Do you believe in guardian angels? At first, I wasn’t sure. If they existed, what would they look like? Who would they be? When I think about the first time I noticed Andrea, I know that angels exist. When I gaze upon her presence, I see a beautiful face, but what stands out the most is her hair. A river of soft brown curls flowing down her face and gently finding its tributary at her shoulders. The light shines upon each strand, bringing forth an aurora of golds and yellows. The majestic beauty brings the troubled mind an indescribable peace. The day my eyes received this blessing, I could feel that God had placed her there for me.

People would expect angels to come in larger sizes than 5’1”, but my angel was the perfect height to capture my heart. Her hazel eyes and small stature reflected the gentleness of her angelic hair. When I read Matthew chapter 1 about the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph, I know that Joseph was at peace, just by looking at my own blessing. She never had to say much to fill my heart with love, but rather, the simplest experiences made my heart overflow.

When we would walk together, I would find myself amazed by how a small, gentle hand could grasp the feelings I had struggled to keep inside. Her hands would send electricity into my own, which surged through my vessels, calling every cell to life. When our hands were not together, I would find far greater warmth in watching her run to my arms. Her hair would jump with excitement, each curl bouncing in its own way. Meeting her embrace resulted in the awareness of her head resting directly over my heart. She had a way of making it race with a nervous excitement as I anticipated each time I would have the chance to hold her. Her curls brought tender warmth to my hands as my fingertips ran down their entire length. It was the feeling of being loved.

Countless strong feelings would arise as we would play silly games together. Sometimes, she would say that she was going to beat me up and would rapidly punch at my stomach. Her gentleness would make it feel as if she was tickling me and I would retaliate. Our tickling fight would wage for long stretches of time, filling the room with the sounds of laughter and playful threats. It would escalate into a tickle-wrestling match, where the winner would pin their opponent for three seconds or until the other could not fight any longer. Though she was gentle in any other situation, she would show great strength and determination in her tickling. Sometimes I would find myself unable to resist surrendering, allowing myself to be pinned to the ground. As the winner, she would stare down at me in triumph, letting her curls drop all around my face, claiming their prize. She would then receive her kiss and would quickly stand up, calling me to come along. I would hardly call being pinned a defeat. After all, I was the one who experienced a thousand tingling sensations on my face as I was kissed by the ends of her hair.

When I would claim victory, the battles would be much longer. My captive would be unable to breathe from laughter and would be begging me to stop between gasps for air. Once achieving victory, I would roll to the side and lay as we both laughed exhaustedly. It would take us an eternity to gather the strength to get up, but in that time, many feelings were passed between us. Even as we lay exhausted, I would feel the wonder God had placed into my life.

The most intimate times would happen as we would sit close to each other, talking. Andrea would rest her head against my chest and would snuggle closer until it felt like she was inside of me. I would close my eyes, thanking God many times for the special person he put in my life. When I would open my eyes, I would see my angel asleep in my arms, breathing softly, her head rising gently with each breath. I would study her face, admiring the beauty I could see outside and in her peacefulness. I would smell the sweet fragrance of her hair, which reminded me of a flower whose name always escaped me. She was my blessing; I could never thank God enough. I would then, too, feel the desire to rest and would submit to dreaming with my angel next to me. We would walk together, even in our dreams.

Some may think of Andrea as just another girl, failing to see their own angels in their lives. Perhaps someday they will also feel the ecstasy of joy from seeing their blessings from God. My blessing found me and charmed my heart with her heaven-sent curls. Now I know what a guardian angel really looks like: a beautiful sight that brings countless feelings of happiness. They must be all around us, but the golden haired one right here is all I need.