Wednesday, August 11, 2010

MY EXPERIENCE WITH ANGELS


I was thinking about my dad today. I do that when I have a hard decision to make. We have to decide about the players on our soccer team who will be varsity and who will be Junior Varsity. Mostly, to me it's not a hard decision, but to the players it is really important. There will be tears, there always is, there will be parents who don't agree, there always is. A friend of mine who coaches another team had a parent challenge him to fight and spit in his face after he cut his daughter. Hopefully, that doesn't happen to me.

I posted this song because I believe there are angels watching over us as we make our decisions. My dad is an angel because he was a true believer in Christ. He was a much better Christian than I ever thought of being and I know he is with God and is enjoying the company of his relatives who went before him.

I have a very strong belief in angels. My personal experience with them is paramount in my life. They protect us and guide us towards what God wants from us. I spent a lot of years in harm's way in my life. I don't say that to get admiration from anyone, it's just a fact. When I went into the military my parents reminded me of my faith and that no matter what happened God would never abandon me. They gave me Holy Cards, a Catholic thing, that I carried with me throughout my time in the service.

As a kid I was fascinated by the angels and their mission of protecting us. That became the inspiration of my life, to protect, first in the military and then as a police officer. I always admired St. Michael and the rest of the Archangels. It appealed to me that God had appointed them to protect heaven against the fallen angels and to provide security for heaven. I wanted to be like them. The patron saint of police officers is St. Michael and I identified with him throughout my life. When I became a police officer I was given a St. Michael the Archangel medal to wear around my neck by those who loved me. It was for protection. I wore it for 26 years and I made it out the other side. My parents and loved ones were relieved as was I.

However, I had a close encounter with my angels in 1978. While chasing suspects in a stolen car we became embroiled in a high speed chase. The suspects lost control of the vehicle and drove through a hotel window. I went to the rear of the vehicle and ordered the suspects out. While at the rear of the vehicle I heard a loud crash above my head as the glass from the 35 foot window broke loose and fell towards me. For some reason I took a step back and the glass cut my leg inflicting a cut that took over a hundred stitches to close. If I hadn't stepped back I would have been struck by the glass, probably in the head. I know this because the glass struck my arm and knocked my gun out of my hand. My angel saved me. I knew then God had a plan for me.

I still wear that medal around my neck everyday and I feel St. Michael's protection all the time. I have a statue of St. Michael on my desk at school and we named our son after him. I believe.

5 comments:

PRH said...

I feel for you brother...that's a reason I gave up coaching, and returned to officiating/umpiring..PARENTS!

Hope the school year goes well, I know the wife, with a few years left until retirement is not quite ready to go back to St. Henry, but back she will go, come August 23rd.

Law and Order Teacher said...

Pat,
Good to hear from you. I haven't been teaching long enough to dread going back yet. The coaching thing is good, but the parents are a problem. Some are good, some not so much.

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Darren said...

My grandmother used to tell me a story of an encounter she had with what she believed to be an angel. I've never forgotten it. I don't know that I've ever encountered any--how do you know if something is an angel's protection or just dumb luck?

Law and Order Teacher said...

Darren,
I thinks it's a matter of faith. I believe an angel saved me and that God had a plan for me. I don't know if there's a better explanation. Do you?