Why I Believe In Angels

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My one-year-old loves stairs. She goes up and down, up and down, grinning and laughing and thinking she's such a big girl. Of course when she first started doing this, it was under close supervision because, like most one-year-olds, she was not very stable. She was prone to standing up and turning around halfway up the stairs, and loosing her balance and tipping over. Since we lived on the bottom level in our apartment, we didn't have to worry about her and her love of stairs unless we were at a relative's house.

A few weeks before we moved, I was taking the girls out one hot afternoon. We went outside and I started up the car while they played in the grass in front of our building, waiting for the car to cool down. As they were playing, my neighbor came out of her apartment and we started chatting. Both my girls disappeared around the bush in front of our building as we talked. Lia started running from our front door to me, back and forth, and I assumed Eleanor was also playing by our front door. After just a few minutes, my friend said goodbye and got in her car, and I turned to gather up my girls.

I asked Lia if Eleanor was over by the door, and she said, "No." Curious, I peeked around the corner and sure enough, no Eleanor. I looked around. Then I looked up and my heart stopped.

My one year was standing at the top of the long, metal and concrete staircase leading up to the second level of our building. She was looking down at me somberly, her toes poking over the edge of the landing. I darted up the stairs, heart pounding, and snatched her up in a hug.

I couldn't believe she had made it all the way to the top of the staircase without falling, and that she hadn't tried to turn around and come down like she usually does. She was just standing up there, watching me.

Immediately, I knew why she hadn't fallen. The thought came very clearly into my mind. Angels had been standing up there with her, their arms around her, keeping her from falling down the stairs. Angels sent to watch over my baby while I was distracted.  I quickly said a prayer, thanking my Heavenly Father for saving my little girl from what could have been a very nasty fall.

This is not the first time I have felt the presence of angels watching over our family. A few years ago, two of my sisters and two of my cousins were travelling through Idaho when their car rolled several times off the highway. Miraculously, all of them walked away with only scratches and bruises. We all felt that there were angels in the car with them, keeping them safe.

I believe our loving Heavenly Father is always watching over us, and He knows that sometimes we need a little extra help. Sometimes He sends help in the form of a friend or family member, or a kind stranger. And sometimes, He sends angels.