A Mrs. Miracle Christmas(22)

    While she relaxed, the caregiver disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a second box. She set it down and carefully unwrapped each piece of Helen’s long-lost nativity set.

All seventeen pieces.

Watching in astonishment, Helen closed her eyes and smiled. Why was she shocked? Mrs. Miracle had made no secret of her heavenly connection. This was simply one more fun surprise. One more miracle.

Mrs. Miracle placed the baby in the manger in the center of the table before she added two more of the figurines: Mary and Joseph. The shepherds appeared next, along with a variety of barnyard animals. The last to be set into place were the host of heavenly angels.

“The angels were always my favorite,” Helen said, caught up in the memories of Christmas as a child.

“Were they?” Mrs. Miracle asked, seemingly delighted. “Several of my closest friends were in the countryside of Bethlehem that very night.”

Helen waited, certain there was a story to be told.

“Shirley couldn’t stay away. She isn’t one of the Caring Angels here on earth like me.”

    “She isn’t?” Helen asked, genuinely interested. “And Shirley? Angels have human names?”

“Yes. Shirley is part of a trio of angels who are my dearest friends.”

“Are they guardian angels?”

“No, my friends are classified as prayer ambassadors.”

Helen was unfamiliar with the term. “What’s the difference between what you do and what they do?”

“Let me explain. Gabriel assigns the ambassador angels to answer prayers, which doesn’t require taking on human form. As a Caring Angel, I’m able to do that as needed.”

“So prayer ambassador angels aren’t able to appear as humans…like you or me?”

“Not unless it’s absolutely necessary, although my friends have pushed the limits of that rule on several occasions.”

Helen could see that the Caring Angel was having trouble holding back a smile. “Oh?”

“Answering prayers isn’t as easy as it sounds,” Mrs. Miracle clarified, growing serious once again. “First off, Goodness and Mercy tend to be somewhat free-spirited. No pun intended. They are intrigued by earth and its people. All too often, they manage to get caught up in the lives of those they’ve been assigned to help, only to forget the original reason they’ve been given their assignment.”

    “Can you give me an example of what you mean?” Helen had been listening intently but wasn’t sure she fully understood.

“Well…” Mrs. Miracle hesitated and looked over her shoulder, in case someone might be listening in on their conversation. “You see, the role of prayer ambassadors is more than answering prayers. Before they can complete their mission, their end goal is to teach a lesson to the human assigned to them.”

“What kind of lesson?” Helen leaned forward to better hear the explanation. This business about the angels’ duties intrigued her.

Tapping her finger against her lower lip, Mrs. Miracle appeared deep in thought. “This isn’t my area of expertise, you understand.”

“But you know more than you’re saying.”

“I do,” she agreed, “but I’m not free to share any more information than I already have.”

That made sense.

“I can tell you this much,” the other woman continued. “Once the prayer is recorded, Gabriel reads it over and assigns it to the most qualified angel to find the answer. The key element for each angel is to be certain to teach the one who prays what they need to learn. Rest assured, every prayer is answered in God’s time.”

“Every prayer?”

    “Oh yes, but not always the way one might want or expect. God knows best, and humans are left to accept that on faith.”

“What were the names of your friends again?”

“Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy.”

Helen leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and smiled. “?‘Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,’?” she quoted. “Like the Twenty-third Psalm?”

“That’s right.”

“And you say these three angels are your dearest friends?”

“They are,” she confirmed. “And when the time comes, and you’re called to heaven, you’ll meet them yourself.”

“I’ll look forward to it.” Helen’s mental abilities might not be what they once were, and her body was slowly giving out, but that was to be expected. She still had time yet and was feeling like her much younger self since her companion’s arrival.

“Getting back to that first Christmas,” Mrs. Miracle continued, “Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy were there with the heavenly host of angels who visited the shepherds—they were far too excited to stay away. Unfortunately, Shirley sang off-key, but the shepherds didn’t appear to notice.”

Helen laughed. “I’m not musically inclined myself, so she and I suffer the same problem.”

    “Shirley volunteered to stay behind to watch over the flocks while the shepherds hurried into the city to see the baby the angels told them about.”

“Poor Shirley.”

“Goodness and Mercy both stayed behind to help. There were plenty of angels that night at the manger to help celebrate, so they weren’t missed, especially since they had already crashed the party on the hillside.”