Hummingbirds, Pennies, and Hope

Anna was assigned to present on Monday, the first day of presentation week. She was both excited and nervous. She had practiced twice, once with Maddie and once with her Mom; she knew she could meet her time limit. Anna hoped the class wouldn’t think angels were a dumb topic. She had been so sure that being unique and totally different from what everyone else was doing was the way to go, but now as she was about to present, she was scared she’d be laughed at.
As required, Anna began with a short history of angels. She taught the class that people in various religions believe in angels. She wanted her classmates to know that believing in angels was not some fad. Most of the kids gave Anna their polite attention. However, when she came to the part of her presentation about how to communicate with angels, her audience became genuinely interested. All eyes were on Anna, and many were leaning forward so they would be sure not to miss anything she was demonstrating.
She showed the class how to ask a question and receive an answer with a deck of angel cards. She also showed the class a pendulum. Someone shouted, “No way,” as the pendulum began to swing. Others argued over whether Anna was causing it to move. Every presenter was allowed to take a few questions at the end of his or her presentation, and Anna saw many hands in the air when she was told her five minutes were up.
“I thought your presentation was pretty interesting, but I don’t believe we each have an angel just waiting to talk to us. If that’s true, why hasn’t mine knocked me on the head a few times or shouted in my ear?” asked Jeff as he leaned back in his chair.
“You have to be willing to hear them. If you don’t believe then how could you see or hear? I think it’s like having a closed door. You have to open it to see who’s there.”
“Can you use those cards to ask questions about someone besides yourself?” Tara asked from the front row. She had listened intently throughout the entire presentation.
“Sure. There are a lot of people who do angel readings. Many call themselves intuitivists, because they have developed their intuitive powers to be able to not only read the cards but to sense a deeper meaning for their clients.”
“Could you do that?” continued Tara.
“I don’t know. I haven’t tried. I know I’d be nervous to try to read for someone else,” Anna said, and then she called upon another student. “Amber.”
“How are those cards different from Tarot cards? And isn’t fortune telling a practice of witchcraft?” stated Amber with a smug look on her face. She was editor for the school newspaper and always felt the need to ask questions as if she was an investigative reporter.
“I don’t know anything about witchcraft or Tarot cards. I do know that the angel cards are filled with loving, supportive comments. Readers usually pray before they use the cards, so that doesn’t sound like witchcraft. I don’t think there are any witches outside of fairy tales. There are Wiccans, and their religion is called Wicca. I read a book about angels written by a Wiccan, so obviously some Wiccans must believe in angels,” Anna explained patiently.
“Anna can take one more question, and then it’s time for Aaron to present,” said Ms. Peters trying to keep the class on time.
Becca Stitch seldom asked questions in class. She seemed to either isolate herself or the class avoided her. Whatever it was, she was one of the easily overlooked persons in the class. “I’ve used a Ouija board before. I ask questions, and I get answers. Isn’t that like your angel cards?” she asked.
“I’ve used a Ouija board before too. I don’t know how the Ouija moved, but we did get answers. I believe that since I pray and ask for my angels to be with me, I know where the answers are coming from. I know I am asking my angels for an answer, and I don’t know who I was asking when I used the Ouija board.”