I MET AN ANGEL

Last Thursday, I met an angel. How did I know that she was an angel? It was quite simple really, she told me so.

She was not like your typical angel, painted in the grand style of a Renaissance artist….such as Leonardo de Vinci. His angels were demure and graceful beings dressed in long white flowing gowns with golden curls framing innocent faces and delicate feathered wings gracing their shoulders and backs. Encircling their heads, halos of soft light radiated a mystical aura.

No, my angel did not look anything like a de Vinci angel although she did possess the mystical aura of a child. My angel came running to me with outstretched arms, laughter, and a kiss. My angel was dressed in white scuffed sandals, a t-shirt and shorts, over which she wore one of her many dress-up costumes. Rapunzel’s satin and net costume was chosen for the visit. On her head she wore a halo of blonde plaited hair which ended in a long plait flowing down her back and over a pair of purple fairy wings.

As I scooped her up for a cuddle and a kiss, I was greeted with, “Mummy said I had to be good today….as good as an angel.” Now, you see, I actually met an angel last Thursday and I could look forward to all the blessings that the day would bring. I told her of my plans for the day. We would take a bus ride to the library, we could read some stories and then we would select some books for her to borrow before returning home. The little angel laughed and squealed with delight. She just loved those treats of a bus ride and the promise of stories.

As we walked to the bus stop she said, “Let’s hurry Grandma. I don’t want the bus to go without us”. I assured her that we would not miss the bus but we could enjoy the walk to the bus stop as well. Her excitement and joy with this simple outing was infectious and I shared her happiness. As we set off on our walk, she took hold of my hand. Her soft little hand imparted the sense of trust that small children have of adults which not only delighted me but set me thinking about her mother when she was very young and the pleasure I had when she would always hold my hand.

“Do angels like flowers and rainbows?” she asked. I assured her that indeed they do. The little angel added “Because I do….I like to pick flowers but mummy won’t let me pick flowers from people’s gardens. I’m only allowed to pick dandelions on the side of the footpath.” Dandelions, I told her, are very pretty flowers and their name means Lion’s tooth. “OOHah” she exclaimed. I added that their bright colour attracts many insects….insects like ants, bees and butterflies who love dandelion flowers. As well, they are also very useful flowers because some people in the world eat the leaves or flowers in a salad or on a sandwich. They even make a tea from the flowers and roots. I also told her that when the dandelion flower forms seeds, the seeds are like a circle of little parachutes and some children would blow them and pretend to tell the time. “I do that all the time,” replied the angel.

As she handed me a couple of dandelions, she said, “Mummy is going to buy me some flowers from the One Dollar Shop that I can keep in my room forever and ever but I really love real roses best of all because they smell so nice.” I told her about the times when I was a little girl and I would visit my Aunty who would send me out to her garden to pick violets for a posy. Even today, I can still recall the perfume of those violets. “I’m going to make you a posy of dandelion flowers,” she added and so I was given a treasured half dozen dandelions for a posy.

Waiting at the bus stop, the angel was very excited and could hardly keep still. However, the bus arrived and we found a seat. She sat near the window and kept up a running commentary of all she could see. We passed a house with a border of agapanthus flowers. “I really like those blue flowers. What is their name?” I told her and she replied, “Agapanthus! That is an ugly name.” I asked if she had a better name for the flowers. She thought for a while and then said, “I think I shall call them Princess Precious flowers. Princess Precious is the name of my chicken and a Disney movie. It is a pretty name for a pretty flower,” and I had to agree with her.

Finally we reached the library where we read several stories and selected some books to borrow. When our happy time at the library was over, we headed for the bus stop passing an elderly man on his way into the library. As we came close to him, my little angel sneezed causing her halo to slip sideways on her head. The elderly gentleman said “Bless you.” However, this innocent comment evoked a reaction that I was totally unprepared for. She frowned, glared and poked her tongue out at him. Where had that cherubic face gone? I was horrified and apologised profusely to him while trying to straighten her halo. After the shocked and disenchanted elderly gentleman had disappeared into the library, I asked my somewhat tarnished angel why she had pulled such an ugly face, to which she replied, “I don’t like strange men talking to me.”

Looking back, I am sure that the slipped halo was the cause of my angel’s undoing. I tried to explain to her that what she did was very rude but I don’t think that she was fully convinced as she replied very sweetly, “I’m not an angel any more, I’m a butterfly”. And on our walk home from the bus stop, she flitted like a butterfly from one dandelion to another.