We all know of Angels and the various roles they have played in the lives of many Biblical figures and, the age-old idea that we each have a Guardian Angel to assist us on this journey.

A Christmas tradition in my family is to watch Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Clarence Odbody is the misfit Angel tasked to help George Bailey realize his true worth and to understand what is genuinely important in life.  A very sweet story about an Angel trying to earn his wings and a man that is driven to the edge of despair, so much so that suicide becomes a viable option. This is the pivotal moment where Clarence jumps in…literally and figuratively.

You may be asking why am I bringing up Angels and  “ It’s A Wonderful Life.” As you know, from THE BIGGER PICTURE section above, I had taken a cross-country trip to the Grand Canyon, with my husband. Well, for the longest time I have always wanted to see Santa Fe, New Mexico. For some unknown reason, this was put in my heart many years ago. On this trip, as we made our way back home, we decided to stop overnight in Santa Fe.

As we were getting closer to the village, I turned to my husband and said, “We need to find a church.” Now I was brought up Catholic and up until the last few years, I was a regular attendee at Sunday mass. Suffices to say that it breaks my heart, but I can’t bring myself to go, and I do miss it and hope to return someday. So finding a church was an unusual request at this point in my life yet it just came to me.

We drove into the parking lot our hotel and I immediately sensed there was something in the air there, something fundamentally different.  Deep within my being was a palpable vibration. It moved me beyond any reason. I kept asking my husband if he felt it and he just didn’t know what I was talking about but I knew, on some level, he understood that there was something unusual about Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As we checked into our hotel, I inquired of the concierge about churches in the area. He named a few but one stood out to me. ..The Loretto Chapel.

The story goes that in 1878, when the chapel was nearly complete, the architect died leaving the building unfinished and no access to the loft that was twenty two feet above the floor of the church. Because of the small space it was decided that only a ladder could be used. The sisters were using a ladder but knew this was much too precarious and a stairway was needed. They began to pray a novena to St. Joseph, the Master Carpenter and Jesus’ earthly father.

Legend says that upon finishing the novena, showing up with a donkey and simple tools, a mysterious stranger offered to build the staircase. He requested that he work independently without anyone watching or entering the church while it was being built. The sisters agreed to the conditions.

Months later the sisters entered the chapel to find a magnificent structure, a circular stairway. There was no visible support and it is said that there were no nails used, only wooden pegs.The builder vanished without a trace. The nuns didn’t have an opportunity to pay him or even say thank you.  To this day there are many unanswered questions about what has come to be known as the Miraculous Stairway.

From all indications, this was the church I was meant to see. My husband and I drove over but it was late in the day and they were closed so we made plans to visit in the morning.

Back in our room the inner vibration and frequency was breathtaking. I kept asking my husband if he felt it too. He agreed there was something special there but did not feel an inner resonance. We watched some vintage shows on TV and settled in for the night.

As I drifted off to sleep I found myself visiting with Angels. They were flying all around me and as I watched the beauty of their flight I very much wanted to fly with them so I put up my left arm and said, “Pull!” Then I heard one of them softly respond, “We can’t pull, you have to let go.” A profound statement disguised as simplicity.

I don’t exactly know how I did it but I let go and I found myself flying above a highway. There were a few cars on the road and my focus was brought to our car, in the high speed lane cruising along. Surrounding the car was white light that I instantly recognized as Angels. They were protecting our travels all along our extensive cross country road trip. All in all we traveled over 6000 miles, safely.

Once I returned home, I was curious to see what kinds of pictures of Angels were on the internet to see if any of them looked like the ones I spent time with in Santa Fe. I did find one that looks exactly like the Angels of Santa Fe. You will find the picture at the top of this site…pure white light.

The thing here is that I don’t believe for a minute this experience was exclusively mine. Angels are beautiful beings guiding and protecting us all. They are with us always and most especially when we come across very difficult times in life. We need to trust that no matter how down and out we can be, rely on God’s Angels to help you through it. They are sent by God to be our lifelong companions.