Remembered Blessings: The Old Wooden Bench

As I look around my backyard I am pleased to see things that remind me of my parents home. I have a trellis that I let my pumpkin vines grow up. A bird house that my dad made that wrens currently have a family inside, and two rocking chairs on my patio.
But my favorite one is a simple old wooden bench. This bench is not much to look at but there is a story that comes with it.
I will TRY to make a long story short.
In 2003 Mom had an appointment to go to the cancer doctor about a small spot on her lung. As I got to the house to take her to the doctor I found the house in turmoil. Dads port from dialysis had blown and blood was everywhere. It was decided we had to know about Mom, a week of anxiety about cancer was enough. Our friend Triece, a hospice worker, was called and she immediately came and held my dad's arm in a firm grip to stop the bleeding. It was their first meeting. And she became a blood relative in that moment.
(Try to keep it short)
At the appointment Dr Death said Mom's other lung was full of cancer and she would die soon. WRONG.... ALL WRONG. (Small cancer in left lung, had surgery and doing well 7 years later. )
At the time we left Dr Death all we knew was Mom was going to die. We hurry home to Dad, who can not stop bleeding. We block the news from Moms appointment from our minds as best we could and prepare to take Dad to the hospital. Triece continues to hold his arm so he will not bleed.
The whole time we we're gone Triece had been praying to God for help. She did not know what to do and she begged God to help her and use her to take care of "Mr Sowers".
As we leave the house Triece never let go of Dad's arm. They came down the back steps together. They slid into the car together. They rode to the hospital together. They went into the hospital together.
(Try to keep it short) We got Dad to the Springfield hospital. Still could not stop the bleeding. Cocky young doctor thought he knew the problem, he had Triece release her hold and removed the bloody towel. The doctor was surprised when the blood came out like a 2 foot wide waterfall and splashed all over. We could tell he was shook up. He used a blood pressure cuff to stop the bleeding. And then he left as the nurse held onto Dads arm (Blocking Moms news out) and Triece helped the nurse. That doctor never came back. Hours later we got the right doctor who knew what to do and he stopped the bleeding. Finally 12 hours after Mom's awful appointment Mom and Marvin went to a hotel to deal with Moms notice of death. I stayed with Dad in the hospital and watched over him. In the night Dad talked to me about coming to at one point with doctors and nurses surrounding him and he thought he had died (probably did) and was at his funeral. Even with the amazing amount of blood he lost, he did not need a transfusion. We could not understand that...until later.
Of course we all talked about this terrible day for weeks and Triece would always say she could not believe how many of our wonderful family came to the house so quickly. The yard was FULL of people as she came out with Dad.
3 weeks later I finally I ask her, "Triece, how many people did you see?" She tells me there were 40 or 50 people there. She thought they were relatives of ours.
I have to say "Triece, as I walked out the door behind you I saw a lot of my wonderful family there. But....I saw about 10 people." Triece's eyes opened wide. And she tells me there were groups of people all around the yard. Three here...four there...and they were all praying. There was a group at the edge of the yard...more by the dog pen...some at the end of the sidewalk...huddled in prayer beside the garage. And three at the old wooden bench...2 sitting on it and one standing with one leg propped up on the end...they were in prayer.
They were dressed like the others in yard...they looked like family.
So on that terrible day when Triece was called to help she did not realize that as she prayed and prayed for help from God that He had sent angels that only she could see. Angels that were praying for us.
We made it through that terrible time with Dad and Mom. And as the years went by and Dad got weaker and had more problems we would often think about the angels that were with us that day. We were comforted knowing about them.
In 2008 as Dad made his decision to go off dialysis Triece and I walked around the yard, she pointed out each spot that she saw angels and even though we could not see them now, we knew they were still there....praying.

I almost left that old wooden bench to be sold at auction...but at the last moment I decided to take it home. I am glad I did.
Now when something is worrying me I like to go sit on that old wooden bench and pray. I am hoping that I am joined in prayer ....2 angels sitting beside me and one angel standing with one leg propped up on the end with his elbow resting on his knee.

Thank You God...for family that was always there to help.
Thank You God...for angels that pray.