Angels on Earth - April 2016

8/19/2019 Angels on Earth - April 2016

1/76

MAR/APR 2016

ANGELSONEARTH.ORG

A GUIDEPOSTS PUBLICATION

Highest

Branchpage 48

the


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3/76

o w n to earth

A N G E L S O N E A R T H .O R G

3

L O N T I M E N G E L S

O N

E R T H

readers will remembera ser ies of art icles from the 0 0 0 s that unearthedas ects of our world that hold an une p ected an g elicdimension. ome of these subj ects— hea en, lo e,e en butter fl ies — were natur als. ut the connectionbetween an g els and the honeybee nowfl akes orseashells rose

T he wr iter of these essays was tolemy omp k ins,

an editor here for 0 years. is uirk y and sur p r isin gp ieces made for reat co er illustr ations. ike T heB ir ds of hr ist mas co er fr om o /Dec 0 0 3 . efor e

we commissioned ar t , asked tolemy to consider wr it ing ana p ro r iate iece, but after a litt le research he came to my of fi ce withbad news. T her e really aren’t any birds of hr istmas.

W hen et an idea in my head it tends to st ick. ur ely, if heg a e his imag inat ion a litt le more time, tolemy could nd a wayto tell Angels reader s something about winter bir ds that they

mi ht not ha e considered before. he ne t day, he was back in myof fi ce. O kay, he said. I th ink ’ v e ot something .

W r iting books e entually stole tolemy away from us. ell, notcomp letely. n D ecember, with blessing s fr om the birds ofC hr istmas, tolemy and were mar r ied. is latest book is calledPro o f o f Angels with a for eword by yours t r uly) . tolemyconsiders the book his ultimate Angels story, his most conv incing .T he uality that ser v ed him best while he was work in g in our

of fi ces was that he belie ed 0 0 ercent in what he was wr iting about.Y ou want that in an Angels editor— a enuine assion for the subj ect.I t ’ s not a bad uality to ha e in a husband either.

D E B O R A H O R Y

COLLEEN HUGHES,EDITOR-IN-CHIE

Orde ryourcopy ofP roof of n g els at shopguide posts.org/proofofange ls.


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L E

T

S U S

P I L G R I M

A T E R S

C E N T E

R

D A

I S T U R N E R

R I G H T

T H

E

R

E S

U

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N

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1 4

1

0 2 /

I

I M E D I A

C O M M O N S

eatures

4 A N G E L S O N E A R T H | M A R A P R 2 0 1 6

P a g e 4

contents

6 California Calls B Y REB EC C A K ESSEL

10 W elcome Home B Y L I N D SY G REEN

16 My Heavenly Seat Belt B Y B A RB I E F A RM ER

1 The R ing B Y D O N N A L O W R A N C E

22 A idow’s Prayer B Y P H Y L L I S S W EN S O N

26 V ision in the O.R . B Y C H A RL E N E K A U F M A N

30 Divine HomeownersInsurance

B Y STEP H EN G A RRI N G T N

34 23 Years L ater... B Y A N N E M O RRI S O N

3 A lleluia! B Y RO SEM A RI E M M A N U S

4 The H ighest Branch B Y J O A N N L O W ER

54 A ngels in Bloom

60 Curious E ncounter B Y P H I L L I P B U F O RD


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A N G E L S O N E A R T H . O R G 5

Page 65

Departments

3 DOW N TO EARTH

5 HE MAK ES W INDS HIS MESSENGERS

3 2

ONLY HUMAN?4 4 SOMEONE’S IN THE K ITCHEN

6 HEAV EN’S MUSIC

5 9 ANGEL SIGHTINGS

6 5 THE COLLECTOR

6 6 EARNING THEIR W INGS

6 9 LOST F OUND

F ROM Y OUR LIPS...

2

LETTERS MESSAGES

W H AT S N W O N L I

J u s t f o r Y o u

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C OV ER ILLU STR ATION B Y Y V ETTA F EDOR OV A


6/76

6 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 IL L U STR ATIO N Y G AV IN R E E CE

A R K I N G V I O L A T I O N 7 0 .

T he

orang e env elo e on my wind-shield was ainfully br i ht inthe early mor nin g sunli ht.

I can’t afford to pay rent, thoug ht.How a m I supposed to cover this

I was 2 years old, ust out ofcolle e. ith bi dr eams and myfashion de ree, followed my hear t3 , 0 0 miles west to os ng eles,

a world away fr om my hometown inN ew ersey. knew my mom woulda p ro e. hed raised me to ursue mydreams. Live your life, ec, shealways said. L i e it ercely.

T hat was easier to do when k newshe had my back, but om died whenI was 7 . thoug ht of her e ery t ime

I resented an or i inal line of clothingto my rofessor s, or added a newdesi n to my or t folio. rarely talkedabout her to my fr iends— theycouldn’ t really understand what it waslike to lose a arent, es ecially amom, at our ag e. ut she was alwaysali e for me in the back of my mind.I could almost hear her cheer ing for

me at my colle e raduat ion, when

I won an award for my senior thesis.

M om would ha e called that a si n ofg ood thin g s to come.I lucked the ark ing ticket off my

windshield and ot in my car. So what’s this a sign of wondered. tseems ’ d left my car on a side str eetI shouldn’ t ha e arked on o erni ht.H ow could ha e been so foolish?S e enty dollars one, ust like that.

S ix hours of sewin g down thedrain. D inner — for a week ll onebecause of one stup id mistake.

M aybe this dream is a mistake.headed to work, not one mile o er thes eed limit for fear of another t icket.W hy had thoug ht could make it ina str ang e city alone couldn’ t ark

my car without ett in g into tr ouble.A t rst my risky mo e lookedlike it would ay off. found a ar t -t ime ob with a star t - up comp anyr ig ht in downtown os n g eles,where sewed and desi ned children’ scloth ing . o way could affor dL . . rents, so crashed on my fr iend’ scouch, scr imp ing and sa ing

where er could. ardly an ideal

I risk ed ev er thi g a d ollowed m heart to A

BY REBECCA K ESSEL LOS ANGELES CALIF ORNIA

cal f or i a call


7/76

N A M E

N A M E

NAME NAME


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8 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6

life, but it was only

temporary At leastt h at ’ s w at I usuallytold myself. ut Icouldn t stay on my fr iend’ s couch forever. I ’ d been wor k ing ash ard as I could, oping to turn my part-time position into full-time

work , searc ing all th e w ile for supplemental income. o matterh ow many ours I put in, Icouldn t seem to nd my footh old.

W h en Mom was alive, sh e always found little ways to smooth my pat h and mak e t h ings appen for me, lik e w en sh e supported my plan to study fash ion instead of someth ing

more traditional. W h at ’ s sensible about studying mat h or scienceif your passion lies elsew ere ” s h e said. ith Mom be h ind me, I felt lik e I could do anyt h ing. ow, I ad nobody to depend on but myself .

W as it time to give up To t h row int h e towel and go bac to ew ersey?

W ould Mom th ink my California dream was too big? . A . surely didn tcare if I stayed or went. Th ere were enough people ere already h ic is w y par k ing was such a problem. I ’ d tak en my c ances in unsure spotsbefore, but today I was playing it extra safe . h en I saw th e garage near work advertising 1 -h our

park ing for eigh t buc s, I pulled in

and pressed th e button

on th e automated mac ine. Th e screen lit up: Insert day pass or 4 0 .

“ ha t ! Th e 8 price must’ ve been an

early bird special—and I wasn t early enough . I slammed my sts on th e

steering w eel I got th e message! Icouldn t afford to eep dreaming.L iterally could not afford it .

I turned to c ec beh ind me before I bac ed out of th e garage. As I putth e car in reverse, a minivan pulledbeside me on its way out. Th e driver stopped and powered down is window Do you want my day pass?

Someth ing came up at ome and I ’ dh ate to see forty buc s go to waste . ”

H ad I eard im r igh t? ree par k ing for t h e day? ust w en everyt h ing seemed impossible, w ent h e w ole world felt lik e it was against me, someone stepped in to smooth my path . T h ank you, I said

to th e stranger Y ou ave no idea. ” I too th e golden tick et f rom is outstretc ed and. A nd th at’ s ust w at it felt lik e, a golden tick et sent straigh t from eaven. T h e road ah ead would be full of ch allenges,but I could be sure I wasn t alone.N ot wit h Mom up above and me in t h eCity of A ngels . ope, . A . adn t

seen t h e last of me yet .

Re ecca lo o k s o u t o v er

Bro o k ly n o n a recent v isit.

J


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10 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 IL L U STR ATIO N Y Y E L E N A R Y K SE N K O V A

A N ’ T L I V E H E R E

anymore,I said. I ust can ’ t .

M y husband, ewis

had ustp ulled into the dr i eway of our new

home. stared at it throug h the carwindshield while the k ids na p ed intheir seats in the back. t hadn’ t e en

been a month since we d boug ht thehouse, but knew we couldn’ t stay.E v er since the day we mo ed in feltas if t here was ust something ...off about the lace. ike there wasa resence in the house, asthoug h someone was watching me.

I couldn’ t ex p lain it . nddefi n itely d idn’ t ex p ect ewis to

understand if t r ied. ow could

BY LINDSY GREEN

SOMERSET NEW J ERSEY

W elco eo e

“

elt a resen ce ust

couldn ’ t ex p lai


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ANGE L S ON E AR TH . ORG 11


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12 A N G E L S O N E A R T H M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6

h e Th at’ s w y I struggled to eepit all to myself until now

L ew sat in silence for a long moment Th en, to my total surpr ise,h e nodded O k ay, e said L et’ s

fi x up th e ouse li e we planned, th en we’ ll sell it in th e spr ing ” I felt so relieved, but silly too ew

didn t even ask me w at ad c angedW h en we bough t th e ouse, I wasin love wit h it It was 1 5 years old and considered a istor ical site M az elik e on th e inside , as only oldh ouses can be, t h e w ite clapboard

h ad plenty of space for our growing family and a beautiful yard for ourtwo little boys to play in w en t h ey got older Th e place was full of omey details lik e t h e intricate woodentrim framing th e roof, a co y replacein th e bac room, and a screened-in porch th at wrapped around alf th e

h ouse e’ d even discovered a secret stairway! f course, xing up suc an old ouse would tak e a lot of work ,but we didn t mind At least not th en

N ow, t h ough , th ings were dif ferent ew often wor k ed late ath is ob as an accountant, leaving me alone with two-year-old onath on and six-month -old Collin Trouble was, I

didn t eel alone I was overw elmed

by t h e sense t h at someone ad an eye on me all during th e day, but especially at nigh t It was so strange I ust couldn t tak e it any longer

H ow luc y was I to ave a usband

w o too my feelings ser iously?“ T h ank s , ew, I said and leaned over in my seat to give im a iss eunloaded th e ids from th e car andh eaded inside It would still tak e all winter to get th e work done on th eh ouse, but I felt better nowing we were leaving soon t ’ s u s t or af ew on t hs I told myself ord

k n ow e o ’ t e t ay i n g ore er. I too Collin upstairs to th e

nurser y to ch ange im h en I seth im down, I suddenly felt a rus h of air around me, as t h ough a great gust ad blown in from a windowB ut it adn t come from outside—th ebreez e came from t h e door beh ind

me I turned around and a woman ran in er tawny brown air was long and straigh t and er gentle face loo ed pleading

“ P lease don t leave, sh e said I love aving you and th e babies ere ”T h en s h e turned and left as uietly as s h e’ d come

I couldn t elp it—I started to

laugh m o n g cra z y? I th ough t

T h e l a d y i n m y v i s i o n f e l t l i k e j u s t a n o t h e r p a r t o f t h e h o u s e

l i k e t h e c o z y fi r e p l a c e o r t h e s e c r e t s t a i r


13/76


Surely I was I ’ d let my

imagination get th e better of me So w y wasn t I terrifi ed?B ecause I wasn t, and th at didn t mak e any senseSometh ing about t h e visionh ad set me at ease

Collin giggled on th ech anging table I wis h you

could talk , I told im F or now, th is is ust between us ” A week later, a few friends

came by to elp ew and me with th e ouse revious occupants ad walled offth e secret stairway we found, leaving it inaccessible fromth e ground oor e planned

to open it up againW h ile our f riends nish ed

tak ing out th e wall, I wentupstairs to t h e nursery wit hCollin A s soon as I laid im inh is crib, t h at familiar rus h of air it me, blowing my air back T h e same woman appeared in th e

doorway Sh e loo ed ust as s h e didbefore, in a simple gray dress“ I ust love w at you ve done wit h

t h e ouse! sh e said And with th at, s h e was gone

Th is time, I was no more surprisedby er visit t h an if s h e ad been a dear friend Sh e felt lik e ust anoth er part of t h e ouse, lik e t h e coz y

fi replace or t h e secret stair ot h ing

seemed off ” anymore Still, I epth er sudden appearances to myself

N o reason to s h are er ew new allh e needed to now, I guredB y th e nex t week , th e stairwell

h ad been reopened and t h e old wallcleared away Th e next big pro ect was th e oors A team of professionals trooped into th e ouse“ L et me now if you need anyth ing, I called to th em from th e itc en th e

morning th ey arr ived onath on was

ro nt d o o r b ack d o o r Lind sy ’s angels gu ard them all.


14/76

14 A N G E L S O N E A R T H M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6

J

HN S

I

A T

O

I CKR

L i n d s y ’ s h s t or cal hou e i g ht eemu i q ue u t ’ s on ly on e of a n y n

t he ei g h orhood . The area n o n a s he

M i d d leb u h i llag e i s t or c i s t r ct s

hom e o a ot al of 7 e s i g n a t e d h s t or c

b u l i n g s a t i n g rom 9 2 0 s all he

w ay ack o he la t e 7 0 0 s . hu e ar et y

of arch t ect ural t yle s a p p eared n m er ca

i n hos e er od s a n d he h s t or c i s t r ctcon t a i n s a l os t all of hem : reek Rev i v al

G ot h c Rev i v al ueen n n e olon i a l

Rev i v al ra f t s m a n t al an a t e an d e d eral n e of he os t rom i n en t i t e s

i n he i s t r ct s i n d s y’ s ow n i d d leb u h Ref or ed hurch The or g i n al

church a s con s t ruct e d n 8 3 5 u ur ed ow n a f t er ei n g t ruck y

l g h n i n g . Reb u l n 9 1 9 i t h he hel of he co m u i t y h s char i n g t o e

b u l i n g ea t ures elem en t s rom ot h he raf t s m a n a n d ot h c Rev i v al

s t yle s . u t ’ s he cheery ron t oor hat i v e s he church t s a m e arou d

t o n . E eryon e n o s t a s he church i t h he red oor ” i n d s y ays .

A f t er lo

d o wn f o r a n a p a n d l i t t l e C o l l i n

b o u n c e d a r o u n d i n h i s w l k e r b y m y

f e e t w i l e I d i d t h e d i s h e s .

“ T h e b a b y ” I t w s t h e w m a n ’ s

v o i c e . I r e c o g n i z e d i t r i g h t a w y . B u t

t h i s t i m e h e r t o n e w s d i f f e r e n t .

U r g e n t , a n d c o m m a n d i n g . “ T h e b a b y ,

h e ’ s g o i n g t o f a l l ”

I s p u n a r o u n d . C o l l i n h a d b o u n c e d

h i s w y o v e r t o t h e b a s e m e n t d o o r .O n e o f t h e w r k e r s h a d l e f t i t a j a r , a n d

C o l l i n t e e t e r e d o n t h e e d g e , a b o u t

t o t u m b l e h e a d fi r s t d o w n t h e s t e p s .

I s c o o p e d h i m u p o u t o f t h e w l k e r ,

j u s t i n t i m e .

I n m y h e a r t , I k n e w i t w s m o r e

t h a n s i m p l e m o t h e r ’ s i n t u i t i o n t h a t

h a d a l e r t e d m e t o d a n g e r . “ T h e m o s t

a m a z i n g t h i n g h a p p e n e d t o d a y , ” I

t o l d L e w a t d i n n e r .

A f t e r t h a t i n c i d e n t , I d i d n ’ t s e e

o r h e a r f r o m t h e w m a n a g a i n . B u t I

k n e w s h e w s a m o n g u s , k e e p i n g

w t c h o v e r m y f a m i l y . W e n e v e r

m o v e d o u t . H o w c o u l d w ? A f t e r a l l ,o u r o l d h o u s e h a d e v e r y t h i n g w

c o u l d e v e r w n t : t h e b e a u t i f u l w o d

t r i m , w a p - a r o u n d p o r c h , t h e c o z y

fi r e p l a c e , a n d i t s v e r y o w a n g e l . W e

j u s t m i g h t s t a y f o r e v e r .


15/76


P SAL M 1 4 : 4

he a k e i n s h s e s e g ers

T

I A AL

X AN DR I

H A T A S H A T I l o o k e d u p f r o m m y B i b l e a n d l i s t e n e dc l o s e l y . I w s s u r e I ’ d h e a r d s o m e t h i n g l i k e a s e r i e s o f n o t e s . I

g l a n c e d a t m y m u g o f m o r n i n g c o f f e e s i t t i n g o n t h e d i n i n g r o o m

t a b l e b u t i t o f f e r e d n o c l u e . N e i t h e r d i d t h e w l l c l o c k b l i n k i n g

4 : 4 5 m y q u i e t t i m e .

I s t o o d u p a n d s t a r e d o u t a t t h e p r e d a w s k y t h r o u g h t h ewi n d o w b e h i n d m e . A s l i g h t b r e e z e r u s t l e d t h e l e a v e s o f a y a u p o n

h o l l y i n m y b a c k y a r d b u t t h e

m e t a l t u b e s o f t h e w i n d c h i m e

h a n g i n g f r o m t h e t r e e w r e

m o t i o n l e s s . S t e v e h a d b o u g h t

m e t h a t w i n d c h i m e f o r

o u r a n n i v e r s a r y j u s t m o n t h s

b e f o r e h e d i e d . I t s d e e p

g o l d e n t o n e s r e m i n d e d m e

o f a n a n g e l ’ s h a r p .

I l o o k e d b a c k a t t h e c l o c k .

S t e v e w u l d h a v e b e e n

b a c k i n g h i s p i c k u p o u t o f t h e

d r i v e w y r i g h t a b o u t n o w

s o m e t h i n g I a l w y s l o o k e d

f o r w r d t o h i s h e a d l i g h t s

fl a s h i n g t h r e e t i m e s t h r o u g h

t h e d a r k a s I w t c h e d h i m

p u l l a w y . T h r e e fl a s h e s f o r t h r e e w r d s : I l o v e y o u . T h r e e h a n d

s q u e e z e s t h r e e k i s s e s o n m y h a n d t h r e e h e a r t s b y h i s n a m e w e n

h e s i g n e d m y c a r d s — S t e v e n e v e r m i s s e d a c h a n c e t o s a y w a t

I ’ d n e v e r h e a r h i m s a y a g a i n .

I s i g h e d a n d r e t u r n e d t o m y B i b l e . T h e n I h e a r d i t . T h r e e

d i s t i n c t t o n e s f r o m t h e w i n d c h i m e . T h e r e w s a p a u s e . T h e n

a g a i n : O n e . T w . T h r e e . I . L o v e . Y o u .

CAROL GIMBEL OK LAHOMA CITY OK LAHOMA


16/76

16 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6

Despite t h e world

spinning around me, I felt

oddly calm, as if I were

safe in a divine embraceBY BARBIE F ARMER

W ENATCHEE W ASHINGTON

RT I R M N T was supposed

to be relax ing, but ust a few month s after I ’ d left my

teac ing ob I found myself rush ing around It was our last day at omebefore my usband, arry, and I toot h e th ree-h our trip to our summer place on ak e oosevelt A nd summer was cer tainly in full swing

Today t h e temperature it 1 0 degrees ut arry and I ad a lotto tak e care of before we could get going I grabbed t h e eys to my Subaru utback

“ Y ou tak e th e truc to run your last-minute errands, I said I ’ mh eaded to t h e nursery to get some plants for t h e summer ouse ”

I ad no trouble spending t h e

gardening gift certifi cate from my

former colleagues h en I pulled out of t h e nurser y my car was lled wit h ardy plants t h at could standt h e blaz ing summer eat

I straigh tened my glasses andturned up th e AC ’ ll take the backroad , I t h ough t ess traf fi c e ’d already loaded th e beac towels and

c airs into th e car, but I was anxiousto nish pac ing I too a uic sip of water and tted th e cup bac in th eh older, w ich was always a littletrick y h en I loo ed back at th e road I reali ed I was eading intoth e gravel on th e sh oulder I w ippedt h e steering w eel in t h e opposite direction—too far in th e opposite

direction, and muc too uic ly

e a e n l ySEAT BELT

M


17/76


I lost all control Th e car ipped I sat

fro en beh ind th e w eel as it rolled A strong pair of arms eld me tigh tA n a n g el s a r m s I ad time to wonder as th e car rolled a second time, and a th ird Despite t h e world spinning around me, I felt oddly calm, as if I were safe in a divine embraceCalm enoug h to as k aloud, G od,

could we please stop rolling? ”Th e car t h udded to a alt, landing righ t side up on th e sh oulder of t h e road, bro en glass from th e windows sh owering me and crash ing to th e ground Th e driver ’ s side door adfl own open My instinct was to get out as fast as possible—but I ustcouldn t Th ere was so muc love

in t h e car I still felt t h e energy oft h e angel w o ad eld me lik e a eavenly seat belt St ay i t h eun t i l help com es , I as k ed

I ad to get out and sh ow myself, or I migh t be stranded ere all day I was about to step onto th e pavement w en I glanced down and realiz ed my

sh oes ad been noc ed off my feetin t h e tumult T h e asph alt would beh otter th an a truc -stop griddle I ’ d burn th e soles of my feet for sure A nd my glasses—w ere were my glasses?

I push ed th e car door open wider,careful of t h e t h reatening s h ards of glass M aybe I could ag down a

driver from inside I stuc out my

h ead tentatively In th e az y eat

I saw my sh oes sitting on th e ground,j ust inc es from w ere I sat T h ey were positioned perfectly, one nex t tot h e ot h er, lik e a pair of slippersbeside t h e bed A ll I ad to do was slide my feet inside My glasses were an arms reac away from th e sh oesT h e lenses weren t even scratch ed

I didn t ave a cell ph one on me, so I grabbed a beach towel from th ebac seat and sat on t h e side of th e road, oping someone would drive by My arms and legs were bleeding w ere pieces of gravel and glass were embedded ut I felt completelycalm, and very little pain

It wasn t long before a passerby

called an ambulance Th e paramedics were treating me w en arry ranup I drove by and t h ough t, Th s so e o he ors t rec s ’ v e e ers een T h en I recogniz ed t h e car ”

I didn t now ow arry recogniz ed it—th e car was totaled I was ta en to a local ospital with

a wound clinic very oth er day for a week th e nurses dug th e gravel and glass f rom my sk in and cleaned my abrasions ut I ad no bro enbones, no concussion arry and Ih ad to postpone our trip, but t h e lak e ouse could wait h oever adh eld me tigh t during th at crash made sure arry and I ad many

more summers ah ead


18/76

18 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 IL L U ST ATIO N Y P H IL IP AN N IST R

t he r i nBY DONNA LOW RANCE

COLORADO CITY TEX AS

n O T A G A I N T here on thek itchen counter, nex t t oa stack of unk mailwas x in g to thr ow away, was myhusband’ s wedding r ing . here it wassure to be lost. r worse, tossed out

with the t r ash. couldn’ t belie e it .

I didn’ t e p ect Donny to wear ther ing all the time. e was a mechanic,and when he was work ing it wasdan g erous to wear anyt hin g thatcould et cau g ht on an en g ine art .B ut we d ag reed on a lan for that :D onny would always ut the r in g inone of three laces— the to of histool bo , the terr a cott a bowl on the

dr esser or the second shelf of his

Did 15 years of marriagemean anythingat all to my husband


19/76


computer desk A s long as it wasin one of th ose t h ree places, t h e ring wasn t in danger of being lost

B ut t h at anuary I ’ d been ndingth e darn t h ing all over t h e ouse owcould Donny be so careless? it hh is wedding ring of all t h ings? I tried not to tak e it personally, but still I ’ d ad t h at ring custom made, with

t h ree small diamond ch ips in t h eband It was a beautiful symbol of our now 1 years of marriage Did th at not mean anyth ing to Donny?

I pic ed up th e ring to put it in its place— H ol d t , I th ough t hys hould e res p on s i b le or ut t i n gt h s r i n g n t s rop er la ce ic ing

up is scattered cloth es, boo s andcar eys I could understand ut is wedding ring? nough M aybe if ecouldn t nd it for a w ile e’ d nally learn is lesson

Sure enough , a couple days later Donny said, H ave you seen my ring? I can t nd it ” e loo ed nervous

I did my best to ide my

exasperation Th e last time I saw

it was on t h e itch en counter ”“ T h at’ s not w ere I put it last,

Donny said I put it eith er on mytoolbox or my computer desk ” I couldtell e ’ d loo ed in all t h ree spots

“ W ell, I ope it turns up, I said I felt ustifi ed to see im upset Ih ope it didnt get th rown away ” h en Donny and I rst got married wecouldn t afford to buy a ring for im It meant th e world to me w en a few years later I was able to ave th is one made Th ose th ree diamonds, in my mind, signifi ed t h e past, present and

future as th is th e ind of pettiness we ad to loo forward to

Donny search ed t h e ouse fromtop to bottom over th e next few daysH e combed th rough is toolbox,c ec ed every s h elf and drawer of iscomputer desk , went over everyinc of th e itc en e loo ed beh ind

and under is dresser I couldn t bear to loo at im, is face lled with sadness

“ T h at r ing was th e nicest t h ing I ’ ve ever owned, e told me one nigh t after we both went over t h e ouse again Th ere were tears in is eyesT h at tore t h e eart rig h t out of me I felt so guilty I ’ d been angry at

Donny because I felt e ad tak en


20/76

20 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 01 6

th e ring, and me, for granted ut I

was t h e one w o d been irresponsibleby not putting th e ring in a safe place w en I could

D ear o lea s e org i v e e ort r y i n g o un i s h y hus b a n d .C om f or t h m a n d help h m n d ha tr i n g . I imagined an angel secretly watc ing over it, eeping it safe until

we found itB ut t h at seemed a opeless fantasy e’ d loo ed everywh ereR ings didn t ust materializ e out of t h in air

Th e next day we swept th e ground outside D onny’ s work s h op with a metal detector ut all we found were old nuts and bolts It’ s ust not th ere,

Donny said I ’ m sorry I sh ouldh ave been more careful ”

“ It’ s o ay, I said It’ s ust a ringW e can get anoth er one ” e eld each oth er close, but t h ere was noth ing we could say or do to consoleth e oth er T h is was not at all w at I ’ d ad in mind

It was month s before I could bring myself to go to a eweler and see about getting a replacement Th e price oored me Th ere was no way we could afford it

I tr ied to mak e it up to Donny bybeing more loving, mak ing is favorite dish es, not fussing over petty annoyances I could tell e was

trying too, telling me e loved me

more often, doing little ch ores for

me with out me even ask ing I was still sad about th e r ing, but it seemed almost as if losing it ad brough t uscloser togeth er

Th at fall, Donny was in is of fi ce, preparing for an out-of-town seminarh e was attending th e next day I wasin t h e itc en, cleaning, w en I eard a sh out I found it! Moments later

Donny ran into th e itch en, th e r ingin is and

“ I was pac ing my laptop, t h e one I ardly ever use, w en I eard aclink on th e oor, e said I loo ed down and th ere it was I don tunderstand it I now I loo ed by th e laptop A doz en times at least!

H e eld out th e ring T h e diamonds spar k led in th e sunlig h t Donny was righ t e couldn t understandit—until I told im my prayer,t h e t h ough t I ’ d ad of an angel safe- guarding t h e r ing

O f course It ad been in od’ scare all along e’ d tak en care of it until we’ d learned to ta e better

care of one anot h er

Do nna an Do nny fo u n each o ther again.


21/76

2. MAI — Se d co p le e r er orA l s o i n c l u d e :

1 . P a y m e n t C h e c k o r m o n e y o r d e r

n o c a s h p l e a s e )2 . V o i d e d C h e c k w t h c h a n g e s n o t e d O R

R e o r d e r F o r m

3 . D e p o s i t S l i p f r o m s a m e a c c o u n t

M ail to a d re s a le t o cou o

3.1.

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www r a d f o r d R e l i g i o n C h e c k s c o m

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Mon- ri : 0 0 am to 1 : 0 0 pm CT SatSun : 0 0 am to : 0 0 pm CT M e t i o o f er co e t o rece v e t h s s p ec al o f er2 - b o m i n i m u a d p roce s i n g f ee a p ly Se ha la E p a olC all f or S g n a ure Re u re D el v ery o t i o .

C allToll F ree

1 - 8 0 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 1 0 4

L ive, L aug , L ove, L earn w verse “ L ife is not measured by t e breat s weta e, but by t e moments t at ta e our breat away - 0 33 eat er Cover and abels - 0 33

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23/76

A N G E L S O N E A R T H . O R G 23 IL L U STR ATIO N Y R O E R T P AR AD A

W hat f al ed o o l k e ’ d al ed o arren

BY PHY LLIS SW ENSON F AIRF AX V IRGINIA

WELL PAST MIDNIGHT, I was wide awake. F inancial

worries kept me up — again.M y mortgage was two weeks pastdue. ate fees would put me evenfurther ehind.

M aybe I should have sold thehouse after arren died I thought.F riends had encouraged me to doit. B ut I loved the house where my

husb and and I had spent our happiest years . F or a while I ’ d manag ed with the help of two part-time o sb oth of them at the church. B ut in201 my hours were reduced due tob udget cuts. I ’ d searched nonstopsince for something else ut so farI ’ d had no luck. It was no surprise I ’ dcome up short this month.

I closed my eyes ut sleep

wouldn t come. God has taken careof you up till now I reminded myself.

He won’t abandon you. y eyesopened ag ain. Oh, arren, I wish you were here. aving a husb andb y my side to listen to my fears andknowing he cared a out me wouldmake it easier to face whatever camenex t. B ut I no longer had a husb and.

Thy M aker is thine husband came

the thought.I knew the words well. T hey were from a verse in Isaiah the same verse I ’ d relied heavily on sinceW arrens death. I whispered part ofit now to myself in the darkness:“ F or thou shalt not rememb er thereproach of thy w idowhood any more.F or thy aker is thine husb and;

the ord of hosts is his name; and thy


24/76


redeemer, th e oly one of Israel ”

A s a widow, I ’ d found comfort int h e idea of od as my usband h atif I talk ed to od lik e e was myh usband, t h e same way I would avetalk ed to arren I ’ d never prayed lik e th at before, but I decided to try

“ O k ay, od, I said, if you re really my usband, th is is your wife

tal k ing isten, I need money I need it now ” Ih ad to stop and laugh at myself Th at was exactlyt h e way I talk ed toW arren Straigh t up,j ust t h e facts speciallyif t h ere was trouble I didn t sugarcoat it So,

G od, maybe you could send me an angelH ow about an angel disguised as a mysterious stranger? Send im righ t to my door with a ch eck in and to pay my mortgage, courtesy of my eavenlyh usband!

My prayer lif ted my spir its , at least I still didn t now w at I was going to do, but I could nally leave it to od and get some sleep

N o mysterious men arrived at my door over t h e next few days ,but t h at week end I got a visit fromP astor David and four men fromth e congregation w o came by to do

some yard work As t h ey were

cleaning up, astor David came

over to me at my front door P h yllis, somebody left th is on my desk for you, but I don t now w o ”

H e anded me a th ick brown envelope with my name neatly printed on th e front, probably someth ingto do with my c urc work I tuc edt h e pack age under my arm and

t h ank ed my friends for all t h eir elpI i g ht o ha v e a

hus b a n d , I t h ough t as t h ey drove away, utI ha v e r i en d s ca n

coun t on

I went bac in th e ouse and opened t h e pac age

Inside was anoth er envelope and a typed note“ W e ave learned about your need, th e note read

“ W e ope th is will elp ” Th ere was no signature—th e sender wanted to remain anonymous

W ith sh ak ing ands I opened th e

oth er envelope It was full of cash !E noug h to pay my mortgage and th e late fee for th is month , plus a little extra B ut w o ? ” I said Th en I realiz ed I already new My usband, of course My usband up in eaven w o made all my struggles easier I wish ed I could t h row my arms around is nec to say th an you ust

lik e I always did with arren

Any em plo y er w o u lde lu ck y to hire Phy llis.


25/76

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26/76

26 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 ILLUSTRATION BY JIM TSINGANOS

IN THE O.R.“Don’t take your eyes off mine,” the angel said

BY CHARLENE K AUF MAN LAGUNA BEACH CALIF ORNIA


27/76


A S I X O m y c h ild r e n

h a d b e e n b o r n n a tu r a lly in

th e c o m fo r t o f o u r h o m e .

I k n e w th e n a tu r a l w a y s to

in d u c e la b o r — w a lk in g e v e n in g

p r im r o s e o il a b o w l o f p in e a p p le

c h u n k s a w a r m b a th . I w a s a p r o

a t b r e a th in g r h y th m s a n d th e m o s t

c o m fo r ta b le d e liv e r y p o s itio n . By

c h ild n u m b e r s e v e n I k n e w w h a tI w a s d o in g . Bu t a fte r 3 5 h o u r s o f

la b o r m y h o m e -b ir th d o c to r s e n t

m e o n t o th e h o s p it a l.

“ Yo u n e e d a d v a n c e d m e d ic a l

a tte n tio n ” h e s a id . “ Yo u r la b o r is n ’t

p r o g r e s s in g .” I d id n ’t k n o w if I

w a s m o r e d is a p p o in t e d o r s c a r e d .

My h u s b a n d Mic h a e l h e lp e d

m e t o o u r o ld b lu e Me r c e d e s v a n .W e ’d a lr e a d y m a d e a r r a n g e m e n ts

to d e liv e r o u r b a b y a t th e h o s p ita l in

Ja c k s o n H o le W y o m in g if I h a d

a n y c o m p lic a t io n s . T h e e ig h t -m ile

d r iv e fr o m o u r h o m e in Te to n V illa g e

s h o u ld h a v e b e e n e a s y . Bu t a b liz z a r d

w a s u n d e r w a y . A s w e in c h e d d o w n

t h e w in d in g R o c k y Mo u n t a in r o a d

th e s n o w fa ll w a s so h e a v y w e c o u ld

h a r d ly s e e . I h a d to r o ll m y w in d o w

d o w n t o h e lp n a v ig a t e ju s t s o w e

w o u ld n ’t s lid e in to a d itc h . Me a n w h ile

m y c o n t r a c tio n s w e r e le n g th e n in g

th e p a in m o r e in te n s e .

W e p u lle d u p a t th e h o s p it a l

e n tr a n c e ju s t a s I d id n ’t th in k I c o u ld

s it in th a t p a s s e n g e r s e a t a n y lo n g e r .

Th e s ta ff e s c o r te d m e to a b e d a n d

p r e p p e d m e fo r d e liv e r y . T h e w h o le

a tm o s p h e r e w a s fo r e ig n to m e s o

s te r ile a n d s e v e r e . My o t h e r b ir t h s

w e r e w a r m lo v in g c o m fo r ta b le .

So o th in g h e r b a l e s s e n tia l o ils b u r n e d

w h ile Mic h a e l h e ld m y h a n d a n d

I k n e w w h e n t h e t im e w a s r ig h t t o

p u s h . I fe lt lik e I w a s in c h a r g e .

No w I a n x io u s ly w a tc h e d th e w h iteu n ifo r m s m o v in g a r o u n d a n d ju m p e d

w h e n a n u r s e r a n a c o ld s t e th o s c o p e

a lo n g m y b e lly . E v e r y 3 0 m in u t e s

I w a s g iv e n a s h o t t o p r o g r e s s la b o r .

I c o u ld fe e l t h e b a b y ’s h e a d

p r e s s in g o n m y p e lv is . T r y to relax ,

I t o ld m y s e lf. I w a s e x h a u s te d .

W h e r e to tu r n t o fo r s tr e n g th ? Dear

G od, I ’m out of my element A r eyou here? L ike you are in our home?

On e o f t h e s e n io r d o c t o r s

a p p r o a c h e d . I c o u ld te ll h e d id n ’t

h a v e g o o d n e w s . “ Yo u ’ll n e e d a

C -s e c tio n ” h e s a id . “ W e c a n ’t w a it

a n y lo n g e r .”

T h e r e w a s n o tim e fo r q u e s tio n s .

Nu r s e s r u s h e d m e in t o t h e o p e r a tin g

r o o m . I la y t h e r e h e lp le s s . I g r ip p e d

th e s id e s o f th e m e t a l b e d r a il. T h e

a n e s th e s io lo g is t le a n e d o v e r m e

a n d p u t a m a s k o n m y fa c e . I b lin k e d

s lo w ly th e n c lo s e d m y e y e s .

W h e n I o p e n e d th e m a g a in I w a s

lo o k in g d o w n . Be lo w m e w a s a

p a n o r a m ic v ie w o f th e o p e r a tin g

r o o m . T h e r e w a s a n a w fu l lo t o f


28/76


c o m m o t io n — b e e p in g m a c h in e s

c la n k in g m e t a l to o ls fr a n tic a c tiv ity .

A w o m a n la y u n c o n s c io u s o n th e

ta b le . Sh e w a s b le e d in g b a d ly . W h o i s

t h i s w o m a n I w o n d e r e d . W h a t

h a p p e n e d t o h e r

“ Y o u d o n ’t n e e d to s e e t h is .”

A fi g u r e m o v e d in f r o n t o f m efi llin g m y v is io n . A n a n g e l— th e m o s t

b e a u t ifu l o f a n g e ls d r e s s e d in

p e r iw in k le g a r m e n ts w ith p e a r le s c e n t

w in g s a n d s e a -b lu e e y e s th a t h e ld

m e in th e ir g a z e .

“ D o n ’t ta k e y o u r e y e s o ff o f m in e .”

I d id n ’t b lin k . I s ta r e d d e e p in to

th o s e e y e s a n d le t p e a c e w a s h o v e r

m e lik e a w a v e . T h e n s u d d e n ly

e v e r y t h in g w e n t d a r k .

I o p e n e d m y e y e s a g a in — w h ite

c e ilin g b r ig h t lig h t… Of c o u r s e th a t

w a s m e in th e h o s p ita l b e d . I lo o k e d

a r o u n d fo r th e a n g e l b u t o n ly s a w th e

m e d ic a l p e r s o n n e l th a t h a d g a th e r e d

in m y r o o m .“ W h e r e ’s m y b a b y ? ” I a s k e d . “ D id

m y b a b y s u r v iv e ? ”

Mic h a e l s te p p e d to w a r d m e h o ld in g

a b u n d le . “Me e t I s a a c Mic h a e l ” h e

s a id . “Ou r h e a lth y b a b y b o y .”

I to o k h im in m y a r m s w h ile Mic h a e l

e x p la in e d w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d . W h e n

th e d o c to r m a d e th e in c is io n fo r th e

C -s e c tio n h e s e v e r e d a n a r t e r y . “ Yo uw e r e d y in g r ig h t th e r e o n th e ta b le

C h a r le n e ” Mic h a e l s a id . “ I t to o k fo u r

b lo o d tr a n s fu s io n s to s a v e y o u .”

I n fa c t I s a w w h a t it t o o k t o

s a v e m e . A n d I h a v e n ’t tu r n e d m y

e y e s a w a y s in c e .

Her y o u ngest child grew u p b u t Charlene

appears to b e ageless.

After living in Wyoming, the Kaufman family spent 10 years in the Pacific

Northwest enjoying the lush greenery and winter skiing. But then, in 2000,

they moved to Laguna Beach, and the family business moved with them.

“We opened a little rock and gem shop,” Charlene explains, “Gem Mountain

Studios. We facet gemstones and make jewelry.” With seven children,

Michael and Charlene always had plenty of help. Two years ago the business

expanded into Beverly Hills. “Our ‘baby,’ Isaac Michael, designs jewelry

there now,” she’s proud to report. “He’s also the store manager.”

Afterglow


29/76

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30/76

3 0 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 ILLUSTRATION BY MR F OTH E RINGH AM

Div ine Ho m e o w n e r sIn s u r n e

’d have to race throughmy c hores so w ouldn’t

miss that game

BY STEPHEN GARRINGTON

DAV ENPORT IOW A

FOR W K S y i f e n d I a d

l o o k e d o r w a r d o u r a l l

w e e k e n d e t a w a y . B t I a d

l i s t s o n g s y r m f h i n g s

I e e d e d o o e f o r e e e f t n h e

m o r n i n g . o o n e r , c t u a l l y . I a s

d e t e r m i n e d o n i s h p e f o r e h e

f o o t b a l l a m e h a t f t e r n o o n . H y , t

l e a s t I a d y r i o r i t i e s t r a i g h t


31/76


F ir st c a m e th e y a r d w o r k . L in d a

a n d I c u t tw o b ig b a g s o f r h u b a r b

fr o m th e g a r d e n . “ No w w o u ld y o u

m in d p u ttin g it a ll in th e b a s e m e n t

fr e e z e r , p le a s e ? ” s h e a s k e d s o

s w e e tly , h o w c o u ld I r e fu s e ?

Min d fu l o f th e t im e I h a d b e fo r e

k ic k o f f, I tu c k e d th e b a g s u n d e r

o n e a r m a n d h e a d e d d o w n t o th e

b a s e m e n t. L o r d h e lp m e g e t i n fr o n to f th a t TV i n ti m e . I c o u ld h e a r th e

lo w h u m o f th e a p p lia n c e o v e r b y th e

w a ll. I b a r e ly r e m e m b e r e d w h a t

w e h a d s to r e d in s id e . I p u lle d o p e n

th e d o o r. A la r g e p la s tic c o n ta in e r

o f b u c k w h e a t fl o u r s a t o n th e c e n t e r

s h e lf. T h e o th e r s h e lv e s w e r e fu ll.

Sp a c e w o u ld b e tig h t, b u t I c o u ld m a k e

it w o r k . I’ll ju s t s h o v e t h e fl o u r t oth e s i d e a n d th e n — fl o u r e v e r y w h e r e

I n m y im p a tie n c e , I ’d k n o c k e d th e

h e a v y c o n ta in e r r ig h t o v e r . No t ju s t

a little p o w d e r I c o u ld b r u s h a w a y .

I t w a s a n e x p lo s io n

Bu c k w h e a t fl o u r s e ttle d in s id e

th e fr e e z e r a n d c o v e r e d th e b a s e m e n t

fl o o r. W ith k ic k o ff lo o m in g , th is

w a s a m a jo r d is a s te r . A little h e lp fr o m

a b o v e , th a t ’s a ll I ’d a s k e d . L o o k w h e r e

it h a d g o tt e n m e .

I w e n t u p a n d g r a b b e d t h e Sh o p -

V a c fr o m th e g a r a g e . Th e n I s to m p e d

b a c k d o w n to th e b a s e m e n t. T h e

o u tle t b e h in d th e fr e e z e r h a d t w o

s o c k e ts — o n e fo r th e fr e e z e r p lu g ,

a n d th e o t h e r fo r a n e x te n s io n

c o r d to p o w e r a d e h u m id ifi e r.

I p u lle d th e d e h u m id ifi e r p lu g

o u t o f th e e x te n s io n c o r d , r e a c h e d

fo r th e Sh o p -V a c p lu g a n d p a u s e d .

I r a is e d m y h e a d , s n iffe d a t th e

a ir a n d p ic k e d u p a fa in t b u t a c r id

w h iff. Bu r n in g r u b b e r .

T im e s e e m e d t o s lo w a n d

s lo w e d m e d o w n r ig h t a lo n g w ith it.

C a r e fu lly I e x a m in e d th e e n d o fth e e x te n s io n c o r d n o w w a r m in m y

h a n d . I t w a s c r a c k e d , b lo a te d a n d

b e g in n in g t o m e lt — a h o u s e fi r e ju s t

w a itin g to h a p p e n . W h a t if it h a d

h a p p e n e d w h ile m y w ife a n d I w e r e

a w a y ? T h e h o u s e co u ld h a v e b u r n e d

to th e g r o u n d .

Ba c k to m y c h o r e s . I c o u ld

w a tc h th e h ig h lig h t s fr o m th e g a m ela te r, a n d t h a n k s to s o m e h e a v e n ly

in te r v e n tio n I w o u ld h a v e a h o m e to

w a t c h fo o tb a ll in a ll s e a s o n .

Stephen is a hand y gu y to hav e aro u nd .


32/76

3 2 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6

o n ly h u m a n ?

T H O

A

R

I

E T T

I

A

E

A Y handled the doc tor ’s p r ognosis the same w ayhe handled any c r isis. H e listened, took mental notes, r emainedc alm and c ollec ted. M eanw hile, I w as ab out to ex p lode. M yhusb and had just b een told that he w as going t o lose his r ighteye. H ow c ould he simp ly ac c ep t his fate?

A sc r eam c r ep t up my throat. “I hav e to goget something fr om the c ar,” I muttered,edging tow ard the door.

I needed a q uiet p lace to think. I took the

elev ator dow n to the fi r st fl oor and duc kedinto the hosp ital chap el. L ar r y’s eyesight hadalw ays b een p oor, ev er sinc e c hildhood.R ecent ly, though, his r ight eye had b ecomeinfec ted and his c or nea r up tur ed. T here

w as nothing the doc tor s c ould do. H is eye w ouldhav e to b e surg ically r emov ed.

H ow on ear th w ould L ar r y manage? W hatif he w ent c omp letely b lind? “W her e ar e you in

all this, G od? ” I asked. “P lease tell me ev erything w ill b e all r ight.”

N o w or ds c ame, no feeling of c omfor t or p eac e. W hat did Iex p ec t? B ac k at t he elev ator, I p ushed the “up ” b utt on. T he door

op ened immediately. “J ust a minute, p lease,” a man c alled afterme. I held the door w hile he hur r ied inside. “C ould you p ush fourfor me? ” he asked. “I ’m b lind.”

H o w ir o n i c

I thought . I p r essed the b utt on. “H ere you are,” I

said. T he man tur ned to fac e me.“ Y ou know , I lost my v ision year s ago,” he said. “B ut there are

far w or se things in life than b eing b lind.” T he door s slid op en. T heman thanked me and left . I hur r ied b ack to L ar r y ’s r oom. I had

w hat I needed. N ow L ar r y needed me.

SHERY L J OHNSON OK LAHOMA CITY OK LAHOMA


33/76

09 -063 9 1-001-DIM1

9 6 3 9 1 1 E 3 9 3 1

MAIL

TO:

9 2 0 4 e n t e r F o r Th e r ts D r iv e N i le s Il li n o i s 6 0 7 1 4 - 1 3 0 0

dd a total of 1 3 .0 0 f or ship p ing and serv i c e. Del i v eries to F L and

I L w i l l b e b i l l ed ap p ro p r iate sales tax . All orders are subject to productavailabili ty and credit approval. Allow 8 to 10 w eeks after initial pay m ent

fo r shipm ent.

Nam e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A d d ress_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State_ _ _ _ _ Z ip_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Signatu re_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

S END NO MONEY NO

(Please print clearly .)

YE l ea e ac c e t m y order f or “ M

D u g h t e r , Y u A e M r e Lo v e d T a n

Y u C n I a g i n e ” a de c ribed in t hi

anno nc em en .

Lik e a b u tter y, a y o u ng girl all to oq u ick ly b eco m es a b eau tifu l y o u ng w o m an.Bu t a m o ther’s lo v e rem ains u nchanged .No w , Lena Liu ho no rs that ev er-b lo o m ingb o nd w ith her acclaim ed o ral artistry in aHam ilto n ex clu siv e.

Tenderly crafted and painted by hand.

“ My Dau ghter, Y o u Are Mo re Lo v ed ThanY o u Can Im agine” is fu lly hand crafted , fro mthe grand w ings o f this d ev o ted m o ther/

d au ghter d u o to the d elicate o nes o f theirb u tter y friend . Plu s, d o z ens o f Sw aro v sk icry stals thro u gho u t spark le as b right as thelo v e y o u hav e fo r y o u r d au ghter!

Lim ited to 9 5 casting d ay s, this hand -nu m b ered ed itio n is av ailab le fo r threeinstallm ents o f $ 26.66*, w ith o nly y o u r fi rstpay m ent d u e prio r to shipm ent. Certifi cateo f Au thenticity inclu d ed . S atisfactionguaranteed or your money b ac k . Mail the

attached co u po n to reserv e y o u rs no w !

Shown actual size of approximately 6.5" high

My D aug hterYou Are More Loved

an You Can Imagine

DA LESw ith 43 enuine

S ar o v ski crystals!

© 2016 HC . A ll Rights Reserv ed . © Lena Liu 2016


34/76

’d b e e n d r e a m in g o f

t h e p e r fe c t s e t o f c h in a fo r s o lo n g

BY ANNE MORRISON F AIRH OP E ALABAMA

B RIL L IA NT

t w ist ing p atter nsof glossy or angeand green, outlined

in metallic goldI ntr ic ate p ur p le,yellow and red

fl ow er s sur r ounded

b y b ursts of emerald gr een leav es

M y t w o china set s— the C has F ieldH av iland C hantoung I ’d inher itedfr om my mother, and the S p ode

P ep low that had b een gif ts fromour w edding guests— w ere b othstunning I loved b r inging them outon sp ec ial oc c asions W hat b eautiful

set tab les they made B ut theyw ere too v aluab le, and too delicate,

for ev er yday use

I c losed the c ab inet that held my

fanc y c hina and took out b r eakfastp lates fr om the c up b oar d O nesunny yellow , the other sky b lue

A matc hed set of ev eryday c hinaw as something that had b een out ofmy r eac h for the p ast 2 3 yearsI t just nev er seemed to b e in the

b udget S o instead of p ining for

w hat I c ouldn’t hav e, I ’d gott enc reativ e I w ent to thr ift stores andestate sales, p icking out a p air of

p lates her e, a c oup le b ow ls ther e“I t ’s too hard to dec ide on one

p att er n I like b est anyw ay,” I ’dalmost c onv inced my husb and, J ohn,

one day “S o w hy not mix and notmat c h? ” H e just laughed

I looked at t he mismatched p lates

2years later...

3 4 A N G E L S ON E A R T H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 ART ORK BY ANNE MORRI ON


35/76

i n m y h a n d s n o w . J o h n

h a d d i e d a f e w y e a r s a g o , b u t

e v e r y o n c e i n a w h i l e I s t i l l

g r a b b e d t w o d i s h e s s i m p l y

o u t o f h a b i t .

J o h n k n e w m e t o o w e l l t o

t h i n k I w o u l d n ’t h a v e l o v e d

t o s e r v e o u r b r e a k f a s t , l u n c h a n d

d i n n e r o n d i s h e s t h a t a l l w e n t

t o g e t h e r . S u r e ly h e fi g u r e d I h a d

a d r e a m s e t i n m i n d . A n d I d i d — a

f u l l p l a c e s e t t i n g f o r 1 2 , e v e r y p ie c e

c o v e r e d i n h e a p s o f c o l o r f u l fl o w e r s .

B u t J o h n a l s o k n e w I w a s h a p p y

t o m a k e d u e w i t h m y m i x e d p i e c e s .

Th e r e ’s n o th in g w r o n g w ith

b e i n g th r iftyI t h o u g h t a s I c h o s e

t h e y e l l o w p l a t e a n d p u t t h e b l u e

o n e b a c k . I s m i l e d , t h i n k i n g o f h o w

m u c h J o h n e n j o y e d m y c o o k i n g .

“ P l a t e s m a d e o f p u r e g o l d w o u l d n ’t

d o t h i s r e c i p e j u s t i c e ” h e s a i d o f

h i s f a v o r i t e s .

I fi n i s h e d b r e a k f a s t , t h e n g o t

r e a d y f o r a c h a r i t y e v e n t a t a

l o c a l f a r m . S u s a n , a n o l d f r i e n d ,

p ic k e d m e u p a n d w e w e n t t o g e t h e r .

“ T h e r e ’s a g r e a t fl e a m a r k e t d o w n

t h e r o a d f r o m h e r e ,” s h e s a i d

a f t e r w a r d . “ M i n d i f w e s t o p b y o n

t h e w a y b a c k ? ”

“ N o t a t a l l ” I t w a s a b e a u t i f u l

d a y , a n d I w a s w e l l p r a c t i c e d

a t u n c o v e r i n g g r e a t fi n d s a t fl e a

m a r k e t s . M a y b e I ’d fi n d a n ic e

p l a t e o r t w o t o r e p l a c e s o m e o f

m y c h i p p e d o n e s .

A t t h e m a r k e t , S u s a n

w a s a w o m a n o n a m i s s i o n .

S h e c o m b e d c a r e f u l l y

t h r o u g h e a c h b o o t h i n s e a r c h

o f R o m a n s h a d e s . I le f t h e r

t o i t a n d s t r o l l e d t h r o u g h t h e

t a b l e s , a d m i r i n g t h e d i f f e r e n t

g o o d s f o r s a l e , l o o k i n g f o r a n i c e

b a r g a i n . W i d o w h o o d h a d o n l y

s h a r p e n e d m y e a g l e e y e . J o h n

w o u l d h a v e b e e n p r o u d .

I w a n d e r e d i n t o a s m a l l b o o t h

a n d s p o t t e d a b e a u t i f u l c h i n a

t u r e e n u p o n a s h e l f . G r e e n v i n e s

s p r e a d a c r o s s i t s d e l i c a t e w h i t e

s u r f a c e a n d t a n g l e d t o g e t h e r w it h

t i n y y e l l o w b l o o m s . L a r g e r

b lo s s o m s o f p i n k , b l u e a n d l a v e n d e r

fl o w e r e d a t t h e t ip s o f e a c h v i n e .

“ H o w l o v e l y ,” I b r e a t h e d ,

s t a n d i n g o n m y t o e s t o e x a m i n e

t h e p ie c e . I t w a s j u s t t h e s o r t o f

p a t t e r n I ’d a l w a y s i m a g i n e d h a v i n g

f o r m y e v e r y d a y s e t . B e s id e t h e

t u r e e n w a s a s t a c k o f p l a t e s . B e h i n d

t h o s e , t e a c u p s w i t h s a u c e r s .

S e r v i n g b o w l s , a b u t t e r

d i s h , e v e n s a l t a n d

p e p p e r s h a k e r s I

m a r v e l e d a t t h e

d i s p l a y b e f o r e

p l u c k i n g o n e o f t h e

d i n n e r p l a t e s o f f

t h e s h e l f .

W o u ld n ’t th is ch e e r

A NG EL S O NEA R TH. O R G


36/76

u p a tab leI t h o u g h t .

“ H o w m u c h f o r t h e

p l a t e ? ” I a s k e d t h e

o w n e r o f t h e b o o t h ,

h o l d i n g i t u p .

“ T w e n t y ,” h e s a i d . I

m o v e d t o p u t i t b a c k . T h a t w a s

f a r t o o m u c h f o r o n e p l a t e .

“ F o r t h e w h o l e s e t ,” h e a d d e d .

“ Y o u ’r e j o k i n g ”

“ M a ’a m , I h a v e b e e n t r y i n g

t o o f f - l o a d t h a t s e t o f c h i n a

f o r a g e s . Y o u w o u l d b e d o i n g

m e a h u g e f a v o r .”

F o r a m o m e n t , I w a s

s p e e c h l e s s . T h e n , “ I ’ l l t a k e i t ”

T h e b o o t h o w n e r r o u n d e d u p

s o m e c a r d b o a r d b o x e s . I t t o o k

f o u r i n t o t a l t o fi t e v e r y t h i n g —

t h e f u l l 1 2 - p i e c e s e t , p l u s t h e

t u r e e n , a s e r v i n g p l a t t e r I h a d n ’t

n o t ic e d , a n d a l l t h e

o t h e r p i e c e s I ’d

a d m i r e d . S u s a n w a s

h a p p y t o h e l p m e h a u l

it a l l i n s id e w h e n s h e

d r o p p e d m e o f f a t h o m e .

W h i l e m y n e w d i s h e s w e r e

i n t h e d i s h w a s h e r , I c a r e f u l ly t o o k

d o w n m y m i s m a t c h e d p l a t e s

f r o m t h e c u p b o a r d s h e l f t o m a k e

r o o m f o r m y d r e a m s e t . T h e

c o l o r f u l fl o w e r s t r u l y s p a r k l e d

o n d i s p l a y .

O u t o f c u r i o s i t y , I l o o k e d

u p m y n e w d i s h e s o n l i n e , N i k k o

M a g e n t a . T h e c o s t f o r j u s t a

s i n g l e p l a t e o f t h e d i s c o n t i n u e d

p a t t e r n w a s $ 4 6 . T o o m u c h

f o r m y b u d g e t , b u t l u c k y f o r m e ,

a n g e l s a r e b a r g a i n h u n t e r s t o o .

J o h n w o u l d h a v e b e e n p r o u d .

3 6 A NG EL S O N EA RTH | M A R A P R 2 0 1 6

Anne Morrison doesn’t just have an eye for

fine china— she also paints. When it arrived

in our mailbox, her story was accompaniedby charming watercolor renditions of her

everyday china. “I just thought it’d add a

personal touch ” she says of her submission.

How could we not include them? Anne

isn’t the only artist in the family, either. Her

aunt, Clyde Connell, was a famous sculptor,

known for her abstract impressionist pieces.

“I tried my hand at sculpting too,” Anne says. “But watercolors

ended up being my passion.”

Afterglow


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The Serm o n o nthe Mo u nt

I L L U M I N T E D S C U L P T U R E

Sho w n m u ch

sm aller thanactu al siz e o f

inches high

w w w .b ra d fo r d e x ch a n g e .co m /2 2 5 3 5

P o r tr a y in g C h r is t’s tr iu m p h a n t s e r m o n

w ith a b r e a th ta k in g d e g r e e o f h a n d -

c r a fte d , h a n d -p a in te d d e ta il, “Th e

Se r m o n o n th e Mo u n t” Illu m in a te d

Sc u lp tu r e d r a w s u s c lo s e in fa ith . A

m a g n ific e n t th r e e - d im e n s io n a l e d itio n ,

it lig h ts u p w ith a flip o f th e sw itch ,

g iv in g tr u e a n d r a d ia n t m e a n in g to

th e p h r a se , Light of the World. W o r d sfr o m The Lord’s Prayer a d o r n th eflo w e r -s tr e w n m o u n t, b r in g in g d a ily

in s p ir a tio n to y o u r lif .

Ex ceptio nal valu esatisfactio n gu aranteed

Or d e r n o w a t $ 5 9 .9 9 * , p a y a b le

in th r e e i n s ta l lm e n ts o f $ 1 9 .9 9

e a c h , th e fir s t d u e b e fo r e s h ip m e n t.

Yo u r p u r c h a s e is b a c k e d b y o u r

u n c o n d itio n a l, 3 6 5 -d a y m o n e y -b a c k

g u a r a n te e s o th e r e ’s n o r is k . Se n d n o

m o n e y n o w , b u t d o n ’t w a it Ju s t m a il

th e Rese r v a tio n Ap p lic a tio n to d a y .

© 2 0 1 6 Th o m a s K in k a d e © 2 0 1 6 BGE 0 1 -2 2 5 3 5 -0 0 1 - D I M1

Aglo w w ith the

Inner Light o f His Lo ve

* P l u s 9. 9 9 s h i p p i n g a n d s e r v i c e . L i m i t e d - e d i t i o n p r e s e n t a t i o n r e s t r i c t e d t o 2 95 c a s t i n g d a y s . P l e a s e a l l o w 4 - 8 w e e k s a f t e r i n i t i a l p a y m e n t f o r

s h i p m e n t . S a l e s s u b j e c t t o p r o d u c t a v a i l a b i l i t y a n d o r d e r a c c e p t a n c e .

M r . M r. M s . N a m e P l e a s e P rint C l e a r y )

A d d re s s

C i y

S t a t e Z i

E m a i op t io n a l ) 1 2 2 5 5 1 E 9 1

Y E S . P l ea e res erve “ T h e S ermon on t h e Moun ”I l umina ed S c u p t ure f or me a des c ri ed in t h i

announ emenLimit one per order. Please Respond Promptly

9 3 4 5 M i l w a u k e e A v e n u e · N i l e s , I L 6 0 7 1 4 - 1 3 9 3

RESERVATION APPLICATION SEND NO MONEY NOW


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3 8 A N G E L S O N E A RT H | M A R / A P R 2 0 1 6 ILLUSTRATION BY H ANNAH AV I E S

n E s te r to re m e m b e r

BY ROSEMARIE M MANUS POTOMAC F ALLS V IRGINIA

AST R WA S A N d y l l i c i m e o r e

g r o w i n g p n G r m a n y e f o r e

t h e a r u t o w I o u b t e d I’ d v e r

c e l e b r a t e n o t h e r E a s t e r . I a s

1 5 e a r s l d y h e i m e h e a r n d e d

a n d h e G r m a n y f y h i l d h o o d

f e l t i k e r e a m . I o s t h e o u n t r y I

k n e w n d I’ d o s t y o t h e r h o

d i e d f y m p h o m a . H w o u l d o u c h

b e a k e n r o m e ?

O e i g h t n a b l e o l e e p I

t h o u g h t a c k n a p p i e r i m e s . L i k e

E a s t e r 9 3 i x o n t h s e f o r e

H t l e r n v a d e d o l a n d . I a s 0 e a r s

o l d . M o t h e r n d I p e n t H l y

W e e k t y r a n d m o t h e r ’ s a r m n

t h e Rh i n e a l l e y . D i v i n g a i n s

r a t t l e d h e i n d o w s f e r 3 0 - e a r -

o l d a r m h o u s e u t n s i d e e e r e

w a r m n d a p p y . m i a k e d e r

f a m o u sr e p p e l

a s t r i e s n d

s e r v e d e i s s e S c h o k o l a d e — h o t

c h o c o l a t e . M u n t s n d n c l e s

t a l k e d b o u t l l h e u n h e y ’ d a d t

t h e a s k e d a l l s e f o r e L e n t .

“ W h e n i l l I e l d n o u g h o e a r

a o s t u m e n d a n c e ? ” I s k e d

m y o t h e r . C i l d r e n e r e n c l u d e d

i n a y t i m e e l e b r a t i o n s n l y . In

r u r a l r e a s i k e h e Rh i n e a l l e y

p r o c e s s i o n s f a s k e d e r r y m a k e r s

s n a k e d h r o u g h h e t r e e t s n

t h e e e k e n d e f o r e A h e d n e s d a y .

T e i r a s i c h i t h h e o u n d s

o f i n g i n g a u g h i n g n d a r m o n i c a

p l a y i n g n d w e e t i t h h e m e l l

o f o t a s t r i e s o r a l e .

“ Y u ’ l l e l d n o u g h o o n ” M m a

s a i d . Be a t i e n t o s e k i n d . Y u ’ v e

g o t l e n t y f i m e . ”

B u t w e d i d n ’ t h a v e t i m e I h o u g h t

l y i n g n y e d n d e m e m b e r i n g .e


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40/76


ju s t d id n ’t k n o w it th e n . Ou r tim e

w a s a lr e a d y u p .

On G o o d F r id a y t h u n d e r s t o r m s

r u m b le d a c r o s s t h e f a r m la n d a s w e

w a l k e d t o t h e v i lla g e c h u r c h w h e r e

t h e c o n g r e g a t io n p r a y e d t h e S t a t io n s

o f t h e C r o s s .

“ A r e n ’t t h e y g o i n g t o p la y t h e

o r g a n ? ” I w h is p e r e d t o M a m a .

“ No m u s ic t o d a y Ro s e k in d ” s h es a id . “ To d a y w e r e m e m b e r h o w J e s u s

s u f f e r e d f o r u s .” On t h e a lt a r t h e

d o o r t o t h e t a b e r n a c le w a s w id e o p e n .

U s u a l ly t h e Eu c h a r is t w a s k e p t

in s id e b u t o n t h is d a y it w a s e m p t y .

Th e h o ly w a t e r fo u n t a in s w e r e d r y

t o d a y t o o a n d a ll t h e s t a t u e s c o v e r e d

in p u r p le c lo t h . I lo o k e d a t t h e

t a b e r n a c le a s t h e p r ie s t r e a d f r o mt h e G o s p e l o f J o h n . “ Th e y h a v e

t a k e n a w a y m y L o r d a n d I d o n o t

k n o w w h e r e t h e y h a v e la id h im .”

S u r e ly J o h n f e lt a lo n e . B u t J e s u s

r e t u r n e d t o h im f o r Ea s t e r . No

w o n d e r it w a s s u c h a s p e c ia l h o lid a y .

W a s a s p e c ia l h o lid a y I t h o u g h t

s t a r in g u p a t m y b e d r o o m c e ilin g .

S o m e t im e s it fe lt lik e t h a t y e a r w a s

t h e l a s t Ea s t e r I w o u ld e v e r h a v e .

S o m u c h h a d c h a n g e d . S o m u c h h a d

d is a p p e a r e d . W o u ld Ea s t e r e v e r

r e a lly fe e l lik e Ea s t e r a g a in ?

I p l a n n e d t o g o t o A m e r ic a w h e r e

I c o u ld s t a y w it h r e la t iv e s w h o h a d

a l r e a d y l e f t G e r m a n y l ik e s o m a n y

o t h e r s . I c o u ld s t a r t a n e w life . L e a v e

b e h in d t h e f r ig h t e n in g m e m o r ie s

o f w a r -t o r n G e r m a n y . H o ld o n to th e

g o o d m e m o r ie s I t o ld m y s e lf. L i k e

th a t la s t E a s te r Su n d a y w ith Ma m a .

B y S a t u r d a y m o r n in g t h e

t h u n d e r s t o r m s a t Om i’s f a r m h a d

s lo w e d t o a d r iz z le . M a m a a n d I

s a id g o o d - b y e a n d t o o k a b u s t o t h e

s m a ll t o w n o f L o r c h . F r o m t h e r e

w e g o t o n a t r a in t h a t w o u ld t a k e u s

a lo n g t h e Rh in e t o C o lo g n e w h e r e w e

w o u ld s p e n d t h e h o lid a y w it h s o m e

o f M a m a ’s fr ie n d s . I s a t a t t h e w in d o w

a n d w a t c h e d t h e v in e y a r d s a n d

Ro sem arie age 10 w ith her m o ther so o nb efo re the start o f the Seco nd W o rld W ar.


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a n c ie n t s to n e fo r t ifi c a t io n s s p e e d

p a s t. “ L o o k , Ma m a , a c a s tle ” I s a id

w h e n e v e r o n e c a m e in t o v ie w . E a c h

lo o k e d lik e th e s e ttin g fo r a fa ir y ta le .

I s h u d d e r e d t o th in k w h a t h a d

b e c o m e o f th o s e c a s tle s n o w . C o lo g n e

its e lf w a s a lm o s t u n r e c o g n iz a b le

a ft e r h u n d r e d s o f a ir r a id s . Bu t o n

th a t E a s te r m o r n in g , m y la s t b e fo r e

t h e w a r , t h e c ity w a s s tu n n in g lyb e a u t ifu l. I ju m p e d o u t o f b e d a n d

w e n t in to th e g a r d e n , w h e r e th e

g r o w n -u p s w e r e a lr e a d y g a t h e r e d

w ith th e ir K a f fe e a n d Os t e r b r o t, a

s p e c ia l b r e a d fo r E a s te r . “ G u t e n

M o r g e n , F r o h e Os t e r n ” I s a id .

“ Go o d m o r n in g , h a p p y E a s t e r ”

“Ro s e k i n d , c o m e a n d h a v e s o m e

Os t e r b r o t,” s a id Ma m a , b u t I w a n te dt o fi n d m y E a s te r b a s k e t fi r s t .

I s u r v e y e d th e g a r d e n a n d th e r e it

w a s , p e e k in g o u t fr o m b e h in d t h e

n e a tly t r im m e d h e d g e , a b ig b a s k e t

fi lle d w ith c o lo r fu l e g g s , m a r z ip a n

c a n d y a n d a h u g e c h o c o la te b u n n y .

“ E a t y o u r b r e a d q u ic k ly ,” Ma m a

s a id . “ T h e n it ’s tim e t o p u t o n y o u r

E a s te r o u tfi t ”

W e s tr o lle d t h e c o b b le s to n e

s tr e e t s to t h e t r o lle y th a t to o k u s to

C o lo g n e C a th e d r a l. I c o u ld h e a r

th e g r a n d b e lls r in g in g lo n g b e fo r e

w e g o t th e r e , th e ir to lls m in g lin g

w ith th o s e o f c h u r c h b e lls o n b o th s id e s

o f th e R h in e in a c o n c e r t o f b e lls .

“M a m a ,” I s a id , “On k e l Ja k o b to ld

m e th a t th e c a th e d r a l is a lm o s t

s e v e n h u n d r e d y e a r s o ld ,” I s a id . I t

w a s h a r d t o im a g in e a n y t h in g

s ta n d in g t h a t lo n g A n d s u d d e n ly

th e r e it w a s b e fo r e u s . “ W h a t a

g lo r io u s E a s te r D a y ,” sa id Ma m a a n d

k is s e d m e o n th e t o p o f m y h e a d .

Or g a n m u s ic p o u r e d o u t o f th e o p e n

d o o r a s w e c lim b e d th e c a th e d r a l

s te p s . I c o u ld n ’t w a it to s e e w h a t itlo o k e d lik e in s id e , b u t w h e n w e

fi n a lly g o t th e r e it w a s t

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Angels on Earth - April 2016