*My son-in-law won't read my blog. He says it is too long. Make it in two parts. Tried, it didn't work. Read it in two sittings!

The Angels Kiss Us While We Sleep…

At one time, my life consisted of diapers, bottles, suppers and laundry. My heart longed for the day that the ‘magic’ would start; I would be rich, famous, wonderful, and beautiful, probably in the same day! Watch out world! Now, as my hair has turned white instead of dark brown, and with that loads of wisdom rather than loads of laundry, life looks a little different. The magic has been there all along, sort of like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”, ‘everything I always wanted was right here, in my own backyard.’ There are millions of born again men, women and children out there in the world, living lives devoted to the Lord, having clean hands and a pure heart.

You know the ones.

Like, the heroic mother in the check out line who braves the grocery store with five little ones who are whining, wanting everything within reach and all she gets are stares. (This would be my girls! They both have four children. One of them noting she had a few spare moments a day now keeps foster children. The other one has twins who just tuned one and have started walking--in opposite directions!) (On one occasion, we were encouraged to leave the fitting rooms at our local department store because the fitting room attendant was fearful of so many children. We all felt out numbered) The eyes behind the stares asks the question, “Why do women have so many children if they can’t manage them better than that?”, not realizing this is the first time in over a week they have been out the house because everyone has been passing around the ‘throw ups’. Being frazzled, tired, and smelling of throw up, she braves the grocery store because Prince Charming will want dinner. She is paying the price for devotion to the Lord and to her family. Look around in the grocery store and tell a few of those moms what a great job they are doing. They probably won’t hear their children say it before they reach adulthood! Let them know they are a HERO. The sacrifice and the service they will provide for many years will go totally unnoticed by the ones who profit most from mom’s blood, sweat, and tears. However, there is a crowd of witnesses watching from above who never misses a tear she cries, a meal she prepares, a nose she wipes or any other of those so-called mundane tasks of life. They applaud her and the angels kiss her while she sleeps. She has an excellent spirit. She is great.

Do you really see the guy in your office or do you notice the guy who you call to fix everything that breaks in your apartment? You know the one, he does his job well, takes pride in his work and would not think of turning in anything other than his best. After putting in eight hours of work away from home, he pulls into the driveway dogged tired. He takes a deep breath, steps out of the car where the children all come running and screaming. (Mrs. Prince Charming is also part of this crowd) ”Play ball with me.” “Would you turn the jump rope for me Daddy, mom won’t play with me”. Mrs. Charming hollers over the crowd, “Prince, you would not believe how these children of yours acted in the grocery store today! The stares I got! You would not believe it! Next time, you can take this mob!” He wearily throws the ball, turns the jump rope, scolds the children for misbehaving, eats dinner, goes outside to mow the grass before dark, pulls the car in the garage so after grass cutting he can fix the ‘ping’, then falls into bed, mentally and physically exhausted. HERO! Through all the years of childrearing and marriage, he gets up every morning and goes to a job pays ok but it doesn’t fulfill him or touch his heart, because he loves his family. He lives devoted to his family and his Lord, with clean hands and a pure heart. Sometimes he works two jobs because of the growing needs of family. He works hard to keep a roof over everyone’s head, food in their stomachs and shoes on their feet. He feels there is no one who sees all he does nor do they appreciate the sacrifices he makes. However, there is a crowd of witnesses watching from above who never misses a thrown ball or turned rope, a mowed lawn, a fixed car, and sees him leaving for work before the sun rises in an effort to beat the traffic to work. They see all the other so-called mundane tasks of life and they applaud him. The angels kiss him while he sleeps. He has an excellent spirit. He is great man.

For all of us ‘unfamous’ people, when we think those hidden moments do not count, they do. There are those whose hearts desire is to see others succeed. Mothers want to see their children grow up to be president; fathers want their children to be bank presidents. They work hard, pay for piano (trumpet or flute) lessons, stay up late working on school projects, and usually make a good grade! (You know whom I am talking about!) One of my granddaughters wants to be a doctor when she grows up so she can take care of her Grand Me when she gets old. (Hurry!)

Then, there are the countless single moms who will do whatever they have too in order to keep their children fed. Recently I met a young woman who waited the table where I was involved in a business meeting. There was something about her. Nothing particularly note worthy. Tall, thin, busy, sad. Finally, I just stopped her and asked if I could pray for her, which surprised her (I think the surprise was that someone noticed her at all). A few weeks later upon returning to the restaurant, I had the great honor of meeting the hero of all heroes who stands as the epitome of those striving, hard working single parents that we pass every day but rarely notice. She lived in one town, drove to another town to leave her three children with her mom, and then drove to a different town to work. After work, she drove to another town where she attends night classes. Class being over around 10:30 pm, she drives over an hour, back to her mom’s to pick up her sleeping children, drives home only to get back up early in the morning to start the routine all over again. She wants a life for her children and is willing to do whatever she has too. She does not know the Lord but He knows her. He is wooing her to Himself. But in the meantime, there is a cloud of witness who sees the hours she spends a day in her car. I am sure someone in the crowd has dispatched some angelic helpers to make sure her worn out car makes it through the day. They are the ones who applaud her “A’s” because there isn’t anyone else. She comes and goes in silence and in the dark. But, she is always seen and is never alone. The angels kiss her while she sleeps. She has an excellent spirit. She is a great woman.

All of us as children have aspired to greatness. How many little girls have we seen using the hairbrush as a microphone? (One of my daughters was an aspiring evangelist at age three.) There is something in all of us that longs to be great. Although few will ever take hold of the elusive dream of fame, we all are called to greatness. Daily there is a great crowd of witnesses watching and applauding our movements calling out our names in the corridors of heaven. Our great exploits in this journey called life are the subject of heaven’s conversations. We are never alone. The angels kiss us while we sleep. We have an excellent spirit. We are great before our Father. We make Him smile.