Blog 90 – 8.10.15

I grew up believing in the power of prayer. I still believe that when we ask for it help will come. One of my all time favorite movies, It’s A Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart has George Bailey, Jimmy’s character, in a desperate situation. Due to a mistake by his Uncle the deposit for the Savings and Loan that George runs has been lost and financial ruin and disgrace are staring him in the face. The “bad guy” in the story, Mr. Potter, wants everyone else poor so he can be richer. Sounds like the one percent that control most of the wealth in this country today. Potter tells George when he tries to cash in a life insurance policy that he would be worth more dead.

In this fearful spot George goes to a bar for a drink. No one ever found courage in a bottle, a pill, or a needle to my knowledge. After a drink and holding back his tears George whispers a prayer, “God help me, show me the way.” Immediately another man at the bar hears the bar owner asking George, if he is alright and when he learns that George is the man who just talked mean to his wife on the phone he punches George in the nose. George, already down about as low as a man can go takes the punch as his answer to prayer. And even says, “That’s what I get for praying.”

The real answer to George’s prayer is an Angel named Clarence who teaches him and us all that George who was thinking about ending his life had had a truly wonderful life. At the age of seventeen and again at the age of nineteen I attempted to take my own life. I failed both times just getting sick and throwing up the pills I had taken, thank God and a couple of Johnny on the Spot angels. My beloved Mama attempted suicide but once that I know of at aged sixty-nine and the gun she put in her mouth did not fail. She left no time nor space for angels to intervene. I think even my sad little mama was escorted home by angels after a very bad dream of her own making.

I love the song Calling All Angels. And another angel song that has meant a great deal to me has the lines:

He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set him free
He could have called ten thousand angels
But he died alone for you and me.

My brother, Robert, who has always had a deeper, richer singing voice than I used to sing that song in church when we were teens. I see many things differently than I did when I was a teen. But, I still believe in the Power of Love to answer prayers and that Angels still carry messages of encouragement. When we ask, help is given. It often comes disguised but come it will. You can count on it when you’re calling all angels that they will show up.

Your friend and fellow traveler, and Angel of sorts,
David White