My encounter with Angels.

Funny you should say that, because I've only recently noticed sparrows in my garden, but not sure if they're house sparrows or hedge sparrows [I've always thought the male house sparrow is a particularly handsome bird, in a brown'ish sort of way]. Sparrows being the only birds I remember seeing when I was a child growing up in the centre of Birmingham. Whilst driving down a country lane the other day I was mesmerised by a group of either rooks or crows just flying around in a circle quite close to the ground; something I'd never seen before.

These days we remark upon a sparrow in the garden in the same way as we would upon a red-backed shrike!

So, it's not a case of "still" having sparrows. We have an immigrant population.

Yes, it is nice to have sparrows. When we first came there were none to be seen in our garden and that continued for four years. Now it seems that the healthy population down the hill is expanding and some of them have moved up here for a bit of peace and quiet to make new homes (or squat in existing ones) for the last three years. It's very encouraging on the sparrow front, but I feel sorry for the house martins. Sparrows are really good squatters and refuse to shift!

You are lucky still to have sparrows round there Bagitha. Like angels, they are getting to be a rarity down here.

crimson that's a sensible explanation for some of the thoughts and fantasies we have to try and make sense of the human condition.

Hear hear!

Well said, Crimson.

Maybe at a time when children stood a good chance of dying before the age of five, adults regarding 40 as old age, women dying in childbirth etc the thought of miraculous beings being there for us to help in some way were a comfort? The human mind has invented plenty of things to protect us from being the only [to my knowledge] creatures on the planet to live on a daily basis with the awareness of their own mortality. Also the survival instincts that we probably still have from primevil times have been channelled in different directions? When we've been through a dificult period of our lives is there not a day when we see something that makes us realise that the healing process has begun, even if it's a beautiful sunset or a bird collecting straw to make a nest? What we 'see' is only an interpretation of what our brains thinks we are seeing. There have been periods of time when people saw or didn't see different things; angels, fairies,ghosts, ufo's, Lord Lucan...Wally.....[I'm procrastinating again].

I blame its parents/teachers/the last government.

bagitha

A sparrow just flew past my window. It was a sign.

It was a sign that a sparrow was flying past my window on the way to its nest which is above the window.

Actually it is a house martin's nest. The sparrow is squatting. Is this a sign of falling moral standards in sparrows? Or just sparrows using available resources in order to survive and bring up their young?

I once was having a conversation with my friend about whether angels existed, she said she would have to have proof before she believed. A bell tinkled above us and a large white feather floated down in front of us and landed on the path. We just looked at each other and laughed. Was it a sign ?

I'm sure I've read somewhere that people see angels as they expect them to be - if they're of a different culture or ethnicity, that's how they'll see their angels.

Funny how angels are always white with golden hair - I wonder what black people's angelic sightings are like.

....and it gave you comfort, and may well have given comfort to your friend as well, crimson. Whoever this young man was, he was definitely special.

It's interesting that so many of these reported meeings with angels seem to happen on trains, or when travelling. Perhaps when people are slightly disorientated or out of their comfort zone anyway, a chance encounter takes on greater significance? Just a thought.

I like the thought of the existence of angels. There have been times when a complete stranger has been kind and I've liked to think of them as being an angel. Many years ago I had a very dear friend who was very ill. The last time we met we were travelling home by train, and reached a station where he had to get off to get another train. We hadn't spoken much, both realising that this was the end of our friendship; not having found seats on the train we'd been standing by one of the doors. A young lad got on, strangely enough with golden blond curly hair; he got talking to my friend who tactfully dealt with several of his comments, especially one where he offered him a job in the future [we'd been travelling back from a race meeting and the young lad had also been there]. They both got off the train, leaving me standing there waving goodbye to my friend for the last time, and the last vision I had of him was walking away with this young man. Make of it what you will, but when people appear fleetingly in your life for no apparent reason when you need them, it makes you think....

i haven't met an angel but i've seen Jesus twice, and very welcome he was, at the time.

my colleague met an angel in africa. he was alone, travelling, his money was lost, he had nothing to eat or drink. along came a man in a jeep, gave him a coke and some money to sort himself out. colleague asked for his address and went there to repay and thank. no-one had heard of the man.
colleague is sure he was an angel.

i'm sorry, ianthingy's posts are too long for me tonight. the way people talk about angels nowadays is so unlike biblical angels.

now that you've all gone, i might read the thread tomorrow.

Yes,leave this one alone I would say - don't like lectures.

Mmmm. But we did pick it up...maybe leave it now?

I don't know how the rest of you feel, but I don't feel a forum like this is an appropriate place for a religious lecture. It reminds me of being doorstepped by Jehovah's Witnesses.

And me

Oh dear. I agree with you, Anagram and Greatnan.

It does sound a bit as though Ian has just quoted a chunk of 'A Book about Angels' or some such....