The Tiny Angel

  The old idiom of "Great things come in small packages" was never so powerful to me as a recent act of kindness.  One tiny gift projected an extreme amount of love that left me almost speechless.  It brought a tear to the eye and a heart that was overwhelmingly full. One act..one wee gift had a profound effect.

  Cousins..masses of cousins..recently descended upon the Bayou. Some were "old" friends while others were just met.  Cousins, children of cousins and grandchildren of cousins all made themselves at home in the Little Bayou House.  It was literally filled to the brim with folks.  The laughter, chatter and hugs were shared and promises of more meetings were made.  It was fun. The day was long but enjoyable.  The tiny gift came at the close of the day.  One cousin who has always been so dear to my heart, slipped a card into my hand.  Helen quietly whispered, "This is for you.  You have been such a dear to open up your home to all of us.  I love you."  I wanted the hubbub to stop right there so I could sit and spend the rest of the time with just her.  We needed the time to just "catch up" with each other's lives and feelings.  She and the other cousins were on the Coast to lay their father to rest. Uncle Alfred had passed away in July just two days short of his 100th birthday.  Now the whole family was here to celebrate his life.  I needed to sit with Helen and tell her what an important part of my life she is.  I needed to be able to tell my all my other cousins that the connection with them will always be special and lasting.  I needed to stop the commotion spinning around us and say "I love you."  Not that we do not tell each other this often but I needed to have time...calm, quiet time to let it all sink in to my brain!

  Inside the card was a tiny angel pendant. When I opened the card, the angel dangled loosely as if she was flying.  It made me smile as I thought of how the love of cousins was much like that tiny flying angel.  We do not have to be next door neighbors to know that the bond will always continue.  We can be as far as angels fly and still be connected at the heart.  Our love will travel the distance to keep us connected.  We do not have to constantly be reminded nor constantly be in contact...it just happens.  Cousins are usually the first friends we have and the ones that stick with us through a lifetime.  They are the ones that will stand behind us, take the step before us, pick us up when we fall or give us that kick in the pants when we need it to keep us all headed down the right path. Cousins are the ones who step in when brothers and sisters cannot be there.  The ties that bind you together are unbreakable and the loyalty is fierce.  The tiny angel was the embodiment of all that.  Love, Loyalty, Patience and Faith were all riding on the wings of one tiny angel and that angel carried it well.  

 Thank you, Helen.  YOU are an angel and are so very, very dear to me as are all my cousins!