Do you believe in guardian angels?
Perhaps, the question really is, do I?
It's hard not to notice when a more serious consideration of the question is in play — like when you're in some kind of trouble.
I recently did a 14-er with Tami, our daughter, son-in-law, and 1 yr old grandson in Colorado. I was not prepared, in a variety of ways, because of the last minute nature of the decision to do it. But, I thought if they were all doing it, I'd probably be fine.
It was a beautiful day (see here). But the higher we got, the windier and colder it got. Not only did I not have the right shoes, but I also only had a wind-breaker. We usually are quite prepared for these kinds of thing, but not this time...including my hydration level from the day before, not to mention the elevation issues at this altitude. You may know where this story is headed....
As most 14-ers do, this one required some effort, especially against the cold and wind. While our grandson did great, at some point the elements were too much and they turned back. Tami and I forged ahead. We could see the summit and find such things, like a final push, the kind of challenge we are invariably grateful for (at the top anyway).
The higher we went, though, the more ground I was losing physically (and, perhaps, psychologically as the impacts of the cold and increasing effort set in). We made it to top. But, I was very tired in more than one way. I was shaking from the cold and losing some mental capacity.
After a few pics (where I had to try to smile), we headed back down. Here's where things really got interesting. I only had tennis shoes and they, on the melting snow, were more like skies than anything else. I started to slip and fall.
...dozens of times. I made very little progress and now was not only tired and cold, but also quite wet.
And, psychologically, rather than staying above it, I was starting to go...under.
Due to the melting, the snow path was less clear and increasingly I was sinking down to my knees in the depth of it. My shoes were now soaked and I was having trouble pulling myself up. In spite of Tami's active encouragement to keep going, Why am I doing this? was climbing over and sucking on my mind and I was sinking in more ways than one. Looking back, I was probably in more trouble than I realized.
A couple of other hikers noticed my struggle and came over to offer assistance. Slightly chagrinned, I accepted as they helped support my physical decline and guided me towards less challenging areas. One in particular, Cayden (see above), literally bent down to pick me up and hold me until I could go on. He walked with us a ways further. After we got past the tree line, he let me use his shoulder to take the big steps down the rocky trail. He stepped into several muddy parts to provide more support for me. In fact, he walked us (me) literally all the back to our car.
I marveled at his willingness to not do whatever he would have done if we weren't helping me. We talked quite a bit (due to my slow, knee-pained pace) and learned a lot of his life-story (which was amazing in many ways...not unlike any of ours). At one point, when I understood more of who he saw himself to be ("this is what I'm here for", he explained, "to help people"), I wondered about the timing of it all and how this circumstance could be much more than just a physical one (out of my sense of need, it felt like a spiritual one, too). In describing the story to someone else, their response was that Cayden was a 'God-send'.
Though I have come to doubt such attributions more than I used to (that's a whole other story), I felt an accuracy about the attribution. A guardian angel? Maybe.
I have to admit I don't know much about the angelic realm — how often or how much it intervenes in ours. But, I know that many people have believed in it across the spans of time. And, I have never succeeded bifurcating the blend of both. I have a latent degree of confidence that many unexplainable things are just that, unexplainable and that that does not eliminate the real possibility of multiple kinds of reality.
As time passes from the event, my rational mind imports more explanations. Nonetheless, the circumstances point to something beyond where rationality seems to fall short, especially (and conspicuously) in times of need.
Do you believe in guardian angels? When? Why?