Angels Among Us

I met an angel this past weekend.  Actually, I met two angels this past weekend.  They were husband and wife.  The wife and I work for the same company.  I have seen her at work, probably walked passed her hundreds of times, without ever saying hello.  We were seated next to each other at a wedding reception this past weekend.  I didn't recognize her at first, but she recognized me, and initiated a conversation.  With her was her husband, who was holding a small boy, and next to her was an infant stroller, which held a beautiful baby girl.  Her husband spoke up, and told my husband and I that these two little ones were their grandchildren.  The wife went on to tell us that the children's parents could not take care of them, so they were raising them.  They were twins, just under 2 years old.  The little boy was a typical toddler boy.  Squirming in his Pop Pop's arms to get down and run around, just itching to touch the pretty wedding cake he had his big beautiful brown eyes on.  Eventually, he was let down to run around and dance, with two pretty little girls who had taken a liking to him.  The little girl, however, was a completely different story.  The wife proceeded to tell us her story.  Looking at the little girl, you saw nothing out of sorts.  She was beautiful, the spitting image of her brother, with those same beautiful, big brown eyes.  But the sad story is, she is autistic, with something called Angelman's Syndrome.  This little girl will never walk, speak, eat on her own, dress herself, get married, or have children of her own.  The doctor's think she may be blind, or partially blind.  They think she can hear.  She has no control of her arm movements.  She constantly smiles and seemed to be a happy baby, but that's how the syndrome works. She looks like a perfect angel, hence the name, Angelman's syndrome.  So, I actually met three angels this past weekend.  During the Father/Daughter dance, while the song "Butterfly Kisses" was playing, the wife had tears in her eyes.  This of course, made me cry, because, in the words of Dolly Parton in Steele Magnolias, "No one cries alone in my presence".  The wife dried her eyes and said to me, "It times like this that break my heart, knowing that this little girl will never have these moments.  She will never dance at her wedding.  She will never have a wedding."  It broke my heart too.  There is a special place in heaven for people like her and her husband, for they are truly angels among us.  God bless you both, and your beautiful grandchildren.