The whole park had a glow about it when she first saw the place but now it seemed normal enough, she must have imagined it she thought. Now though this woman seemed to emanate her own light from within as well.
'That's impossible', thought Tilly, 'I must REALLY be exhausted', and she let the idea dissipate from her tired mind.
Still it had been a miserably difficult day and the kindness this lady showed to Tilly and her family caused Tilly to spontaneously hug her before she walked away.
Jack and Tilly, wracked with pain and exhaustion from an exasperating day, chose to minimally set up the camper so they could just get some much needed sleep. And sleep they did, soundly, within the peace of this quiet country park.
The next day Tilly decided to get up and go do the laundry so she could feel out the people before deciding how long this stay would be and how it would be experienced.
As she opened the door to the camper to head outside the day seemed brighter than it should. Again she thought, 'I must still be overtired', and grabbed her sunglasses. As the glow seemed to die down a bit, which she attributed to the use of her sunglasses, she could see the real beauty of this campground and was hopeful that the people would be as beautiful as the grounds.
At first her opinions were painted with the brush of past experiences and possibly the colors of recent difficulties weighing upon her as well. She was not feeling welcome and had concerns with some of her encounters.As she finished up the laundry, and her body screamed for her to relax and stop pushing so hard, the park manager mentioned the need for the camper to be washed. This was in fact the case but Tilly was exhausted, in pain, and in need of a kind word of any sort.
Again this interaction was tainted by her own exhaustion and poor past experiences. Tilly began to be concerned and even a bit afraid.
She returned to the camper and began trying to wash it with a sponge, this being all she had. A neighbor, upon seeing this, approached her and offered her a brush to use. Another came and offered her some good soap for the chore. These kindnesses began to change what Tilly would soon begin to see and understand about her new surroundings.
Each day Tilly would see the glow and assume the day was just bright. Each night, as Jack went out walking, he would feel a calm like never before and share this with Tilly. Tilly began to have an unusual suspicion that she wasn't sure was even possible.
More and more Tilly interacted with the neighbors, attending events and just chatting. These people, knowing that Tilly and Jack were in a very difficult situation, offered help in the form of money, food, and even leftovers when they could, but even better was the kindness and acceptance Tilly felt from this group of people. Never before had she had this in such a degree. Never before had she been made to feel so comfortable even in the depths of despair.
Tilly began to believe more than suspect that these were actually angels. She had always believed that there are angels that live on earth among us, but usually they are few and far between. She suspected this was a gathering of angels. Like a convention.
At first the notion simply made her smile and warmed her spirit, but eventually she began to wonder if it was somehow true. No simple human has ever been so kind. No group of simple humans has ever been so accepting.
She jokingly began to share this notion with a few of these folks, both to see the reaction and to help them understand how much they were impacting her life.
Then one night she got her confirmation.....
She had been sharing her theory with Jane one evening. Jane was the amazing woman who had seemed to glow on that first night. At first Jane simply smiled and laughed as if the idea tickled her in some way. And then.....
"So tell me more about this idea that we are angels", Jane said as she seemed to shoot glances simultaneously to several other people in the room. They seemed to feel the glance and looked in our direction. Then slowly, one by one, they worked their way toward us.
"I believe their are angels who live on earth. Those among us who when we least expect it and most need it will reach out and help us. Those who can sense when life has gotten to be too much and will pick us up out of the darkness. These perfect strangers who appear out of nowhere to assist." Tilly explained. Now there were many gathered around the table listening and smiling.
The group seemed to almost light up the room. They seemed to connect and be a part of one another in some way. Any other time Tilly would have felt very nervous at this but she could only feel safe and loved.
Tilly continued, "You all have been so kind and accepting of us, I have begun to believe that you are a group of Angels on vacation. You might live in different areas most of the year but you choose to come together here to spend time with others like you. I believe we have lucked into a gathering of Angels."
As she said this the group seemed to get even closer to one another, until it seemed that Tilly and the group gathered were no longer in the room they started in.
The gathered group looked at one another and nodded, as if a choice was made without the need for discussion. Suddenly the surrounding area glowed white and Tilly felt warmth within her heart to the point of tears.
"Not many are capable of recognizing or understanding, Tilly." Said a voice in the crowd. "Not many are shown either.
As she thought this another voice spoke up, "You are not invited for a moment my dear but for a lifetime. We hope you will feel welcome to come here with us each year and spend our vacation as your vacation too. Your hearts, you and your husband's, are welcome among us anytime. Your spirits are strong and loving, your minds open and accepting."
With this Tilly was overcome by emotion and the tears flowed. Two of the angels held her and calmed her.
Again Jane spoke, "Not many are shown and you can tell your husband but you can never tell another what you saw this day. You can continue to share your 'theories' about angels on earth but never can you share the confirmation we've just given you. We trust you understand this."
Tilly nodded and smiled at her new friends. Then just as suddenly as before, the wings were gone, the halos hidden and the room returned to normal. The group began moving to their seats for bingo as if nothing had happened. Others in the room didn't seem to notice anything at all.
Tilly was slightly confused and turned to Jane. Jane gave her a smile and a wink and said, "You better get to your seat, we're about to start."
Tilly smiled and moved along but never doubted for a moment what she'd seen that night, never doubted the amazing gift she had been given.
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