Angel Babies: And Other Amazing True Stories of Guardian Angels. Theresa Cheung

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СКАЧАТЬ matter whether I succeed or fail at a particular task or project, it is all a learning experience. But if I put a lot of time and effort into something I love, I will always find success because I will know, deep down in my soul, that I gave it everything I could.

      All these qualities–the ability simply to be, to love unconditionally, to have an open mind and to live every day with passion, enthusiasm and a spirit of adventure–nurture and sustain that special bond between angels and children. And if as adults we can rediscover these qualities within ourselves, we too can stay young in spirit and reclaim our special bond with heaven, a bond that is our birthright.

      Tread Lightly

      Children seem to accept angelic encounters with far more equanimity than adults, perhaps because they have not yet experienced a clear division between the two worlds and are therefore, for a little while, a part of each. Sadly, as they grow older and acquire greater knowledge, many lose their innate spirituality and become unwilling to take things at face value anymore. The acquisition of knowledge as we age is not necessarily a negative thing, but it can work against nurturing the childlike qualities of open-mindedness, enthusiasm, trust and emotional spontaneity that draw angels nearer to us. It is, however, possible to grow older in years without losing touch with the child in your heart.

      One of the greatest spiritual leaders in the world is the Dalai Lama. A journalist friend of mine who spent a week with him told me that his booming laughter echoed from behind closed doors and down corridors. It was a genuine, bewitching, spontaneous laugh. My friend had expected this great man to be serious and intense, but he was exactly the opposite. There was a twinkle, a child in his eyes.

      Years ago, when I regularly attended courses, lectures and conferences, all too often the heaviness and seriousness of everyone involved weighed me down both spiritually and physically. I used to feel the same when I attended religious services, especially when reciting prayers in school assemblies. Everyone would bow their heads and mumble the words, often without feeling or thought, even when the words were beautiful. On one yoga retreat I attended I don’t think I heard anyone laugh for the whole ten days. It felt somehow wrong to me and made me start to think that perhaps I too was guilty of approaching the subject of spiritual development with far too heavy a hand. My research on children has shown me that the angels are attracted to children because of their openness but also because of their laughter, enthusiasm and energy. Perhaps all those years I had been too intense and serious, too ‘grown up’ if you like in my approach. I didn’t appreciate that when we laugh and experience joy we are closer than ever to our angels.

      Perhaps because we’re dependent on gravity to keep us grounded on Earth we tend to become weighed down with the serious and heavy stuff, sometimes to the point of taking ourselves too seriously and becoming self-important. Angels are charged with important work–the spiritual tasks of responsibility, courage, dedication, truth, justice, commitment, patience and education–but they carry them out lightly, going about them with joy, celebration, spontaneity, wonder, freedom, openness and love. It’s often said that angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. This doesn’t mean they don’t have gravitas, just that they complete serious tasks with a lightness of spirit that comes from complete trust in the power of love.

      Staying light in spirit and young at heart is not always easy, especially when life weighs you down with obstacles, pain and heartache, but angels have also taught me that life is not easy and it wasn’t meant to be. If there were no problems, no setbacks and no heartaches, how would we learn and grow spiritually? But if we can face the challenges life throws at us with the open trusting heart of a child, angels will stand by us even in the darkest hours of our lives and give us the courage, optimism, energy and hope to pull through. The meaning of the word ‘angel’ is ‘messenger’, and the messages they bring are always ones of reassurance, love, comfort and the knowledge that we are never alone in this life or the next. For those who believe (and there are many of us who do), just the thought of their presence, the very idea of them, is somehow comforting and adds a sweetness and lightness to our lives.

      The Mark of an Angel is Love

      I hope you will be as comforted and inspired and deeply touched as I have been by the stories I’ve included in this book. I hope they will encourage you to reclaim your inner child and grow up again with your guardian angel by your side, guiding you and watching over you.

      If you don’t know where to find your guardian angel, just remember the mark of an angel is love. Angels are everywhere and they are always trying to communicate with you. They manifest their presence in your life through every smile, every heart, every act of kindness, every good thought and unselfish desire and every warm spontaneous feeling. Wherever there is love, growth and optimism, angels will be there.

      Maybe you’ve just been looking in the wrong places and have been too busy to see that your guardian angel has been there before your eyes and in your heart all the time.

      Chapter 2

      Angel Babies

      ‘The world begins anew with every birth.’

      Sebastian Fawkes

      You may have heard about or read incredible rescue stories involving babies or very tiny children where angelic intervention seems the only possible explanation. Here are some sensational stories that caught the headlines in recent years.

      Saved by a Nappy

      In August 2008 a baby fell 30 feet from his third-floor apartment building in the Brazilian city of Recife but was saved by a disposable nappy. Somehow the nappy snagged on a security spike embedded in the concrete wall around the building and broke his fall.

      According to a police officer interviewed at the time, the boy dangled from the spike for a moment, then the nappy slowly opened and the baby fell to the ground at a much slower speed. ‘It was a miracle,’ said the officer. ‘He could also have been killed by one of the spikes.’

      The child was treated for minor fractures at the Hospital Memorial São José. His father believed that it was God who had saved his son and many commented that it must have been his guardian angel.

      Some of you may also recall the well-reported story of 13-month-old Liam Evans during the summer of 1998. It left everyone amazed and once again the newspaper headlines talked of miracles and guardian angels.

      Staying Alive

      For three days Liam survived on a mountainside, living off handfuls of soil, after a car driven by his grandfather plunged off the road. Liam landed uninjured in the soft undergrowth, but sadly his grandfather died instantly.

      After three days and nights on his own, Liam was found by a young boy. The newspapers reported that he had survived because the thick bracken he had fallen into had protected him from the sun by day and the cold by night and the soil had provided enough moisture to keep him alive.

      Another baby-related incident that got a lot of press coverage a few years back in 2005 was an amazing story from Africa.

      Baby Angel

      In a tale that could have been lifted from the pages of a children’s storybook, five-month-old baby Angel was left alone in a Nairobi forest for two days and was found and cared for by a five-year-old dog foraging for food.

      Witness Stephen Tova told the independent Daily Nation newspaper that he saw a dog carrying a baby wrapped in a black dirty cloth crossing the road. He was shocked at first and was trying to get a closer look when the dog ran through a fence and disappeared along a dirt road. The baby was later discovered by two children when they heard СКАЧАТЬ