There are times
care arrives
in tissue-wrapped,
delicate bundles
of thoughtfulness –
hand-cut paper hearts,
and hand-stitched words
that bring life and love,
mailed across states
from a stranger
who knew it was time
for care to be sent;
it was time
for care to be received.
There are times
care arrives
in bustling beach parking lots,
people carrying heavy loads,
but a stranger in a hat
has her hands free
to take the hand
of a little boy,
lost, scared, and wandering,
before he crosses the street.
She stops to talk to me
on the busy pier and
before she leaves,
I read her hat in bejeweled letters:
ANGEL.
There are times,
care arrives
when the stranger with no home
no teeth, and no money
approaches, asking for help.
I am alone
and in poor spirit
with no cash to give.
I offer my hands,
and hold both of his.
They’re rough, dirty, and wet;
I bow my head
and pray.
I have blessed him,
I think.
His tears and gratitude
and toothless smile
change my heart.
No, the blessing is mine.
There are times
the hands of strangers
do the work of angels.
My son says,
“Mommy, I wish I could see angels.”
And I tell him,
“You can. You do.”
I share with him
stories of
the hands of strangers,
and that
there are times,
when care arrives
and that care
is an angel.
I wrote this poem as a THANK YOU to a new friend who mailed a package to me while we were strangers. She had no idea how meaningful and timely it was. I hope she does now.
When I think of angels, I’m reminded of the stories I’ve heard over the years about angel encounters; the kind of stories that send chill bumps over your entire body in an AWE-some way. But I also think about this lady, pictured in my photo, who likely saved a little boy’s life that day (she was holding his hand in this photo). This woman was so calm and kind when my mom and I encountered her on this bustling beach. After we had our exchange about the little boy and her plan to help find his mom, I turned to leave and stopped to notice her hat. She hadn’t called any attention to it, but I thought it was pretty AWE-some! I asked her if I could take a photo of her hat to remember this moment. It’s been 7 years since this happened and I’m happy I’ve had this chance to include her in my poem.
I have not forgotten these hands of strangers.
What about you? What kind of encounters have you had with the hands of strangers?
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:2
Lovely, just lovely. Mercy so often arrives in the hands of the unexpected, and is live giving❤️
So beautiful Kelly! It's always amazing to realize who God sends to us on our paths, or who God sends us too. What a blessing we can be to each other 💛