Angels

I've been thinking about angels a lot--the human kind. I find it funny how so many people think angels live up in the sky, floating on some white-feathered wings, these dainty little halos over their heads. Angels are way more complex than that. Most of the time they look just like us--because they ARE us. They come in the form of friends, lovers, family members, and strangers. They dress in Banana Republic clothing or a hoodie and jeans or nothing at all. They make mistakes, have flaws. I do believe in Angels of a Higher Order, those beings made of some different form of magnetic energy that exist outside the human plane. I don't know if I'd call them Universe-Messengers, but who knows! They are definitely more evolved than us; maybe we all become angels as we move up the spiritual ladder. Anyway, it's extraordinary how we can pass someone on the street--and they change our lives forever, in little or big ways. Have any of you seen GRAND CANYON? My favorite scene is when Kevin Kline's character is thinking back to the time the woman with the baseball cap pulled him away from the curb, when he was daydreaming, and saved him from getting hit by a vehicle speeding by. I've had so many angels in my life....the young woman (Jessica, maybe?) whom I talked to about soulmates--and well, angels!--over a cup of coffee in Oak Park, IL. We swore we'd see one another again; that still hasn't happened; and that was years ago, back in my hippie-fro days, as some of you may remember! I've been thinking about Tara and Alie a lot, how much their words and editing skills have guided my writing....and I think about Karin, how one crazy night in New Zealand helped jumpstart the short story that eventually became the novel I'm trying to get published....Then there are the intertwined angel figurines that Levi found on his porch, right after we met, and how we knew we were meant to be together at the time....and Kevin, coming to me in my Hour of Need (and that Hour lasted months, some of you may relate)....I often think about Guardian Angels, that Higher Order kind I mentioned above, and how they've been there for me to help with my roommate situations: Tara, Jarrod, Carly....There's Jennifer, always ending up in the same town as me (!) and reminding me about where I come from, and why it's important to remember....There's Jess, taking me in for yummy meals on a weekly basis in Corvallis, feeding body and heart and soul all at once....Ah yes, Esther, who was there when I met both Jim and Levi and is the only one who can make complete fun of me--and I laugh along with her! She gets, as Jordan would say, my "inner core"....And then there's Anya, who has a knack for sending me a letter in the mail from the Ukraine exactly at the time I need to read some of her kind and inspiring words....I'm tempted to call Mom, Jordan, and Aaron angels, but I think they are more like Glittery Commanders-in-Chief. They kind of give my angels some direct orders, you know? They're a little too close to me to be angels....What's the word?.....Sentinels....Their energy helps decide which angels to let inside the Nathan Gates. Even working here at Marsh, I have Kevin, Lizbeth, Gary, and Unitia....who, when I was freaked out about taking this job, have helped make me feel safe and welcome. Whether we know it or not, our angels work together, on conscious and unconscious levels. My list goes on and on, of course. More stories for more postings. An experiment for all: Who are your angels? How do they differ from soulmates? Sentinels? Worshippers? Worshippees? Priests and Priestesses? Gods and Goddesses? I think the lines stay blurry, but it's an interesting concept to examine none-the-less. I often wonder if I've been an angel for anyone, or just a good friend, or both at the same time. I think about that young woman--it HAS to be Jessica--and wonder if she thinks about me, too, from time to time. Final note: If you ever meet a woman named Jan on an airplane (different Jan than my mom, folks!) see if she knows a Nathan Buck. I had a wonderful experience with a Jan once, back when I was 18, and she told me about a beautiful, splashy-green feathered Phoenix type bird who came to her in her time of need. Tell her I say hello and give her my best!