Here's a story that I received via email from a good friend this evening. It really meant a lot to me, and I hope it does to you all. It explains how feel about all of my friends here at the Mudcat.

-- Áine

With Angels - Things Aren'et Always What They Seem

Two traveling angels-in-disguise stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was very rude, and refused to let them stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead, the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall, and immediated sealed it up so you couldn't tell there had ever been a hole at all. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but hospitable, farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed, so they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, "How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him. The second family had little, but was willing to share everything, and yet, you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was a horde of gold hidden in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night, as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I persuaded him to take their cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way we think they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that the outcome is always to our ultimate advantage. You might not know the reason until some time later."

Most people come into our lives and quickly go. But some few become friends and stay awhile, leaving beautiful, silent footprints on our hearts, and we are never quite the same; although we may not realize how they have affected our lives.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.