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I kid you not. Two angels came to me when I was writing my mystery, “Murder and Pink Blossoms.” Indeed they arrived the eleventh hour when I was about to toss the whole 3-year effort aside.
One of the angels, whose written eight mysteries, came into my life just several months ago. I never had met anyone who was a mystery writer. She thoughtfully, patiently, and carefully answered all of my questions ranging from writing, to genre, to the trials and tribulations of publishing with Amazon. The other angel, who I have not known very long, read the final manuscript and found an embarrassing number of punctuation and other errors. Then, she offered in a kind manner to re-read my book after I made the corrections. Nothing in this woman’s background that I knew indicated an editor extraordinaire.
Don’t get me wrong. Many, many people helped me with my first mystery writing sojourn. I so appreciate their help and time they gave me.
Further, I knew what I was getting into, but I continued anyway. “You not only have to write it, but then – if you go the common self-publishing route in today’s world – you have to layout your book, design or hire someone to do the cover, and then you have to do your own promotion,” one of my friends told me several years ago. Well, I thought I don’t need that. I’ll just keep working on this mystery and leave it for my family to read after I am gone.
What can I say? I did it anyway. I found the work fun and challenging. I met so many interesting people. I knew the writing was good for my brain and moral character. Further, I found myself plotting several more mysteries.
A couple of weeks before the book was published, I about gave up. But, there was something about these two women who just seemed to appear when I needed it the most.
I got to thinking about other times when “angels have come to my rescue.” In each instance I had exhausted all of my knowledge, skills and abilities. For example ….
Car problems ….a dark, cold night I was driving home late from work in a blizzard. My car stopped! A man got out of his car and helped me get it going and followed me to the nearest gas station for help. Yes, I was scared. His appearance scared me. Somehow I knew I could trust him. One Sunday afternoon I and two friends were coming home from back country skiing in the Colorado mountains. My car stopped. A man came to our rescue and knew what to do. He used the bandana I had around my neck and tied it around something under the hood. The car started, and we got home. (Yes, both of these times were before I had a cell phone.)
Flooded basement …..I went down to the basement to feed the cat early one Sunday morn. There was lots of water all over the floor. A plastic hose on the washing machine sprung a leak during the night. I called my kids. No answer. In desperation I called a handyman at 5 a.m. He answered his phone, came over with a shop vac and kindly said to me, “Elizabeth, I think you are in shock. You best call your insurance company.” I did. The claim was over $10,000.
Divorce …..A very difficult decision. A former co-worker came over and spent the night with me the day I proceeded. A cousin who I hadn’t seen in years helped me buy a new house.
The day I screamed at the angels….Fifteen years ago I got a call that my daughter needed an emergency c-section. I got in my car. Yes, it was cold and snowing and the roads were very icy. I had to drive at least 30 miles on several highways to get to the hospital. I’ve driven in lots of snow and ice and know you don’t drive fast. But, that day I did. I screamed at the angels – if they existed – to get me there. I got there just as she was being wheeled out of surgery. I met my first grandchild, a 3.5 pound boy with a red hair. That baby boy is bigger than me now. He is as cute as ever, by the way.
In case you think I am crazy to write about angels, I want you to know the famous, best-selling author, Sarah Ban Breathnach, wrote about them in “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy,” for November 19 titled “The Kindness of Strangers.” I could not believe my eyes when I read this entry because she talked about how strangers often seem to come out of nowhere and help.
What about you? Have you had angels come into your life?
Copyright – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, December 8, 2019
