On the Wings of a Hummingbird

Have you ever experienced an Angel on Earth moment that left you in complete awe? I invite you to walk beside me as I tell you about a heartwarming encounter I had with one that unfolded in one of the most unexpected places - the U.S. post office lobby. As I rushed to make it to the post office after work that Friday evening, my mind filled with thoughts of my book proposal and hopes of acquiring a literary agent, a chance meeting occurred right before my very own eyes. Could this kind lady be the angel my friend had prayed to go before me and my book proposal earlier in the day?

The post office was closing by the time I got there as I had feared, and despair was creeping in. I was unsure if I would make it inside the post office in time to mail my important document. However, divine intervention had different plans for me that day.

The last patron, a gracious lady, noticed my disappointment as I pressed against the locked door and whispered that I should pound on it. She disclosed that she had done this a time or two in the past and one of the employees had opened the door for her. Uncharacteristically bold for me, I followed her advice, only to be met with silence. I knocked again. Just as I turned back, she approached me with a smile that stretched from one ear to the other.

To my surprise, she asked me how many pages I was trying to mail and started calculating the number of pages and postage in her head. How did she even know this? She then handed me an entire book of stamps! Her words resonated in my ears and left a lasting impression on my heart as she told me her mother's wisdom of “paying it forward.” I offered to pay her for the stamps, the gift seeming too generous, but she refused any payment. Instead, she insisted on this act of kindness. And there they were, when I accepted her considerate gift, my mother's favorite hummingbird stamps - a gentle reminder of her presence, though she had passed away in January 2013.

This encounter warmed my heart as it felt like the gift was from above, and a sign that my mother and the hummingbirds she loved so deeply when she were here on earth were watching over me. In the post office lobby, my mind found peace and I had a renewed sense of hope that my package would be delivered timely.

“Who would believe my book proposal would arrive on the wings of a hummingbird,” I thought as I put the whole book of stamps on the large manilla envelope and dropped it into the lobby drop box.

When I think back on that moment, I am reminded of a small plaque I have on the desk in my office that reads, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” It reminds me of what the kind lady’s mother had taught her about the impact of “paying it forward” - how the smallest acts of kindness can have a big ripple effect, reaching far beyond what we could ever imagine. God works in mysterious ways, as He connects us in a beautiful tapestry of compassion and empathy that only He could have woven.

Isn’t it wonderful how life has a way of surprising us when we least expect it? Through an Angel on Earth or the kindness of a stranger, I learned the importance of these moments of grace and goodwill as I promised her I, too, would pay it forward.

The hummingbird is a symbol of joy and resilience, and it had fluttered its wings in my path, teaching me to embrace the hummingbird moments in life.

Who knows, the next time you knock on a closed door (or pound), an angel in disguise might be waiting on the other side, offering you a hummingbird stamp and a whisper of hope.

Remember, sometimes angels come in the form of strangers, and miracles unfold in the most unexpected places.