was young and was spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa Forsythe's. The extra bedroom was equipped with bed, stand, lamp, rocking chair and picture. (The picture was the famous "Guardian Angel") I was scared...it was the first time staying away from my Mom and Dad, making it hard to go to sleep. I looked back and forth between the light of the lamp and the angel on the wall...they both watched over me as my eyes finally grew heavy and I fell "safely and soundly" asleep.

When I asked about the "origin" of the lamp, my Dad told me the following story:

I (Paul), was born "at home" during the depression in 1935 weighting only 3 1/2 lbs. Mom made my bed in the dresser drawer, for I was so small. A precious lady in our church told my Mom that I was a "Prayer Baby", since I cried all the time for something....requiring my Mother to keep the "prayer wheels turning". I remember one particular night when I was suffering from a high fever... this lamp was on the stand by my bed. In my delusional, feverish state, I thought the "ladies" on the lamp were my "guardian angels".

Since hearing this story, the lamp has held special significance for me. As I stood by my father's bed today, watching him struggle for the next breath as cancer has deteriorated his body, I saw the "rays"... the "guardian angels" were watching out for him "still" ...watching over his sleeping body as they have for almost 74 years .... "lighting the way" for him to find the way, the road to the "great beyond".



The lamp has been through so much throughout the years. It has been dropped, broken and pieced back together...just like us. It now has "character" since the new plaster makes one lady look like she has a broken leg. All these "events" have not taken away the special glow the "angels" still share with us....still watching, still waiting to shine their light to the next generation. They have shined thru three generations during our possession of the lamp....how many more will they guide by their peaceful rays?

No need for sadness or gloom, there are "angels in the room".