Tis the Season for...Celestial Bodies ("Now You See Me...")

The Pattern is (getting) Full: Air traffic controllers, despite a lower volume of traffic throughout the past year due to the pandemic, have their work cut out for them the next few weeks. What, with all the sightings of airborne and otherwise heavenly bodies with wings at various altitudes competing for air space. Likewise, astronomers are finding the perennial return of an extra star of incredible brilliance, beckoning Us 'wise guys' from the east, to a destination that is at first mystical but then fully realized...where might that be in our respective lives at this point in time?

An Angel's approach: "It's a bird, it's a plane...it's an apparition, it's an ANGEL!" So how do we recognize an angel's approach, her/his angle of descent? Some accounts and experiences you have shared with me in the safety of our conversations ("You're gonna think I'm crazy but...") lead me to visualize a gradual awakening, a growing awareness of a presence you initially are bewildered by. Like an image from "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (timely eh?). Whereas others have described more of a sudden appearance/awareness, like when someone jumps from behind a door "Surprise, it's just me!" In either case, I am convinced a trait common among all angels is stealth. It's as if they know we wouldn't readily welcome them into our lives, let alone our most personal space, such as our bedroom. Can you imagine how you would react upon being awakened by such apparitions as those depicted in the very first movie (i.e., black and white version) of  Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"? Okay, so you say you're unfazed -- what if Dickens was 'reimagined' through a mashup of Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino? Gotcha! 

Chilling Effect, A Warm Embrace: Regardless of approach, what about the message they came to deliver to us? If we haven't already been frightened at least a wee bit, how would you like to be told you are with child when, even with modern technology, you haven't consented nor undergone any of the requisite engagements? Chilling, to say the least. Many theologians point out that the great Sender of angels understands us quite well, which is why so many angels start the conversation with such disarming, supposedly reassuring lines as "Be not afraid". Easy for them to say. In "Touched by An Angel" (211 episodes starting in 1994), as the plots unfolded, we experienced some rather 'chilling' themes. But the three angels, under the supervision of  Della Reese, never failed to leave me feeling like I just had a 'warm embrace', one which had a sustaining energy for at least awhile. 

In our Midst, into the Mist: Many people who have had acute medical conditions requiring ER and/or ICU intervention have testified to the number of angels they met along the way in and the way out. Initially, depending on the state of medical stupor, they experienced them as a kind of apparition, given the degree of PPE they had to don, for everyone's sake. Imagine yourself under their care, upon first approach how you too may be frightened, especially if in a weakened state, only to find out through word and deed they are your guardian angels. Real Life, Real Time account -- December 17th interview with a new mom who was diagnosed with COVID on the 'eve' of delivery: "I knew what was coming when they came at me gowned from head to toe and with face masks on...I knew I must be COVID positive...it was an eerie silence as they took me to an isolation area...we were so lucky that these (angels) supported a skin to skin bonding between my new baby and myself by enabling me to nurse despite the diagnosis...it allowed my baby the gift of antibodies...I could not have done this without them..." 

       They came upon a midnight clear...And then they went, almost like they arrived, hardly noticeable...leaving us with a bit of separation anxiety but also tidings of comfort and joy𝅘𝅥𝅯, sustaining us through times of tribulation.  

Earning Our Wings, Sky High Standards: Lucky for us mortals, there are supervising angels like Tess, who look after the others who look after us (played by Della Reese, who sadly departed from us in real life three years ago, surely earning her wings). Also lucky for us, if such a 'down to earth' guardian angel like Clarence Odbody in "It's a Wonderful Life" can earn their wings, there's hope for us as well. We just have to be on the lookout for our own George Baileys and be willing to act when we see the need. Is that too much to ask?

Angels on Our Trees: How many and where do you place them? Bet you'll think twice now. Be on the lookout and...feel blessed!