PROLOGUE:
“For He will command
his angels concerning you to guard you always.”
-Psalm 91:11
“Angel,” cooed the tot, pointing
to the glass angel on the mantle.
“Yes, Mushka, that is an
angel,” said the woman, taking it down so the child could see it better. “Very careful now, she is fragile,” she
warned as the child reached for it.
“You see this emblem on her
gown…it means JOY in our Hebrew language.
God gives us a well-spring of joy even in times of trouble.”
“Pretty,” smiled the child.
“Yes, she is. My son gave her to me just before he left for
Basic Training,” reminisced the woman.
Wiping tears from her eyes, she placed the angel back on the mantle.
Just then a knock at the
door. They went to investigate, hoping
it was the little one’s parents, who had traveled to the city the night
before. Unfortunately, a sheriff stood
at their door with a woman dressed in a bright yellow suit. The woman and child entered just as the
sheriff said, “The parents died instantly.
We have come to take the child to her grandmother.”
Her husband looked to her
and the child. The woman in yellow
smiled kindly as she reached for the little girl. The oblivious youngster went to her without
struggle and smiled.
“Angel,” she cooed, touching
the young woman’s face.
Misunderstanding her meaning, the babysitter sprang into action.
“Please wait one moment. I have something to send with her,” cried the
woman as she rushed out of the room. She
returned with the glass angel. Handing
it to the caregiver, she explained, “to watch over the babe.”
The petite woman buried her face in her husband’s side as the sheriff
and social service agent left with the child.
As the door closed, the husband wondered aloud, “Such a cheerful colored
dress for such a sad day.”