When my book, WHERE ANGELS WALK, was published in 1992, I was
delighted at the positive response from readers. Although I had
expected people to tell me of their own angel experiences, I was
surprised at how many parents wrote about their children’s. One
morning I settled down with a batch of mail from my post office
box, and opened a typical letter. “You’ve done a lot of research
on angels,” a young mother wrote. “Have you ever heard of
preschoolers seeing things we can’t, or being aware of heaven
and angels without anyone prompting them? “
Seeing things we can’t… Dimly, I recalled Peter, an imaginary
companion who my four little sons had entertained many years
ago. Peter hadn’t “officially” lived with us, but frequently
popped in to visit, hear night prayers or share lunch. As an
enlightened parent, I had tolerated the fantasy. “Is Peter here
today?” I would innocently ask. “Does he want a cookie?”
Now, as I read this letter, something occurred to me that I
had never realized before. No matter how impromptu my questions
about Peter, my boys had always answered in unison. “No, Mommy,”
they would all shake their heads. “Peter didn’t come today.” Or
if Peter was supposedly nearby, four pairs of eyes would swing
to the same spot in the room. “There he is—can’t you see him?”
one would point while the others laughed. I had always taken it
as a joke. Well, wasn’t it?
Over the next few weeks, I asked my now-adult sons about
Peter, and was rewarded with blank stares. No one recalled our
game of pretend. And yet, had it all been make-believe? And if
so, why were other parents experiencing the same thing? (Go to
Part Two)
(C) 1995 Joan Wester Anderson Originally
published Angels on Earth Magazine
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