Do you think you have ever encountered an angel?

[loriangel14, RN]

This happened to me years ago while I was in school. I have never told anyone.

I was a single mom with two little girls. I was working seven days a week and going to nursing school at night.Money was VERY tight.By the time I paid the mortgage, bills, tuition and put gas in the car there was not very much money left over for things like food. I had family that would have helped but I only asked when I was desperate.One of my two jobs was doing homecare in the community.One day as I was driving to a client's house I was going over in my mind what groceries I needed to buy and was wondering if I had any money left in my account to actually buy anything.I needed something to feed the kids for breakfast the next morning and something to send in their lunches.Some tea would have been nice too.I said a silent prayer that there was some money left in the bank for some food.At the end of the day when I was at my last client the agency phones and asked me if I could squeeze in one more client before I went home.I was really tired but the address was close by and I could use the extra hour of pay.

I went the address I was given. It was an apartment building I had been to many times but I had never seen this man before.He was a pleasant little Italian man that was very glad to see someone.At the end of the visit I was changing into my outdoor shoes when the man thrust a plastic bag at me, explaining that his sister bought his groceries for him and she had bought him things he didn't want. He said perhaps I could use them.I accepted the bag and rushed out to my car, to embarrased to open it in front of him. I opened the bag and I couldn't believe my eyes. In side was a loaf of bread,some lunch meat, a box of cereal,a package of cookies..... and a box of tea.Exactly the things I had said the silent prayer for.I could hardly see to drive home because of the tears in my eyes.

Today I helped my girls move into an apartment together.One has finished college and one starts a nursing program in January.Those hard times seem so long ago but I still try to not forget all the help I received along the way.

[sjackson13]

This is so beautiful!!! It just goes to show that God always provides.

[PNnow]

What an amazing story!! Thanks for sharing that.I noticed in another post, you said you were an hour north of Toronto. I've just returned to Ontario, an hour north of Toronto, and am about to start looking for work in my new RPN career. I don't see a lot of RPN job postings in the hospitals (Barrie, Newmarket).Any tips on the best route to apply without getting lost in the shuffle?Thanks in advance for any tips you can give me.

[somenurse]

This is so beautiful!!! It just goes to show that God always provides.

there are so so many starving humans all over the globe, that might have trouble believing that. Amazing to consider, if the earth's axis, were only a degree or two different,

so so so much more of this planet would be amenable to farming, instead of covered with so so so so many vast deserts.

to the OP, no, i have not seen any supernatural beings,

BUT,

i have also encountered marvelous humans, tons of 'em, for decades, but, they were humans. Birth certificates and all, some even qualified for medicare. So glad you got a bag of food when you really needed one, very heartwarming, but, i rather suspect this man, like so many of us,

could spot another human in need, and enjoyed doing what he could, however small, to reach out a hand.

I have done many a similar thing, i have no doubt, there are people who could tell stories of things i have done for them, at a time they reeeally needed a hand, whether they knew it came from me, or not,

but, i am only a mortal.

Never underestimate the power of kindness, and do all you can, to pass that on to someone else. Nothing supernatural required, to really really really impact and touch and help another person.

Enjoy believing such kind humans are supernatural, but, only drawback to thinking that, might be, if it stops you from imitating the behavior, by thinking it takes someone supernatural to spot another human in dire straights.

[loriangel14, RN]

Oh I know what you mean. When I was a single mom living on nothing I had more than one ordinary person give me a helpng hand.We have to remember that sometimes the angels work through us.

[somenurse]

Oh I know what you mean. When I was a single mom living on nothing I had more than one ordinary person give me a helpng hand.We have to remember that sometimes the angels work through us.

well, you certainly have a right to imagine, that when you encounter a kind human, that something supernatural or magic is going on, but, imo, that idea is optional....that idea is a choice you make.

There is zero empirical evidence for angels, nor for this idea(that being kind is not a human thing, but caused by supernatural beings manipulating us).

When i do kind things, maybe some ppl think, "wow, i just encountered a supernatural being, or an angel!"

yet,

it was just me ---a mere mortal----being kind.

I don't agree we "have to" think of kind humans as angels, nor as humans being manipulated by angels, but, you are free to imagine that, if it pleases you to do so. Me, i have strong belief in the kindness of many other humans, and can enjoy it for what it is, my own species being kind to each other,

no magic required. Altruism of a sort, has even been observed in other species which are not humans, too!

maybe for me, knowing another human was that kind,

is more inspirational to me personally,

than the idea of magic. I can actually get quite excited when i hear of extraordinarily kind things that mere humans do for each other, i really do.

[jaypea]

well, you certainly have a right to imagine, that when you encounter a kind human, that something supernatural or magic is going on, but, imo, that idea is optional....that idea is a choice you make.

There is zero empirical evidence for angels, nor for this idea(that being kind is not a human thing, but caused by supernatural beings manipulating us).

When i do kind things, maybe some ppl think, "wow, i just encountered a supernatural being, or an angel!"

yet,

it was just me ---a mere mortal----being kind.

I don't agree we "have to" think of kind humans as angels, nor as humans being manipulated by angels, but, you are free to imagine that, if it pleases you to do so. Me, i have strong belief in the kindness of many other humans, and can enjoy it for what it is, my own species being kind to each other,

no magic required. Altruism of a sort, has even been observed in other species which are not humans, too!

maybe for me, knowing another human was that kind,

is more inspirational to me personally,

than the idea of magic. I can actually get quite excited when i hear of extraordinarily kind things that mere humans do for each other, i really do.

Angels are very real. I've encountered them on two different occasions around the same time in my life. They didnt have a humanoid(or any) form and they were not in a physical being. They didnt physically give me anything but they truely helped me. They are very real. Also had another event recently. It was very uneventful but it was exactly what i needed. Dont know if it was angels or god but when i cried to god to save me the torment immediately stopped and i was suddenly at peace. They are very real.

[AspiringToRN2]

It's an amazing story. God provides and always in time.

I have heard of many such stories where people have been saved by Good Samaritans. I believe without any doubt that God uses other people to do His work. I have also heard of people who say they've encountered Angels. God can do anything; why wouldn't He send Angels if that was the best interventions?

[exit96]

well, you certainly have a right to imagine, that when you encounter a kind human, that something supernatural or magic is going on, but, imo, that idea is optional....that idea is a choice you make.

There is zero empirical evidence for angels, nor for this idea(that being kind is not a human thing, but caused by supernatural beings manipulating us).

When i do kind things, maybe some ppl think, "wow, i just encountered a supernatural being, or an angel!"

yet,

it was just me ---a mere mortal----being kind.

I don't agree we "have to" think of kind humans as angels, nor as humans being manipulated by angels, but, you are free to imagine that, if it pleases you to do so. Me, i have strong belief in the kindness of many other humans, and can enjoy it for what it is, my own species being kind to each other,

no magic required. Altruism of a sort, has even been observed in other species which are not humans, too!

maybe for me, knowing another human was that kind,

is more inspirational to me personally,

than the idea of magic. I can actually get quite excited when i hear of extraordinarily kind things that mere humans do for each other, i really do.

I appreciate your comments, however, magic and true spirituality (Christianity) are not synonymous...

[kakamegamama]

Sometimes, we do encounter "angels unaware". However, I believe it is possible to encounter them in a tangible fashion as well. When my eldest was just learning to drive we allowed her to drive back home alone on a 2 hour trip through dense traffic (kinda like throwing your child into the swimming pool and letting them "sink or swim"....that was her dad's idea, this mom wanted her to wait!). Anyway, she was going through a bit of traffic in which she HAD to change lanes from the left to the right and no one was letting her over. She was about to the point of needing to exit onto the key road she needed to be on, and knew of no other way to go but that road. As I said, no one was letting her over until...the elderly, white haired man in the old pick up truck. So, she got over and as she lifted her hand to wave thanks to him, and looked into her rearview mirror that man and his pick up truck were gone. He had not pulled over to the side of the road. There was no other exit besides the one she was aiming for but had not yet arrived at. There were no parking lots for him to pull into. Nothing but the highway and the shoulder was there. She wasn't going fast enough to have sped up and left him in her "dust". So yea, I'm pretty confident that the Lord provided an angelic being to protect our treasure on her first journey by herself on that trip.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Oh I know what you mean. When I was a single mom living on nothing I had more than one ordinary person give me a helpng hand.We have to remember that sometimes the angels work through us.

People are certainly entitled to their skepticism. But you prayed for something to feed your kids for breakfast, something to put in their lunch and some tea. Does seem a bit uncanny.

I was actually spoken to by someone once; I thought it was my partner, but he vehemently denied it. The only other logical possibility was an auditory hallucination, which I'm not prone to. It informed me a child was drowning in the pool we were in, and so he was. I walked over and fished him out, coughing and sputtering. My partner and I concluded it was the kid's guardian angel. You'll never convince me otherwise.

[ArtClassRN, ADN, RN]

In response to your question, "Do you think you have ever encountered an angel?"

No. Because angels do not exist. This is not a knock against angels or people who believe in angels. Leprechauns don't exist either; it's just the way it is.

Reminder: The OP asked.

That being said, your story is wonderful. I certainly have encountered many wonderful people who helped me along the way and I have tried to pay it forward by helping others. I have been called "angel" for that as well, but that's not up to me.