Alex's Special Christmas Angel

by Marion Smith

What do you think of when the word "angel" is mentioned? Something ethereal - a celestial being perhaps, wispy and beautiful? A warrior, ready and able to stand guard?

I think of a different type of angel, and this story centers on it. This particular angel was created with white battenburg lace, and will always be special in the life of seven-year-old Alex.

I first heard about Alex and his mom, Diane, from his first grade teacher - my daughter. For many years she has shared prayer requests with me, telling me special needs of her students and allowing me the opportunity to pray for them. This particular petition wrenched my heart as she explained the circumstances. Alex's mom was dying of cancer and wasn't expected to live much longer. She had been hospitalized three or four times from September to December, and in mid-December the doctors admitted her to the hospital for what they expected to be the final time.

A prayer partner of mine planned to visit a friend in the same hospital, and I asked her to just stop by Diane's room and maybe say a prayer. She did this, taking with her a small white angel, which she placed upon Diane's pillow. She asked family members present that day to tell Alex this angel was to remind him that his mother would always be in the presence of angels.

Diane managed to hold onto life by a thread as Alex's seventh birthday rolled around, and then died four days later - two weeks before Christmas. On the night of his mothers passing, his father brought the special angel home to Alex. They placed it on top of the Christmas tree, because Alex said that seemed the proper place for it.

My daughter knew of Diane's death before she spoke with Alex on the phone that night. He told her a most beautiful thing - which his mother was no longer in the hospital, but had gone to heaven. When Alex returned to his first grade classroom, he and his father briefly removed the special angel from the tree for Alex to share with his classmates. He carefully put it in a little box and handled it, oh, so lovingly. His classmates had known of Alex's mother's serious illness, and as he showed them this wondrous angel, he shared where his mother now resided. How wonderful that Alex has this special angel to grasp, the one that will always remind him that his mom is in heaven, surrounded by a host of celestial angels.

Angels are God's messengers, and I saw God use three human angels working for Him in this story. God used my daughter, my prayer partner, and even used me to give Alex the good news message that his mom would eternally be okay. She would be waiting for the day when they would be reunited.

So, I believe God's messengers can be an unseen celestial spirit; a person used by God, or can even be a small white lace angel - perfect in size to be held in the hand of a child.