Dear Reader:

This beautiful “birth stone” hanging angel that Marcia -Mollie’s mom gave me one year (several years ago)  – always lifts my spirits when I open the glass storm door to enter my happy room….the den.

For the most part the only times the flying angel has left its location  is when I am “windexing” the glass… and, then, as soon as I finish, I put it right back up. The door feels barren and uninviting without my flying angel, my protector of home.

The first time the angel fell, without my removing it, was a couple of years ago….I remember it because of the surrounding story that accompanied the fall. I was running late for church, slammed the storm door hurriedly, got to my car….no car keys!

I wish I could say this was an infrequent occurrence but I would not be telling the truth.

I ran back in the house and it was then that I noticed the angel had fallen. I stopped to pick it up….the suction cup, string and angel were all intact but to my dismay the sapphire (September) birth stone was missing! I temporarily forgot about my car keys in my new quest to find the birth stone.

“Where could it be?” all the other parts were scattered on the front entry rug….but no birth stone. Finally I ran down the steps and looked around the photo table where a beautiful plant (that one of Mandy’s college friends sent me after I was diagnosed with breast cancer) sat. (It is just as old as “Big Red.”)

Something sparkly caught my eye. It was the sapphire stone. But that wasn’t all…right next to the stone sat my car keys…both had fallen into the planter.

I had draped the keys over the banister while I fixed my scarf and they, too, had fallen to the planter below. When I got to church (wasn’t too late) and had time to think about the incident….I felt that it was the angel who purposefully fell to help me find my car keys.

Then a year ago, last winter, I fell asleep on the sofa one night watching television, and forgot to cover “Big Red” my faithful geranium of eight years. When I woke up past midnight, I hurriedly went up the steps to lock the front door and turn out the light.I was only half awake and gave no thought to “Big Red”‘s critical situation on the porch.

When I opened the first door to lock the storm door something caught my eye and then I heard a tinkling sound. My angel had fallen again. I picked it up….still intact and went to put it back on the glass door. It was then that I realized “Big Red’s” leaves were curled and the stems looked a sickly color. The temps were already in the 20’s. I had forgotten to cover it.

I, somehow, found the strength to lug “Big Red” (in its container) back into the house. It came close to dying….I had to “amputate” most of the limbs but by summer “Big Red” had completely recovered.

As I finally went back to turn off the porch lights that night….I noticed that the sapphire birthstone was shining brightly….a beacon of hope for “Big Red.” A flying “guardian” angel.

Every day I can hardly wait for the afternoon sun to streak across the porch and set the sapphire-carrying angel aflame in beauty.

Today “Big Red” looks more like “Big Green” but that is okay…after the Fourth I had to give the geranium a good “limb cut.” The limbs had gotten so long they were falling off the bench and touching the floor. The poor stems were breaking under the pressure.

I cut the limbs back to the point that the geranium could fit inside the bench. But believe me, it is alive and well with buds popping up everywhere.

So until tomorrow….I may not have an angel by my side but I sure do have a door angel who protects and helps me and my “foliage friends” when emergencies arise.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Walsh sent this picture of Rutledge fishing with PaPa (Bruce,) What a lucky little boy Rutledge is to have such wonderful grand-dads….each with their own special talents to share. Memories for the ages. (Rutledge caught THREE FISH!)