Angels, Angels, Everywhere

Eight months before my wedding date, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Outpatient surgery would tell the doctors whether the malignancy had advanced.

My worst fear was that Mom and I would never get to finish planning my wedding together, or that she wouldn't be there at all.

I picked out a golden angel pin from my collection for Mom to wear during the operation. "You'll get through this," I said. "The pin will remind you you're in God's care."

"But where will I wear it?" she wondered. "No jewelry during surgery." We decided she'd hang on to it till the very last minute.

On the day of the operation, I started praying as soon as I woke up. Dear Lord, please send an angel to watch over Mom. Dad's call to me at work was a relief. "Karen, it's stage one!" he said. "Mom has a great chance of beating this thing!"

We celebrated over a dinner of takeout Chinese food. "I was very clever about that pin you gave me," she said. "I wore it on my sock! With God's help we'll plan that wedding yet." She went to bed, and I cleaned up the kitchen. Among the takeout boxes I found a lone fortune cookie and left it on the counter.

The next day Mom called me at work. "I just ate the leftover fortune cookie," she said. "Inside was a message: 'There is an angel watching over you. " Mom and I had to laugh. First the angel on her sock, and now one in her fortune cookie! "Let's get you well fast, Mom. We have lots of plans to make."

Eight months later, with Mom the picture of health, my father walked me down the aisle. That day we celebrated more than marriage. We celebrated life. And angels, angels, everywhere.