Hard at work on book three in my Whispering Woods series. Recommended summer reading: Whispering Woods and Wonderful Winter at Whispering Woods.
Here’s the Preface to Book Three: Splendid Springtime at Whispering Woods. It is an adapted version of my short story which won publication in Spiritual Writer’s Network’s newest anthology called Finding Your Wings. The story is called “Sometimes Angels Wear Clothes.” Go to my website at www.bettyjackson.net or my book trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz_MPtVkiKY.
PREFACE
“Sometimes Angels Wear Clothes”[1]
Change of plans. Late night. Not unusual. Days are just not long enough. Phil feels trapped in his busy career as an architect. Some think Phil Baxter leads a charmed life. Blessed, even. Maybe so.
John Stewart Robbins calls him at 4:30 Monday afternoon, inviting him to buzz by his office at 5:30. When J.S. calls, Phil listens. Priority, second only to Cathy and the kids, of course.
Drop the project blueprints. Roll ‘em up. Lock ’em in the safe. Tomorrow’s another day. Gotta run.
J.S has been a combination father figure, mentor, guardian angel, business confidante, best man at his wedding, and valued friend.
Phil Baxter’s always known, deep down, the work of angels in his life. Hadn’t he alone been spared in the freak accident which snatched his parents from his four-year-old childhood, leaving only vague memories of their presence and lives?
In the hospital, he’d seen a bright light, brighter than the sun. He’d been touched by an angel, and still vaguely remembers the warmth and sense of “Things will be all right, Little Guy. I’m with you,” presence.
Hadn’t his precious grandmother nestled him, nurtured him, celebrated him, guided him? Now that her dementia fog separates them, Phil still sees the tender persona hidden behind dim eyesight and loss of speech. Her soft touch still speaks volumes. Her angel spirit still abides. Sensitive, creative soul that he is, he yearns for her counsel, but for now treasures her presence for yet a little longer.
He grabs his worn leather brief case, bids hasty goodbye to his staff of underlings, calls his radiant and talented Cathy, who could only be in his life by angelic presence.
Hadn’t they met, seemingly by chance, but they now know, divine encounter? No other logic can explain it. They’ve given up trying figuring that one out. God has guided their every decision. They’re sure of it. They call these encounters Godincidences.
He makes the call as he heads two blocks south.
“Hey, Darlin’. Love you. Sweetie, I’m gonna be a little late. Gotta talk to J.S. He’s got somethin’ he wants to share. You and the Littles go ahead with dinner and prayer time. I’ll get there when I can. Luvya.”
“K, Honey. Grandma Jean’s made a yummy casserole. It’ll keep just fine. I’ll feed the kids and eat with you when you get here. Luvya too. Say hi to J.S. for me. He’s like an angel to us. Let’s dream big, OK? Bye, Honey.”
So, his logic tells him there’s a spirit world that materializes once in a while, serendipitously, as God provides messages and directions to his life. Do these beings have halos and wings and blonde tresses and flowing robes and harps? Maybe.
But more often, Phil sees Biblical figures as male, in unassuming dress, who appear in dreams, walk along roadways, visit tents, talk to Gideon, minister in the wilderness, stop the slaying of Isaac, warn cities of impending destruction, and tell Balaam’s donkey where to go and what to say!
Yes, the Christmas angel spoke to the shepherds, and then there were multitudes of angels who spoke, not sang, the Noels and sent shepherds to the manger. One met women at Jesus’ tomb. And armies of angels, certainly not cherubs or blond ladies in flowing chiffon, lead and protect. Phil still remembers the presence of that amorphous being, veiled in bright light. Did he hear their harps? Not sure. But he knows the reality of angelic encounters, and is about to experience it firsthand yet again, assured again that angels have guided his steps through the love touches he treasures in his heart already.
So, a brisk walk to World Trade Center, Tower One, floor seventy, to the chrome and glass palace of J.S. Robbins Associates, 5:25, September 10, 2001.
Encounter, Presence, Appointment, Serendipity. Meeting with his angel in the flesh. He’s dressed business casual, though only from the best clothiers, for sure.
Forget handshakes. It’s always hugs, big bear hugs. Six-foot-six bear hugs. When Phil was an audacious senior in college, he dared submit plans to John Stewart Robbins’ competition for extensive renovations to his signature flagship resort hotel.
Unheard of, totally unexpected, among the stacks of remarkable entries, Phil’s upstart vision won, catapulting him into the big leagues of corporate architectural recognition, and earning him the respect and friendship of The Man himself, John Stewart Robbins. Phil Baxter soon becomes his golden-haired boy, and Phil, once more, believed, rather believes, in angels.
“Phil, my boy. Have a seat. Got somethin’ to show you. Nice article, by the way, in the Architect Digest. Tell me more about this software package you developed and my Board approved for our hotels.”
“Well, saw an opportunity, filled it, and put it out there for the world to see. Basically, it’s a reservations plan for hotels and resorts, with ad campaigns, that’s Cathy’s brainchild, and electronic clientele tracking. Makes front-desk operations as simple as possible— concierge reservations, bookings, scheduling, ground and air transportation connections, scheduling, matching personalities to suites ’n’ services, vendor efficiency, all at one dedicated web address. That’s my elevator speech. Basically, companies lease the program annually, with enticing add-ons available each time they renew. Already grabbed six major outlets, besides yours. Orders comin’ in every day. More than pays the bills. Like the goose and golden eggs. Way surpasses the architect paychecks. Triple figures every month so far. Really blessed. And the new Digest article should create an avalanche of interest.”
“It’s absolutely brilliant, my boy, brilliant! How’s that sweet family of yours? Michael enjoying kindergarten?”
He always seems to know what’s going on in Phil’s life, always shows interest in the latest.
“Oh, yeah. Kids are growing up way too fast. Wish I had more time to spend with them. Cathy’s feelin’ the crunch too. Speaking of Cathy, she’s just made Vice-President. Old Man Sands keeps handing her the big accounts. Think he’s getting ready to retire, now that he knows she can run things. She just landed a huge campaign portfolio, doin’ the Christmas Ball at the Astoria. It’s got her working early and late, dreamin’ up ideas at three in the morning. Ya know how that goes!”
“Yup. Cost me two marriages. But, Daphne wouldn’t join me on this latest project. Can’t wait to show it to you. Anyway, we’re parting ways. She’s staying in the City with all her socialite friends; I’m heading for warmer climes. Retiring. Had enough of this life.
So, My Boy, or should I say, My Man, got a great idea for you and Cathy. How’d you like to get out of this rat race and work together, huh?”
“Really?”
“Come here. Got somethin’ to show you. If you’ve got the vision I think you do, you’re gonna like this!” He leads Phil to the inner office, turns on the computer, projects a PowerPoint on the screen, and lets the message take over. Phil has no idea what J.S. is proposing, but as usual, when J.S. speaks, Phil listens.
“Welcome to Whispering Woods,” his rich baritone voice invites. “Whispering Woods is more than a destination. It’s a lifestyle.” Then the slides, complete with film clips, begin. First, a helicopter flyover, video camera shooting the adventure as they weave above a tree-lined private road. Absolutely beautiful property. Breathtakingly beautiful. Then the enticing voiceover description continues. . . very professional indeed.
J.S. hits the pause. “Phil, I’m selling 160 acres of prime real estate in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. You’ve got first dibs, ten days, take it or leave it. Take a look!”
Then the scope of the property emerges. What a set up! The narration continues: “Undeveloped forest, a central compound once visited by legendary socially prominent vacationers, the area exudes New England charm, with outdoor beauty, rambling garden walks, pristine streams and lakes, a huge ramshackle Victorian farmhouse, a barn with stables, what could be better?”
If the visuals aren’t convincing, his rich baritone voice reminds, “In a coupla weeks, the colors will be just gorgeous, and in the winter, it’s a veritable scenic Grandma Moses painting. You won’t believe your eyes! A little bit of heaven on this earth.
“Ah, yes, also for winter, tow-rope T-Bar and chair lift to three slopes, a popular rustic ski lodge which services skiers who already flock there, by invitation only, of course. Terrific! And your very own Christmas tree farm. Folks come here every year to find the perfect tree. Makes thousands of dollars. I always give it to charity, but that’s up to you.
“This is the private property you’ve been dreaming about, haven’t you? A complete package, just waiting for a new owner’s personal touch. Of course, you could just use this as your personal retreat, as I’ve done for years.
“But I know you. This is a business venture unlike any you’ve seen in a while, or any you’re likely to see. A resort-retreat center that’ll shine like the stars. Work from home, if indeed work is what you must do. This is a business-in-waiting, and I’m excited to see what you’ll do with it!
“Includes a working organic farm and petting zoo next door, leased to the owner, guaranteed $50,000 annual income, lots of room to develop campsites, an already established equestrian school and auction facility for thoroughbreds, and a caretaker on annual contract who’s loved the place like his own property for years. Yours for six million, Cinderella deadline September 20th at midnight.”
The screen turns stark white. Not as bright as angels, but Phil’s sensing their presence. His head is spinning. Possibilities?
J.S. hands Phil the disc, “Take it home to your sweet Cathy, and dream well tonight, My Man. I think this could be something awesome for a young couple, and your little ones will just thrive at a place like this. It’s been in my family since the late 1800’s. Last uncle passed away last summer. No one in the family left but me. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have there than the Baxters. You’re as close as a son to me. I really want you to consider this!
“Sleep on it, if you can sleep at all, and give me a call. I’m headin’ up there early tomorrow morning for a week or so. Makin’ some decisions, talkin’ to my man Brett and his son Rodger, and the Jamiesons. Tellin’ ’em what’s goin’ on. You’ve got my number. I’ll take you on a tour if you and Cathy want to come up for the weekend or even longer maybe. I’ll be there, tyin’ up loose ends. Love you to do this!”
“Wow, Friend. It’s tempting. Actually got money I need to invest before the end of the year or Uncle Sam gets a big chunk of it. Six million, huh? We’ve been so blessed. Ya know, five years ago, that number would have looked like Mt. Everest. But now, I really think we could do it! Thanks, J.S. for sharing this. ’Course, I expect you’ve already checked into my financials!
“You got the wheels turning. I hear your angel-wings fluttering, like so many times before. You’ve blessed me yet again.”
“Hope so, my man. God’s been good to me. Just sharin’ the wealth. Can’t think of a better guy to bless or a better way to do it, within my power, of course.”
So, Phil heads home, a new spring in his step. A brisk walk to his condo, two blocks west, into the setting sun, a greeting to Mr. Jim, the doorman, and an elevator ride to the Penthouse. He’s home to the welcoming shouts of Michael and Kelsey, and the loving arms of his Cathy.
Routine.
Little do they realize, this will be their last evening homecoming in this beautiful home setting they love.
Little do they realize, as they later cuddle on the couch, viewing J.S.’s presentation together, that tomorrow’s events will determine their God-directed choice.
The next morning, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, dawns.
Devastation. Both their business locations, very near the World Trade Center complex, and their multi-million dollar condo a block away, are destroyed. Not to mention their clients’ lives hang in the balance, some lost, most drastically uprooted. Catastrophe is an understatement.
With just the clothes on their backs, literally, Phil, Cathy leave the school shelter in Greenwich Village where their children and Nanny Jean have found shelter and refuge, and drive north, along with thousands of others fleeing the horrific terrorist attack which will change their lives forever.
They find hotel space in White Plains, make a quick shopping trip for essentials and changes of clothes, and try to make sense of the upheaval in their lives and the opportunity laid out before them, certainly as if provided by angels. Certainly not luck. Certainly not chance. God doesn’t work that way.
God’s provision goes before them. They have no fear. They thank Him for the tall hedge of protection He has provided. They continuously pray for guidance with thanksgiving. Phil recites a favorite passage from Psalms:
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my
life; You stretch out your hand against the anger of my
foes, with Your right hand You save me. The Lord will
fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures
forever.” (Psalm 138:7-8)
Nanny Jean’s son, Frankie and his lovely wife, Judy own a small diner called Dottie’s in Pine Plains, New York, a scant two hour drive north. Their lake cottage is available for their use, a mere forty-five minute drive from Great Barrington and Whispering Woods Estates.
Yet another Godsend. They are safe. They are secure in an insecure world, where everything they’ve known is in turmoil.
Another God Thing, that fateful Tuesday morning, before the 9/11 attack, J.S.’s trip to Whispering Woods begins at 7:30. His helicopter pilot, Rudy Jonas, files the flight plan; the private trip takes a brief hour and a half. Five minutes before landing, Rudy receives an FAA order to land immediately. All flights nationwide have been grounded. Why? They wonder.
Whispering Woods is in sight. They comply. Then they hear the horrific news. Airliners have attacked the World Trade Center complex, the Pentagon. Who knows where else they’re heading? Disaster of major proportions. Angels protected them, but they’re grieving for their losses of friends and property.
After arriving at the estate, J.S. can’t believe his business is literally collapsing as he watches, glued to network coverage 24/7. Could this be happening? How many of his colleagues he passed every day going to the 70th floor have perished? Is his office staff safe? He imagines, with horror, that on most days, he would have been seated at his desk by 9:00 a.m. God has blessed him, but obviously not many of his colleagues. He mourns, but prays in awe and reverence for his deliverance from the horror.
Checking in with J.S. early Wednesday morning, Phil hears the harrowing tale of their forced landing, but thankful that J.S. had decided to travel north on this day. They exchange horror stories of “What if’s”, and “Thanks be to God for His protection!” They grieve losses of loved ones, and literally can’t believe the destruction of the area they know so well. Shattered windows, ash, debris, buildings with swaybacked walls and dooming cracks. Devastation.
Meanwhile, Phil, Cathy, and J.S. make plans to tour Whispering Woods that afternoon. Convinced that when one door closes, and indeed the City scene is telling that story, they know that another opens. Is J.S. their messenger from God yet again?
Cathy too is again aware angels have guided her life. She, like Phil, was touched by tragedy early, by her mother’s sudden murder. Cathy was fifteen. Nanny Jean, had been a huge part of her life, cared for her since birth. Jean naturally took over the mother role through that horrific event in Cathy’s life, and with her away-on-business dad, Ben, Cathy relied more and more on Jean’s guidance and support. Jean’s instruction in spiritual things was both formal, in telling Bible stories and reading Scripture daily with Cathy, and intuitive. Nanny Jean lived her Christian life before others.
Nanny Jean too has overcome much. Her precious three-year-old daughter Deirdre had been abducted and murdered. Deirdre and her brother, Frankie, had been Cathy’s childhood playmates. Again today their lives intersect in this crisis.
Through it all, Jean’s faith remains strong; she’s convinced that God knows what He is doing, and that children definitely have guardian angels. She often talks even now, with Cathy and Phil’s precious children, about the Matthew passage where Jesus presents a little child as a teaching example, saying “Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” And adds: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18: 5, 10-11)
By this, Cathy always knows she is protected by angels, and Deirdre is safe in a place with The Father. And that guiding protection is just as true now for her children, her husband, and their decision about Whispering Woods.
And so, Nanny Jean is not in the least surprised that another door is opening. She has been thanking God daily for His provision after her latest life event. Her beloved Bernie, husband of twenty years, died three months ago in a tenement fire he fought, and as if grief were not enough, her landlord just raised her rent to drive renters out. Seems he wants to convert to condos. She has been praying fervently for a new place to live. God may be answering that prayer. She never expected this outcome, though. She trusts Him.
Yesterday was such a scare. She had just delivered Michael to his kindergarten class at PS 234. Reliving it, she tells Cathy: “Hearing sirens, I turn on the TV to scenes just down the street. Right away I quickly return to PS 234 with four-year-old Kelsey in tow. As sirens scream, the principal and teachers are quickly alerted to evacuate the building and walk the children to PS 41 in Greenwich Village. They are told, like Lot’s wife at Sodom and Gomorrah, not to look back. “So I helped the teachers guide the children several blocks away for the children’s safety,” she recounts.
“That’s when I called you guys to tell you where we all were. Harrowing, scary. But it’s true God provides the hedge of protection we need.”
Cathy thinks Nanny Jean is indeed a guardian angel for countless children, although she never will admit to such a role. She was there to picture Nanny Jean, so good in a crisis, as she comforted children. They all pitch in to help provide meals for hundreds of little ones and people forced from their homes. The adults notified parents, greeted them one by one as they are reunited with their children, safe and sound. They are told over and over again, “Thank you.” “You’re an angel.” “What would we have done without you?”
Nancy Jean tells her the hardest part. “Then we have to comfort the children who, after hours of waiting for their loved ones, face the truth that they will not be hugging their mommies and daddies tonight. Tragedy.”
Now, miles away after a harrowing day, she settles the family into her son’s lake cottage, awaiting God’s next revelations. She gives all the glory to God where it rightly belongs.
Wednesday afternoon. The Baxters and J.S. console each other with tears for all they have lost, as they tear themselves away from 24/7 coverage, and begin their tour of Whispering Woods Estates. The trio is wrapped in the sovereign plan laid out before them. They catch the vision, miraculously, at every turn. It’s as if a roadmap to their future is being unveiled before their very eyes. It’s a vision they never before considered, but their eyes are opened to possibilities. And that is indeed a God thing!
Through this property, through this friend who could be an angel who wears clothes, they see a future which will challenge and fulfill them, a place where their children will thrive, and a place where innumerable lives will be touched and changed. They decide to become entrepreneurs, owners of a resort, and establish a place where they can minister to others, and indeed, be together as a family dedicated to loving their new life. So, Dear Reader, welcome to Whispering Woods. While it is imaginary, wouldn’t it be good to know such a place?
Eventually, Phil and Cathy will be angelic presences in the lives of the hundreds they will touch. Perhaps some will see their wings, but most of the time, these angels, too, wear clothes.
[1] Jackson, Betty Whitaker. “Sometimes Angels Wear Clothes.” Finding Your Wings, 2016 (adapted).
About the Author
