In January of 2002, I arrived at the airport in Manchester, England. It was only months after the 9-11 attack, and I was nervous about flying. But I landed safely and could focus on the adventure that was before me: being a guest faculty member at The New Church Theological School.

I loved getting to know British Swedenborgians!

There are two parts of my stay that were special gifts.

The first was tea time. Twice a day, a bell would ring calling us to the lounge for a hot, steaming pot of tea.  I still hear in a bell in my head around 10:15 AM and 3:15 PM, telling me it is time for tea!

The second gift was getting to know angel researcher,  Glennyce Eckersley

She was working  at the school when I arrived, and I enjoyed many cups of tea with her!  She told me that people had started telling her about about their personal angel encounters. She began writing down the stories.  Then she put them in categories, and added some Swedenborgian theology about angels and their roles in our lives. Her book, An Angel at my Shoulder, became quite popular in the British Isles and then on the Continent. Even more people told her their angel stories, and she has written many more books. She is interviewed on radio and TV and travels about for various appearances. She spoke one time at The General Church, in Byrn Athyn, PA.

I am especially moved by angels at work in the  lives of children.  Swedenborg tells us that angels are with babies from the moment of birth.  They surround the infant with love and protection. As children grow, new angels come to them to help them through childhood.  We all have unconscious memories of the angelic love that surrounded us in our early months and years.  [See Kirven, 1994, pp. 8-11].

To find stories about angels helping infants, we can start with today's scripture reading about angels telling Joseph to take the baby Jesus to Egypt.

Here is a story that Ms. Eckersley was told about another infant being saved by angels. 

Lesley, a young British woman,  married a Nigerian man and moved to Africa. Her husband was gone a lot, and Lesley had no family near by. So she felt very alone when she went to the the hospital to have a baby. Labor was long and complicated, and an IV had to be inserted into her arm. She lost consciousness. One of the doctors on her team was exhausted after working 48 straight hours. She went to a room, locked it, and fell asleep. Then she was shaken awake and told to go room 6, where the woman and her baby were in danger. As the doctor woke up, she realized that  no one was  in the room, and the door was still locked from the inside. She figured it was a dream, and went back to sleep. Again, she was shaken awake with the same message. She woke up fully, and saw a young woman, dressed in white. She raced to room 6, and found that Lesley had been given the wrong IV.  She and the baby were moments from death. But she switched the IV in time, and a lovely baby girl was born. Lesley is now an artist, certain that an angel saved her life and her baby's.   So this is also a story about what inspired a young woman to become an artist!

Painting is by John Flaxman, Angels guiding a Soul to Heaven [based on Swedenborg's wingless angels.] Click on image to learn more about John Flaxman.
 

A  4 year old girl named Lucy ran out into a busy street, without  thinking to check for traffic. She was hit by a huge truck, that ran over her twice:   front and rear wheels. She was taken by stretcher to an ER, with dire expectations from her somber family. Yet, when she was examined, the doctors could not find a mark on her! Then Lucy opened her eyes and calmly asked Where is the man in white?

A doctor said, I'm here, but Lucy replied:  No, the man in the long, white shiny dress! He stroked my face, and picked me up so that the wheels couldn't touch me. Witnesses continued to claim they saw the truck roll over her twice, and truck driver said he felt two bumps. But Lucy was absolutely fine!

I can't think of any other explanation except for angelic intervention!