A short story

By: Yvette Jessen

It was a hard day, a time that seemed to fill one with despondency, and even still, it was a time of reflection on the wonderful gift of friendship. As I watched the waves crashing against the shoreline, I recalled all the times in my life when friends had come in and showered my life with love and compassion. I remembered, not that I had made a difference, but those friends whom I had met along the path of my life where the ones who had made a difference.

"Yvette," a voice emerged in my thoughts and I looked up to see that a handsome man and a beautiful woman were now standing next to me. The woman had addressed me, the loveliness of her voice like a medley being played in a great orchestration and filling my entire spirit with hope and beauty.

"Yes?" I turned around and recognized them as they stood in the soft sand next to me. "Hello, Andrew, Monica. What are you doing here?"

"We were sent by God to tell you something very important, Yvette," Monica began.

"I figured that you would one day come," I said softly, my voice filled with melancholy sadness, but my eyes sought theirs with a new sense of hope. "Eventually," I continued, my voice emerging as a sigh.

"Yes, were here because we have something very important to tell you," Andrew said softly, his voice filled with compassion as his hand rested on his angelic companion's shoulder.

"You know, it's funny, but ever since my childhood I have aspired to make a difference in this word, to give something to people, not something major, but something small, and perhaps, insignificant. But do you know what?" I smiled, so much so that one could see the joy that emerged in my eyes, but the gratitude I felt was clearly showing. After a few moments of stillness and solitude, I could feel the sensations of tears as they brimmed from beneath the my eyelids. It was as though I wanted to conceal my emotions from them, but knew deep in my heart, that I could not. There was no way I could stop them from making their trek down my cheeks.

Upon hearing me speak, the two angels shook their heads, both of them anticipating my next words. "A small group of people made a difference to me, they share a part of themselves and show me in every profound way possible that I matter; that I am special."

"You are," Andrew said smiling. "Each and every one of God's children is special in their own right, and often when one hurts, they discover just how connected they are to one another." He reached over to touched my shoulder. "God wants you to know that as much of a difference you can make, they too can make a difference to you, and over the last days, they, in fact, have."

"They did, Andrew, they honestly did, and I treasure them now more than ever before. I swear that I will never ever take them for granted, I will embrace them with every breath and with all that is inside of me." I said and as much as I tried, the tears continued to stream down my cheeks.

"Sometimes the biggest difference that a human being can make, is to wait and watch as change enfolds and gives them a feeling of being born anew," Monica's voice emerged and she smiled at me as she picked a stone up from off the ground and threw it into the water. "Watch as the ripples come out from that where that one rock has landed. Each of God's children is like that stone, and they go out and find where they make a difference and where they find forgiveness. You have been hurt, but you have found a place in this world that is yours and now your search is over, the friendships that have been given to you are a gift, and they will continue for months and years ahead to embrace and honor you."

As the waves crashed against the shoreline, Andrew and Monica disappeared and I smiled as the sun emerged from the clouds and shone down on me. The beauty of the moment was not overlooked and I glanced skyward.

"Dear God, I thank You, not only for the beauty of the angels who have come to deliver Your message, but for the realization that my friends have stood by me through thick and thin. I want to honor them in every way possible, I want them to know that the honor of their friendship goes beyond mere images and words on a computer screen, but I want them to know that they have touched my life as an angel touches that of humanity, I want them to know that they are the wind beneath my wings, they are the reason that I have not completely given up hope in these last days. Through Your guidance and wisdom dear Father, I have learned a valuable and wonderful lesson. I have learned to trust in You, and I have discovered the extent that the power of love and friendship can carry."

I smiled as I looked out at the water and watched as the waves continued to lap against my feet. "I thank You from the bottom of my heart for Erin, Jenny, Grandma Vicki, Lathua, Kimmie, and Ashley. Father, thank you for the quiet voices of Michelle, and Little Wings." I took a deep breath. "Mostly, I want to thank You for the those unmanned friends that that I may have forgotten."

"Thank you for guiding me through all these events, but especially for the power of friendship that can defeat any adversity, and that can honor and humble another person. The same person who wondered if they truly had made a difference. Today, I know, and today, I am humbled by the gift that my friends have honored me with."

As I looked at the sky, I could see a white dove take to flight over my head, but after a few moments, I turned around, and I could see that Monica and Andrew had been joined by Gloria and Tess and when the angels nodded, I smiled.

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