My encounter with "angels" is one I thought to keep personal for along time, but I have come to believe that such a beautiful experience should be shared and witnessed about. I was very blessed and privileged to have had such an experience, not all of us do. My experience has helped me so much and been such a comfort to me, I wonder and hope that perhaps it would hold some comfort and inspiration for others as well.

The afternoon of Mum's death I managed to find a few moments to sit in my favorite place, my garden. Mum knew how much I loved my garden, especially this area of the garden. I often talked to her of my special secret garden and she knew that I had planted special flowers in the garden to honor my dear Aunt Mary who had left us that spring. Anyone who knows me well would know that this would be the place they could find me, it would offer the most comfort on a day like this. The garden is all enclosed with a door leading off the carport and a small gate at the back, the rest of the garden is walled and fenced, hence the name the secret garden. Once in the garden you are secluded and anyone entering would surely be noticed as the door sticks and needs a good push to open. My husband and I were sitting there this particular afternoon, not talking just trying to block out the images of the morning and to gain back some balance so to speak.

The door I thought had been closed, but slowly opened and along the path came a figure, down the stairs, not walking but perhaps the only word I can use is floating, all in a beautiful white robe and illuminating light. Down the stairs and along the footpath, silent in its approach. The feet were not swollen from cancer retention fluid, the head was not bald from chemotherapy there was hair beautiful thick brown hair. I blinked my eyes for this could not be true, I had seen and been through so much in the past weeks that finally the stress had gotten to me and I now was unable to tell the distinction between reality and my own imagination. Because what I was seeing was impossible. I blinked hard several times, the kind of blinking one does when one is desperately trying to clear one's head and structure out thoughts. But still she came. so beautiful, I wasn't at all frightened. I knew this to be my mother and behind her my dear Aunt Mary.

I knew through instinct I think, not to approach or to try to say anything, it would have been in effective anyway. Just to see them and to know they were Ok. Finally they turned, I couldn't see them go, but I felt them go and the door slam behind them. No wind, especially on that all encompassing hot July day could have opened that door from two different directions. Since that time I have often sat in the garden and tried to physically figure out how the wind could have done that to the door, and to me it seems impossible.

The Webster's New World Dictionary defines an angel as a messenger of God, an immortal spirit, a person regarded as beautiful and good. Mum was certainly an earthly angel, through all her suffering she never lost site of those around her and her generosity became legendary. The experience in the garden I believe is the definition of immortal soul. An angel is sent to give peace and comfort and to aid us in good and difficult times. For me being allowed to behold such a beautiful sight, filled my heart and aided in a grief process that otherwise could and probably would have be very dramatic. Since that day I have never been sad for the loss of my mother, I do miss her, naturally, but I know the beauty and the existence she has now is glorious and happy, that is definitely not a sad thing to my way of thinking. The memory of my garden experience and the knowledge that experience has given me has enabled me to go forward in my earthly life with a much stronger and better understanding of our earthly journey and a firmer faith and spirituality. Yes, I believe that on the fateful day my mother became an angel and I saw her in my garden letting me know that she was fine. And to this very day is my guardian angel guiding and showing me the way in ways she could never have done on earth.

That experience has changed something in me that as yet I am still learning of. I was allowed through the grace of God to take a glimpse into heaven, so to speak and to begin to understand perhaps more of our journey here on earth. I believe it is important for me to tell you my experience, to witness of this wondrous occurrence.

Where the figures went I don't know for sure, but what I do know and believe with my whole heart is that on that day my mother's body may have let her down, but she did not die, she went on . . . I know this because I saw her in my garden. The most beautiful image I have ever seen in my whole life. --Jennifer Herle

Where the figure went I don’t know for sure, but what I do know and believe with my whole heart is that on the day that my mother’s body let her down, she did not die, she went on…I know this because I saw her in my garden. The most beautiful image I have ever seen in my whole life. That experience changed something in me as yet I am still learning of. I was allowed through the grace of God to glimpse into heaven and to begin to understand more of our journey here on earth. The experience has lead me to write and to be more open to the wonders of our spiritual potential and energies, facilitating me to understand that my grieving for my mother is selfish and to find peace in knowing she is in a beautiful realm filled with love and angels.

The garden, that I first saw the figure has become a very special place to me. It was special before, but now I think of it as a place that has been touched by heaven, a place where I can go sit, meditate, reflect, pray and become closer to my spiritual self. It is a treasure and to be protected and kept private at all costs, or at least I thought. Instead it has also become the place where I have been challenged and have come to see many things, and many lessons have been taught me.

It is not the same garden in physical appearance now. New neighbors have moved in and have taken down many trees and trimmed others back that gave the garden its privacy and inspired the name the Secret Garden. A deck has been built right against the fence and we can smell their BBQ, and hear their music very clearly. At first this created great anger and strong negative feelings. Branches have been knocked down killing precious plants, on our side fence, during building. Trying to protect the garden my husband and I have nailed trellis and lattice work to our side and have spent money on vines and plants that might possibly retain the privacy. The change to the garden has been dramatic and hard to bear. To watch helplessly as the appearance of it has changed and, in my opinion not for the better, and to have those responsible not understand the garden and its significance is difficult.

But something amazing has happened. Despite all the changes and all the negative energy that has been generated, the garden is flourishing. The plants are bigger than ever before and each day there are new blooms to be awed and amazed by. It is true the garden is not as enclosed as before, but neither is the wonderful vision of what I saw. My story the Garden Gate, has through the Internet reached thousands of people. It’s a witness of beauty and love, I have come to believe, and to understand should be shared. Recently I have come to see this and to not be afraid of allowing others to enter and be part of my special place. My garden has been touched by heaven, a place filled with angels and love, open to all. It therefore follows so should my garden. Even though the trees are gone and the privacy is limited, the essence is the same. For many reasons I was allowed to witness an angel, and in that place. I have only just begun to learn the lessons of it. Instead of closing the doors leading into the garden, I now keep them open and this enables friends, neighbors and myself to have easy access to it at all time.

I have not seen anything else in the garden since that day, but I still strongly sense the spirituality of the place. I have come to understand and to believe that once touched by heaven and filled with the love and the grace of angelic presence, a place will be protected and encompassed with that love always. I felt the awful negative energy of the changes and the devastation of it. There likely will be more changes and with each one the human side of me will likely react with sadness. But whether it is my own mother or a company of angels I feel that my garden is going to be all right and protected. It will never be truly the same, but neither will my life. A year ago my mother left the confines of her physical body and became, I believe an angel. I saw her in my garden letting me know she was fine. She is to this day my guardian angel, so to speak, guiding and showing me the way through means she could never have done on earth. Teaching and showing me the lessons of spirituality and heaven as so clearly seen through the changes and evolution of my very special garden. --Jennifer Herle

It may have been the most important battle of my life, and God was right there holding me High above the mountainside guardrail as He commanded the warrior angels. I was His student, and the multitude of Heavenly armor-clad warrior angels did the bidding of almighty God. I was privy to every command, as if every command from Him that each heavenly angel completed for Him related somehow to my life, not in my life events, as might be expected, but in the entirety of all battles and war maneuvers against all mankind.

God was teaching me how He commanded the warrior angels in battles!

He would say "Michael, take the right flank and close in as evil is slowly lurking toward victory."

He would say, "David, slew the demons with the might of your slingshot!"

Every time He commanded another angel warrior I was learning how God performed the miracles of good overtaking evil. It was as real as if God, the angels and I were there, and it was as real as if my life depended on knowing this information that God so lovingly taught me all while He held me about the guardrail. I felt as if I were in no danger, and I had no idea that I would be in danger.

I was in peace and only sad when I awoke from the dream, for the lessons of the battle maneuvers faded as the day progressed. This dream of the warrior angels and God, Himself, came to me as a gift after writing the story of my fallen heros, Francis Marion, the "swamp fox," nicknamed for the gorilla warfare he and his comrades dumped upon the troops of the Revolutionary war, and of my other heros in battle, all the heros of the confederate troops of the War Between the States. The title of the story is "Geechee Yank, Brothers at War." These wars being some 100 years apart, I wove an angel story for all heros to enjoy, because after the battles of wars cease, the healing takes a life time and the life times of all the regions involved, as well as, the descendants.

So as a gift to me and as a "reward" for proclaiming that God's angels fight evil, I was given this incredible dream. And now I have finally written it's significance to share with you.

The significance in my life for this dream really made me feel as though God is using me finally to further His word. That God would "appear" in my dreams in itself is quite a miracle. He was a warrior figure in the dream, yet with kind and loving mannerisms. Wearing the rainment of David in fine flowing white linen and golden chords about the waist and shoulders, God appeared as a strong leader in control of the troops. Such a strong leader, I have only seen in life a few times in such real life heros such as the evangelist Billy Graham, many of the presidents of America in the authority in which they command respect while also spreading charismatic personalities.

So God gave me his likeness I this dream to embrace me and hold me safely. I did not know the significance, if there would be any, of the command post upon which He and I hovered. It did appear to be a place that He and I would not leave, and while we were there I was completely safe from any of the ramifications of the battles of the war that was raging around us! The battles were mighty and filled with swift action by each of the angels who had wings outspread. Some wield mighty swords like ancient Biblical soldiers. Some pulled the bow back with strong muscular arms to let fly the arrows to sure targets. They were a mixture of ancient and twentieth century warriors with only their side arms as weapons. None lost the battle. All followed Gods' commands. And it was if by immaculate plan and procedure all evil was slain and fell aside into the ravines of the mountainside, over which God, I, and the warriors were hovering; they with wings or some imparted floating ability and I enclosed in one of God's arm as he raised his other arm to inspire a section of the battlefield to volley, and then retreat. And then, repeat the actions.

As much as I love horses, and especially admire the equestrian in battle, none of these mighty figures were seen in my dream. I had the impression though, that any warrior had at his reserve a means of travel, quickly, from one part of the battlefield to another, perhaps aided by his sturdy steed.

This dream might have been filled with pleasurable experiences and pulled out of the computer files some months later to write as a story, such as this one. But by plan, God gives to us what we need, and shows us His eternal love whenever we ask. When we find this gift and relate it to our everyday working lives, then a special miracle has occurred. Such was the case with my angel warrior dream.

Two days after the dream my husband and I were driving along the western ridge of the Great Smokey Mountains en route to our 10 wedding anniversary celebratory weekend at my brother's mountain retreat near Highlands, North Carolina. While reveling in the peace and beauty I had witnessed with my dream of the angel warriors, there came up a sudden summer thunderstorm squall with gusty winds and hard beating rains. We continued driving around the winding one lane mountain road, up higher into the mountains.

Expecting the darkness and foreboding of the storm to unnerve my husband, I said to him "Don't worry, God gave me a dream and He reassured me that in the storms of life we will be at peace."

Through the next 45 minutes of driving in this ferocious storm we were entirely at peace. Such a peacefulness overtook us in the van that I felt as if the very warrior angels or God, Himself were holding the van, with us inside it, onto the roadway. We were like magnets staying right where our vehicle was supposed to be on our side of the highway, around the curves and into the valley dips. I looked over each guardrail, wishing and expecting to get a glimpse of at least one warrior angel in my quest to see angels. But much to my dismay the windows were fogged up with the rain streaming down them. We were blessed to even see the roadway much less make out any forms beyond the windows.

Still, we were at peace. Still we were safe. Still God delivered a promise to me: to love me on earth and take care of me in the daily storms of life. --Carol R. Resch Copyright Carol R. Resch 1997

A couple of nights ago I was driving home late at night down the 15 freeway, around 11:30 p.m. My son was lying down on the back seat with his head on the opposite side of my seat.

I started growing very sleepy and was having a difficult time keeping my eyes open. Just as I started to drift off I felt fingers around my left arm and gently squeeze. I was startled awake and said, "Nick, what are you doing!" I looked around quickly and realized at that time that my son was sound asleep and his hands were not in reaching distance of me.

At first I was scared and kept my eyes wide open and alert, wondering if I would feel it again, looking behind me from time to time. After another twenty minutes or so I started to relax again, my eye lids growing heavy. I felt the same sensation one more time, but this time I was not afraid. I said out loud, "Okay, okay, I'll stay awake!" I felt the gentle touch of my Guardian Angel who was making sure we made it home safely. --Jeri Boswell