by Sophie Coolbaugh

Created on: April 16, 2008

I like to think that Angels do exist. I am not a religious person, and was not brought up in any religion, but I do believe that there are beings amongst us whose sole purpose is to help us get on with our lives.

I'm not talking about chubby blond babies with wings, or anything of the sort. The way I see it Angels can be just about anything or anyone. Sometimes it will be a friend, and sometimes a complete stranger. Sometimes it won't even be human at all, and sometimes it's not even an animate object. Angels for me are who or what happens to you when you need it most. To some degree my husband is one such creature, and so is my cat Charlie. My daughter should be disqualified on account that she is a chubby blond baby, but everytime she beams a gummy smile at me I melt so deeply that she must be an Angel sent just for me. They all happened to me at times where I needed their help and support, though I didn't know what it was that I needed.

Angels can be the old photograph that you thought lost forever but find in the middle of a book while tidying up, a kind gesture from a total stranger without you asking for anything or simply a ray of sunshine after a spring shower. Angels are little nods of hope, to show you that things are not desperate. They're a smile in a crowd, the unexpected tax rebate or a postcard from a childhood friend you'd lost touch with. Sometimes they're a tune that you hear on the radio and takes you back to a happy memory, makes you smile or remind you to give a call to your grandmother just to say hello. Sometimes they are little nothings that don't seem to have a great deal of significance but turn out to be vital.

Of course Angels have a religious role, too, but I like to think that you don't have to belong to any religion or believe in a particular deity to believe in Angels. Even more, I think we all have it in ourselves to be someone's angel - I just hope that I can bring as much to my fellow humans as what I have received over the years.

Angels are all around us if we know to look for them. I believe they're not the prerogative of religions but are there for all of us when we nee them, if we can open our eyes and hearts to them.

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