After losing her beloved dad just days before Christmas, Catherine Joy Lemmon began noticing unexpected moments of kindness and comfort that felt like glimpses of heaven. She reflects on the people she encountered in the rawness of grief and asks whether some of them might have been angels sent by God.
My lovely dad died just a few days before Christmas 2024. When we were told by the consultant that he had a week to live, we were in shock and still reeling from the realisation that his stage five kidney disease was not going to be stopped effectively enough by kidney dialysis.
A few months before his death, he had said he would not want to enter into a programme of dialysis. My dad knew what that meant for his life expectancy, but he also knew it meant he was going to be with God. ‘I know where I’m going,’ he would say to the kidney specialist.
In my last conversation with him in person, I sat in the back of his car and told him that I respected his decision. My dad had lived his life struggling with bipolar (in and out of hospital), and in recent years he’d had to battle managing the effects of lithium on his kidney health. I remember when my mum got the call from the hospital at 5am. I woke up to hear her knocking on my brother’s room.
“He’s very close to dying,” they had said. I stepped into action, grabbing the car keys and getting what we might need.
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When we entered the hospital car park, it was very quiet and the air had that early morning stillness
When we entered the hospital car park, it was very quiet and the air had that early morning stillness. As we walked down the corridors in the hospital towards the end-of-life ward, I felt God say to me, ‘Catherine, this is a bit like heaven. Jesus is with you all.’
The lighting was low but brightened by the pretty glow of Christmas trees. A gently spoken nurse greeted me and softly said, “Keith passed away a few minutes ago.”
She was in a nurse’s uniform, but it also felt like she might be an angel. I felt we were being embraced by God himself. It really did feel like we were touching heaven. During the following few days, I was staying in an Airbnb in Leamington Spa. I was walking up the main parade when I came across a café I hadn’t seen before called ‘Heavenly Desserts’. I was intrigued and decided to go in to enjoy something sweet.
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As I walked in, I felt like I was walking into another slice of heaven.
As I walked in, I felt like I was walking into another slice of heaven. The seats were plush velvet, the furnishings gold and the staff were all so lovely. I looked up and saw a neon sign on the wall that said, “You’re in heaven.” I had to chuckle!
Shortly afterwards, I stopped to speak to a lady selling the ‘Big Issue’. There was something special about her too. She told me her story and part of this was her faith. She couldn’t stop talking about God. I told her about my dad’s death and she spoke words of comfort and asked to pray for me. I felt so touched. As I left, I felt God tell me that she was one of His angels.
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A few days later, I was in a large Tesco Superstore with my mum. We were trying to decide what food to buy for Christmas while sitting in the Costa Café. While my mum was in the toilet, I saw a beautiful, gold, sequined dress hanging up on a rail. I was really taken with it. I went over to look at the size and decided to buy it for myself. When I took it up to the customer service desk nearby, I had the most interesting conversation with the Tesco sales assistant. She was wearing sparkly Christmas accessories and greeted me with a big smile. She said: “What a beautiful dress! Do you know it’s been reduced to £11?”
“It’s like a Cinderella dress; I think you’re going to meet your Prince Charming in this dress.”
There was something about her face and her voice that was unique. I felt like I had encountered another angel. I’ve had other encounters since – I do believe that angels exist and often appear in our hardest, darkest moments. We just have to be observant, but you’ll know when you meet one. It’s God’s way of telling us He’s in charge and He loves us, protects us and cares for us.
(The dress fitted perfectly, by the way! I haven’t met my Prince Charming yet, but let’s see what God has in store.)
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