Angel On My Shoulder

I believe in angels. I always have. I remember when I was about eight years old and had just been baptized into the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was the Sunday after my baptism. I was sitting waiting for church to start when I wondered what I was supposed to do now. I had learned my lessons, but I was too little to do anything for the people in my church.
Our church was very small. On the stage there was the baptismal fount, the small pulpit and on the wall there was a picture of Jesus. That was all. I started praying to Jesus to help me decide what I was going to do now. I was very nervous about this whole thing. My mom and dad were expecting me to be good, I knew that. I also knew that I was kind of willful. I knew that wasn’t good. I asked Jesus to take care of me and help me to be good. That was all. It was short and to the point. I looked up at the picture and he was smiling just at me. I knew from that moment I would never forget that smile and I would always try to do things that were right, and If I didn’t, Jesus would forgive me. Pretty simple, right? I have often wondered why the big churches make such a big deal out of mansions for churches, and have their congregation dig into their pockets for things that just aren’t necessary.
As I grew to be a teenager I continued to be willful. I wanted to be released from such a tight fisted church and parents that wouldn’t let me do anything but go to church three to four days a week.
I wasn’t bad, I didn’t drink, I didn’t smoke, but the one thing I did like was speed.
I had a boyfriend that had a 1960 Plymouth. It was powerful and he let me drive it in a drag race west of town. I was going one hundred twenty miles an hour and wanted to go faster.
I got married at sixteen just to show my parents that I could. That was a terrible mistake, but he was willful too. He let me drag race his fast car whenever I wanted to.
That marriage lasted just a minute in life’s hours.
I married a man who was quiet and quiet spoken. I told him that I wanted to be in the Powder Puff derby. He didn’t tell me no, but he did remind me that I had two babies.
Oh I wanted to race.
When I had three babies, twelve years later, my family and I were going on vacation. I had decided to leave my two year old home, so I could have more fun. On the way to the hotel, a young man who was high on marijuana and drunk flew over a hill and hit us head on. I was hurt, my oldest son, and my husband had some injuries. The paramedics had to use the jaw of life to get me out of the car. My baby who was at home would have been sitting on my lap.
When I got out of the hospital, I looked at our car. It was a miracle that anyone survived that had been in that car. I was reminded of the promise that Jesus had given me when he smiled at me. He has sent angels to keep me safe all of my life. Not only me, but the people who I put in danger because of being so willful and stupid.
I still am a bit willful, but I try to think before I act now, and I thank Him for my beautiful family and the full life that I have lived thanks to Him.