When this letter from reader Valeria Olson arrived for us in the mail, we couldn’t wait to share it. With holiday shopping season just around the corner, it’s a perfect reminder that angels aren’t just with us on Christmas Day.
Valeria decided to spent the day at the mall with her daughter and granddaughters for a holiday shopping marathon. Eventually, they separated to pick out gifts for each other, planning to meet up later for lunch.
“Happy and satisfied with my arms full of gifts, I was idly window shopping when my cell rang,” Valeria wrote. “Spying a vacant bench nearby, I hurriedly plunked down my packages to answer.”
Her daughter asked Valeria to meet them at the food court, and so she rushed off. But while they enjoyed their meal, she realized something was missing.
“My purse! Where had I left it? On that bench? I raced back there with no expectation of seeing that purse again.” The mall was packed with people–surely one of them would have picked it up for herself.
But when Valeria and arrived at the bench, there was a surprise waiting for her. “An elderly man sat beside my purse,” she wrote. “He smiled and said, ‘I knew you’d be back, so I decided to guard it. This happened to my wife once too, and I’ve always wanted to pass on that kindness.’”
Overcome with gratitude, Valeria dug into her purse to find a reward for the elderly man.
“But when I looked up, he was nowhere to be seen. My angel had disappeared.”
Valeria passed away shortly after we talked to her about this Christmas memory, but we are pleased to share it with all of you with permission from her family.
“She was over the moon when she found out that Angels on Earth liked her story,” her daughter, Kathy, told us. “She always told me that everyone has a book within them, and I’ve always been inspired by her passion for learning and understanding.”
