An Angel Returns

Is this Heaven?

Monday was an incredibly sad day. That morning, as I entered the office, I was informed that a co-worker's step-daughter had died after an accident while riding a PWC on a nearby lake. This was such an incredible shock, she was 18 years old and getting ready to graduate from high school, and literally had blossomed into a wonderful, dynamic young woman.


Mourning a loss is seldom easy. Regrettably, I barely knew Michelle and somehow that makes it harder to get through this tough time. Over the last few years I've been to their home a handful of times and had the typical brief exchanges you'd expect (Hi, nice to meet you, etc.) I guess it had been at least 2 or 3 years since I last saw her. At that time she was still outgrowing the awkwardness so common to a teenager, but the things I remember so vividly about her were her smile (it was always there) and her bounce. She seemed to bounce when she walked, the telling bounce of a person both confident and truly happy.

All of us at work were invited to their home one evening to share some time together with them, along with their family and friends. They had gathered some things and set them on and near the hearth. There was a number of formal dresses, a collection of her favorite shoes, her JV and varsity letters, baby shoes, a large print of her senior portrait. I was shocked, she had grown much!

As many had already arrived, her step-father was explaining how he was fortunate to be home when the call came. He was on a trip to Japan and wasn't scheduled to be home for another day, but decided to try and come home a day early. The airline didn't sound too confident, yet for some reason he embarked on the 2-hour trip to the airport anyway. Everything seemed to come together in a manner so perfect, the bus left just after he boarded, as did the train. When he arrived at the airport, the ticket counter was just opening up but they had already arranged a seat on the flight for him. He was home less than an hour when the phone rang. The circumstances certainly make you think about a higher power, but it truly was fortunate that he was able to be there for his wife as they hurried to the hospital, waited for the airlift helicopter, the hours while the ER team did their best to reviver her, and finally when they made the decision to give the gift of life.


The newspaper story
The obituary
The on-line guest book