Читать книгу An Angel on My Shoulder - Theresa Cheung, Theresa Cheung - Страница 16

My mother and I were wonderfully close. I could talk to her about anything. She was my rock. When she died suddenly of a heart attack I felt like a ship without an anchor. I was 30 at the time, but emotionally I was about 15. As I watched her coffin being lowered into the ground at her funeral all I could think was, ‘How will I ever cope without you?’

Not knowing where to turn for support, I drowned my grief by investing all my energy and need for comfort and love into men. I had a series of boyfriends, each more useless than the last, but however badly they treated me I kept running back for more. I was terrified of being alone. It was too painful without being able to call Mum.

When I first met Dan he was charming. I thought I loved him and I devoted myself to him. But after a few weeks he stopped being charming and started being violent. If I’d had enough self-esteem I would have left instantly, but I didn’t. The odd slap and shove soon turned to the odd kick and thump and then one night he got really savage. I don’t remember much after that but when I woke up I was lying on the kitchen floor and I couldn’t see anything because blood was covering my eyes. Every part of my body ached, but the place I hurt the most was in my heart. I started to cry and the tears cleared my vision. I put my thumb in my mouth and began to gently rock myself.

At that instant the atmosphere in my kitchen seemed to change and I felt my mum’s presence. I didn’t see her or hear her, but I knew she was beside me. I was filled with a sensation of love. I felt strong arms gently encircling me and holding me tight. There was no one in the room with me at the time and in my mind I know it was my mum. She was telling me that I was not and never would be alone.

All this happened five years ago, but I can still close my eyes and remember the feeling of being held gently in my mum’s arms. Her love that day gave me the incentive I needed to leave Dan and report him to the police. Her love gave me the courage I needed to stay away from destructive relationships. Today my life is full, even though I am not in a relationship. I feel strong and optimistic. I’m not afraid of being by myself anymore because I’m confident in the knowledge that my mum is always with me and I’m never alone.

Lisa’s story is similar to many others I have collected over the years in which the spirit of a lost loved one returns briefly to offer strength in times of crisis. The return typically only lasts a split-second, but it is long enough to bring comfort and hope for the future. These stories are a source of great comfort because they show that even though we may not always see them, angels are with us during times of need.

After being told that her five-year-old son, Thomas, had slipped into a coma, Sheila felt a magical, loving presence which gave her the courage and the strength she had previously lacked.