My Own Private Angel

My father once told me that he always prays for extra guardian angels to protect me.  Perhaps he thought I need this because of my independent and adventurous nature, or perhaps it started when I was child, and my mother was sick.  Now, I do not consider myself religious, spiritual yes, but not religious.  I believe that there is something greater out there than just us.  I believe in a greater collective consciousness. 

However, I don't like to define it by religion, of which the parameters are too limited and narrow.  I do however believe in an inner moral compass, and I strongly believe in prayer, possibly even angels.  Though I often think that angels are simply the strangers we encounter in life that make our lives just a little bit better.

Here in Munich, I have one such angel.  From outwards appearance, many people are intimidated by him, and I doubt they would consider him an Angel, not of the likes that are depicted in Christian art.  He is tall, skinny, walks a bit stiffly as if he has some past injury, he has some sort of mental impairment, and he is typically wearing a suit, but he has tattoos of skulls and symbols on his neck, a piercing through the bridge of his nose, and when his head is shaved, there is a single eye tattooed on the back of his head.

I've been running into this man for years. While I believe he lives close to me, I run into him all across town.  While walking to the bus, when riding my bike, when picking up the children, on streets in the center of Munich, in train stations, in supermarkets on the other side of town.   We always exchange smiles of recognition, and then go on with our business. 

Only recently, this man has started talking to me.   I ran into him at the supermarket yesterday, and he asked for help finding the rice.  I pointed it out to him, and afterwards he started to talk to me.  The way he talks, it is as if he is prophesying.  He tells me that I'm a good person, a nice and kind person, that my presence makes the world a better place, and that because of this I will be blessed today, tomorrow and in the future.   If he is one of my Daddy's prayed for guardian angels, then he picked exactly the right time to start talking to me.