I had a strange encounter. It was not an uncomfortable one, in fact, it kind of felt like home. I truly believe it was an angel.
As I was entering the airport in my Florida town departing for a quick-turnaround trip to Maryland for a family visit, I noticed an elegant statuesque woman with closely cropped grey hair standing across the room in an entrance doorway. She was gazing at me. I was a bit taken back for she instantly reminded me of my dear friend’s departed mother. Instead of sluffing it off, I began to let the feeling settle around me.
Thoughts were running through my head while I logged onto the kiosk to print my boarding passes, and all the way through security I had a nagging feeling that I would see this woman again.
The Professor and I were seated with seatbelts fastened waiting for the boarding process to complete. In the last file of passengers, the same woman appeared and sat down in the aisle-seat next to me. I felt a strange sense of calm. She spoke little but was immensely pleasant and there was something very wise about her demeanor. The dialogue exchange between us was mostly related to the flight and our fears. Upon take off, however, this woman gently laid her hand over top of mine and said almost in a whisper…”I hope you don’t mind; I usually travel with my daughter.” (Hmmm… a warm feeling was beginning to take hold.)
Once airborne, our nice exchange dwindled somewhat, and the lady’s attention wandered to the seat mate across the aisle. At that point, I returned my attention to the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. The remainder of the flight was unremarkable, and we filed out in order once the plane had landed.
The Professor and I began to walk in search of the Flight Board in order to find our connecting gate. Once we verified where we were going, we made a stop at the next set of restrooms and realized we had best hustle up as the next flight’s concourse was a hike. It was not long into our walking clip that the mystery lady appeared. She was standing in the middle of the corridor, not moving, looking perplexed as hordes of passengers scurried around her. The Professor was a good pace ahead of me, yet I took the chance and stopped to inquire if she needed help. She smiled beatifically at me and said, “Oh yes, thank you.” And again, she said “I’m sorry, I usually travel with my daughter.” I asked her if she was heading north, like me, and she responded, “No, I am going to Savannah.” I checked her paperwork and discovered the gate she needed was B-13, the gate for my Maryland Flight was B-14. (Hmmm… I am beginning to get chills.)
I told her she could come with me but that we’d have to hustle up as both our flights would be taking off soon. I asked her if she needed a wheel chair, she responded, “…it’s okay, I can make it”.
I successfully hooked back up with the Professor, and we navigated through the moving walkways until we reached the B concourse, and I was able to deliver this lovely soul to her gate. As I turned to go, she reached up and gave me a hug. Now, where a hug is not such an uncommon gesture to offer in return of a simple act of kindness, what happened next was. This benevolent soul reached up and embraced me by both of my shoulders and looked into my eyes and uttered one simple word “Peace”. That was it. No other exchange, just one simple word delivered with her beautiful smile.
Now, you would think this story ends here; simply an elderly person with a resemblance to someone I once knew; followed by an encounter where she speaks of her daughter. A good soul, needing some assistance, and me in a position to offer that help. Yes, you would think the story stopped there, except for the nagging sensation within me.
You see, I felt her spirit in the warmth of her hand atop of mine. I felt her energy as she spoke of her daughter and their travels together. I saw in her eyes a golden aura that made this all real. I truly believe she was an angel, an angel with a message that needed delivering. And I felt I was the one being blessed with this spiritual gift.
I let the feeling stay with me. I know most of us tend to dismiss simple occurrences while tending to all the details in our busy lives, but this feeling I did not dismiss, I let it take up residence.
Once home from my quick trip, I felt the compelling urge to contact my dear friend. We arranged a call. I told her of my encounter, how much this lovely soul reminded me of her mom, and how I felt I had a message to deliver. This dear friend began to sob uncontrollably, her sensitivity worn right up front. She told me “It’s coming up to 5 years since Mom left this earth, yet it feels like yesterday. I can no longer hear her voice in my head, I have been praying so hard for any kind of sign from her to ease my sorrow. I miss her so much.” I knew then, this lovely older woman that I had encountered, who possessed a persona that I could well recognize, was the answer to my dear friend’s prayer. Angels walk among us unnoticed sometimes, but they are always there in case we need protection, advice, or as in this case, to deliver a simple message to a still-grieving child.
As sweet as this story is, there is a caveat to it, you see…my dear friend has always had a favorite mantra. It is the word “Peace”. She even has a large old hippie peace sign that hangs on her front porch year around. Now, if that doesn’t make the hairs on the shackles of your neck tickle!
