Do you believe?

There is a character in my book, a young girl named Beulah Two, who believes she sees angels. Real live ones. I won't spoil the fun and tell you if she does or not. Here's a quick excerpt:

Beulah Two lay on her back in a patch of dead grass behind her grandmother’s home. She watched two white, fluffy clouds float side by side for a moment, then converge into a heap, forming what Beulah Two thought looked just like a giant ice cream cone. She loved cloud watching, and today was perfect for it. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and the clouds were thick like the meringue she helped her grandmother make for pies. They swirled about, coming together, breaking away. They made elephants, clowns, whales, trees, sailboats, teddy bears, and even a castle that split down the middle, its halves forming two dancing birds. Then she saw him. Next to one of the birds. A face, a body, two powerful wings. Finally. She waved to him, satisfied, and fell asleep.

I'm not ashamed to admit it. I believe in angels. I believe they are part of our lives every single day. And at the risk of having anyone read this believe I'm crazy, I have a story to tell.

A few years ago when we were vacationing on the beach in Florida, I went outside to sit on the balcony. It was late at night, and if I remember correctly, I was having myself a little pity party. I sat there looking out at the ocean, crying, feeling alone and missing Grandma--nothing new, especially back then. The door opened behind me, and Belle came out and crawled into my lap. When she asked me why I was crying I just held her and told her I was missing Memaw. Then she asked, "Mama, is Memaw an angel?" I can't remember how I answered that. But she was. Just an absolute angel. Then Belle asked, "Mama, have you ever seen an angel?" I told her, "No, Baby, but I'd really like to."

And here comes the crazy part.... At that very moment, a bright, glowing ball appeared from my left, about the size of a basketball, and moved slowly across the sky in front of us before disappearing seconds later. It wasn't a firework. It wasn't a flare. It wasn't anything I had ever seen before. What I do know is that after I caught my breath, I sat there and cried, holding my child, and telling God how awesome He is.

Grandma used to tell a story about how she and her family were driving in an old car in the mountains of Texas when the driver lost all control. Just as they came to the edge of a steep cliff, the car stopped all by itself. She believed an angel of God saved them that day.

Do you have an angel story that you're brave enough to share? Or do you even believe in angels? I'd love to hear.