When I was 12 years old I experienced something that confuses me to this day. I was staying the night with my grandmother, who was going through a divorce and having a really hard time. She cooked a great dinner, I went to bed, and slept like a rock... That is, until dawn.
I awoke with the sun beginning to rise. I was wide awake. My eyes were drawn to the upper corner of my bedroom. There in the corner were several small apparitions, I believe they were angels. They were absolutely gorgeous, small (about 2 feet high), fluffy, and transparent. I closed my eyes, opened them, and they remained. I remember doing that several times then sat up in my bed. When I sat up, it was if I scared them and they faded away. I decided to go to my grandma's room. That's when I turned and saw it beside my bed. There stood a small, dark figure, about 3 feet in height, wearing a black cloak with a hood, no face, about 2 feet from my face. It looked like a small grim reaper without the blade. I was in shock but not scared. I looked at it for about a minute, and then it turned, glided out of my room. I got out of my bed and followed it down the hall to my grandmother's room, where it faded away. I will never forget how cold the floor was on my bare feet. I said nothing to anyone for about a year, in fear they wouldn't believe me. I was 12 years old for goodness sake. I thought my parent's, friends, and my grandmother especially would tell me I was dreaming, crazy, or lying. When I saw pictures of the grim reaper around Halloween or my friends dressed up like them it scared the crap out of me. But I continued to keep my mouth shut...
About a year later, my mother, grandmother, and I were driving to Memphis for a day of shopping. My grandmother was 57 years old, in good health (and mind). I was in the back of my mother's car when she said, "I have to tell yall something. I can't keep it to me anymore. I have been seeing things. Angels." I anxiously sat up and said, "I SAW THEM TOO!" I have never been so relieved to hear I wasn't alone. She told about her first experience. She said she awoke in the middle of the night, her room glowing. She said she saw a beautiful angel, with wings, over her bead, with two small children angels with her. She laughed and said, "After they disappeared I got up and got a Coke and watched T.V. I thought I wasn't ready to die!"
Then I told my story. She kind of chuckled when I told about the black hooded thing and said, "Maybe he was looking for Larry" (my grandfather who had been married to her for 40 years and left her for a 23 year-old). She told more stories about beautiful sightings of angels and pleaded we wouldn't tell a soul. She never experienced anything ugly or scary, just angels. She continued to see these things for about 9 months. She would only talk about them if you asked. I remember asking her about her last experience. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I saw one last week. But this one was different." I asked her what she meant. "This one was ugly, it had a big head. I said a prayer and told it, "You can't hurt me; God won't let you hurt me. It just smiled back at me and disappeared." This kind of bothered me.
One month later, my grandmother developed a bad case of pneumonia. She went into the hospital. The fluid in her lungs began to crystallize and harden. It is called A.R.D.S. (Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome). She was put on a ventilator for a week, had a stroke, and spent 28 days in the I.C.U. At St. Bernard's Hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas. My family made the decision to pull the plug the 28th day, May 1st, 1999.
I have not seen any angels or demons since her death. I try to refrain from talking about it because when I do speak of it, things begin to happen. The last time my mother and I talked about it, a bright light appeared in the room. We both screamed. Needless to say, I was 20, and I slept with her that night.
I believe the angels were protection. I believe the demon was a sign of death. I think about it a lot. Sometimes it bothers me that when I sat up in bed that morning I scared the angels away and not the demon. I followed the demon. When something happens like that, you just can't explain it.
I have talked to several pastors about it and they didn't have much to say. I believe I just freaked them out.