The Gift

It was July 2005, a few days after my 51st birthday. Two friends and I spent the late afternoon swimming at Mauna Kea Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. The sun had just set and twilight time had begun. I watched in solitude from the shore as day embraced the night, creating a pinkish blue sky. One friend brought along his 35mm camera. Looking at Archangel Michael, I thanked him for the teachings, guidance and protection. Together we thanked the Creator, Mother / Father God, the Angelic kingdom and all the Beings of Light for their assistance as well. Michael started to recall the most humorous moments of the past three years. We laughed so hard that I had tears in my eyes! What a perfect way to celebrate turning 51. I returned to Oahu with a joyful heart.

A year had passed and my 52nd birthday was now a week away. It had been quite a year of intense lessons and surreal experiences. I began to wonder why Archangel Michael appeared in two different forms. Awake and conscious, my physical eyes see him as a bright, electric blue and white light. In meditation, he appears as a grand and magnificent Light Warrior. “Pictures from home” Michael would lovingly say. Still, I couldn’t quiet that part of my mind which kept asking “If he’s real, where’s the tangible proof?” I decided to ask Archangel Michael a favor ~ a BIG favor. I was nervous!

Gathering my courage, I explained the situation to Michael. Then I asked if it were possible to be given tangible evidence to prove, beyond a doubt, that how I saw him with my eyes open was true. After a celestial ‘pregnant pause,’ he replied that if it was for my highest good, it would indeed be possible. “Why can’t he just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’?” I started to cry. Michael then asked, “How do you wish to see me?” Looking into his golden eyes of pure light I whispered, “I want to see you as you truly are. Just let me know it is you so I won’t be frightened if you appear in some other form I’m not use to. And please send a pure white feather as a heads up.”

For five days, I looked everywhere for a white feather but none appeared. “Perhaps I asked for too much or the wrong thing” I thought as tears streamed down my face. Walking up three flights of stairs to my apartment, I heard Michael gently say, “Feathers come in different ways.”

As I opened the door, my phone rang. It was my friend from work. Her daughter was playing with a Unicorn angel card deck and spontaneously pulled a card for me. It was titled “Worth Waiting For.” I was shocked! And what was more amazing is that my nickname for my friend’s daughter is “angel feather” because she is as light as a feather when I hold her in my arms!

Later that evening, my friend on the Big Island with the 35mm camera called and left a message. He had just developed the film he took last year at Mauna Kea Beach and said that all the pictures came out normal except for one. He was mailing me a copy and asked that I call him once I received it. I looked at the calendar and sighed. My birthday was three days away.

The next morning,  I paid a visit to my favorite metaphysical shop. With a handful of crystals, I started walking towards the register when something told me to look down. On the carpet was a perfect, pure white feather! How it got inside a fully enclosed mall and managed not to get stepped on was quite miraculous. I took it home and placed it in my angel box for safe keeping.

Saturday arrived along with my 52nd birthday. In my mailbox was the envelope from my friend on the Big Island marked “Fragile. Do Not Bend.” I heard Michael whisper “Happy Birthday” and a strong electrical current flowed down my back. My hands were trembling with excitement as I opened the envelope.  My heart stopped. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing AND holding: a picture of me standing on Mauna Kea Beach after sunset. I’m looking upward towards the sky and being bathed in light! I called my friend and thanked him for the picture. He said he had shown the picture to several of his spiritual friends. They called it “standing in the light.” He asked, “Do you remember what you were doing at that moment?” I said, “Yes, I remember it well. I was in a deep conversation with Archangel Michael!”

After I hung up, I turned to Michael and thanked him with all my heart for the gift. “How did you know?” I asked. “The picture was taken a year ago and I had no idea he had taken it.” Michael smiled and replied, “There is no time in the Higher Realms of Light. All is happening simultaneously. I knew what you were going to ask even before you spoke the words. And even though I saw the probable outcome of your request, I did not divulge it. Why deny you the joy of the journey? Now whenever your mind wanders into that territory of doubt, look upon this picture and KNOW.”