That morning I prayed when I left the house that I would see angel that day. God answered my prayer! Picture is of the Utopia Library.
An Angel Story
I believe in angels. I had never seen an angel (that I knew of, because I think an angel might be the stranger at your door), when I was spending a few days in Leakey, Texas, in the Hill Country, with my good friend Wanda Ross. We had gotten away from the big city to spend some time at my son’s weekend cabin, with no television, telephone, or radio. This was in the days before cell phones.
We had been there a few days and had rested and read books and slept late, and taken long walks and some afternoons, we were in our own separate bedrooms reading and listening to music on our cassette players and would go hours without speaking a word.
At night we took our flashlight and went for walks in the dark and looked at the shimmering stars that seemed so close in the sky. The peace and quiet of the country, with no traffic, and no people was calming to our souls.
One day we had gone for a long drive and stopped by the Frio River, with swiftly running clear water tumbling over the rocks and walked out into the middle of the stream on the rocks and stood there for awhile, then because the rocks were so big and flat we lay down on them and dozed in the sun for a long time, listening to the water running by us, and the birds singing and nothing else.
The morning before we left to go back to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, we got up early, had our coffee and were reading our daily devotionals and talking. I had just read a book about a man, along with 12 men at a prayer meeting in a church in Georgia, had all seen two big angels standing at the doors of the church, guarding the church during a race riot that was happening back then.
I said, “I sure would like to see an angel, wouldn’t you?” Then I prayed, “Lord, please, let us see an angel today”.
We decided to take one last tour of the beautiful hill country area that day. We took off on Hwy. 337, heading toward Vanderpool , which is one of the most beautiful drives in the hill country. When we got to Hwy. 187, in Vanderpool, we decided, instead of turning left to go to Lost Maples State Park, to turn right and go through Utopia, a little town nestled in a valley on the Sabinal River.
We drove into the sleepy little town, which has only about 300 residents, and spotted a library on the main street. Since we both loved books and always stopped in a bookstore or library to look around, we stopped and walked into the ancient library. Wood floors creaked under our feet as we walked and browsed through books.
A little old lady was behind the desk. She was very friendly, asking where we were from, and we chatted with her for a while, about the history of the town and buildings around the area. She told us that her husband had been a minister of a church there for years, but had passed away. To keep busy, she volunteered her time at the library.
As we turned to leave, holding our treasures, old books and magazines they had for sale, I thanked her for her kindness and help, and asked her name.
Her eyes twinkled behind her glasses as she smiled and said, “My name is Angel.”
I stood there, amazed, “Angel? What is your last name?”
She said, “Gabriel, My name is Angel Gabriel”.
God had sent us an angel after all. I wonder if she is still there at the library in Utopia, Texas.
The true story of Cheryl Pierson Cuccio who made headlines in 1986 and her husband Rob Cuccio. Cheryl was abused sexually and physically and Rob died for 43 minutes on Cheryl's 43rd birthday.
Asa D Seeley, a young Afro American man, shares his struggle to leave his past behind as he reaches for his future. In his one-of-a-kind style, he searches for answers...from the visible & invisible. A Memoir in Poetical/Prose form.
An Angel Story
