At Christmastime in 1952, Mommy went to a cocktail party, and then she really needed to ask God for help, because a man who was drunk walked up to her and said something to her that was worse than hitting her.

Mommy saw a beautiful book about angels in the house. It belonged to the friend who gave the party. It was written in French, and it was called Anges. In the book, there were pictures of angels that were painted a long time ago, and some that were painted not so very long ago. When Mommy saw the book, she was so happy, and talked to the people about the beautiful paintings and the description.

This man, who has a little living girl, walked up to my Mommy, and said, "Put that book down! Forget all about angels! Forget all about Linda! Don't ever think about her anymore! Don't talk about her!"

She couldn't answer him for a little while, and then she said as quietly as she could, "I don't think I'm supposed to forget about Linda."

When he said, "Yes, you are ! Just be an average American citizen and think only about the things you do every day, not God, not about angels, or heaven, or anything but everyday, normal things!" Mommy just looked at him, because she wouldn't speak any further and let people know how badly she was hurt. She always taught me to be brave and smile when things went wrong!

For three days, Mommy was very sick, because she couldn't understand anyone being so cruel and thoughtless. Then she started going to churches everywhere and praying as hard as she could. She didn't think she was wrong to be happy when she saw the book on angels and to talk about them. After she felt better, she thought about the book, a big book with a blue cover, and she wanted it. She knew it came from France, so she didn't think she could ever have it, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt the book would help her. But she never talked about it to anybody.

A few weeks later, it was Mommy's birthday, January 31^st. She was home, one day, resting in the afternoon. When she heard the outer front door slam and something drop, she went to the door in time to see a mail truck disappear.

She opened the door and saw a large package. It was heavy, and she sat down to open it. As the wrappings came away, she saw Anges. The book had been sent by Aunt Celeste, Mommy's sister, from Seattle, Washington.

Mommy couldn't understand how Aunt Celeste could have found the book, and she was so grateful for her sending it. Of course, Aunt Celeste is very beautiful and very clever, but that couldn't explain the funny coincidence. She used the book so much when she started writing the book on the angels, for next Christmas, that she decided she was just supposed to have it! So the man was all wrong! It seems the prayers helped Mommy, and she prayed for the man too, for God to show him how he mustn't forget Him. She decided it was all a test of how much she, herself, believed.

Of course, it proved I didn't want Mommy to forget me. I wanted her to remember me and keep on loving me the way I remembered her doing, and try to help her. Our prayers helped each other.

Another time, and this was the time that really proved to Mommy we must forgive our enemies and pray for them, was when Mommy was made to leave a job in a flower shop where she was very happy, because a woman came in to work who was much older and wanted to rule her.

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