There are Truely Angels Walking Among Us

This past week was a tough week as usual trying to drum up some business but I got a treat I never expected. I met a lady who brightened up my day and week in one visit. Her name is Annie and she lives here in Pensacola in a modest home in an average neighborhood. She moved here from the cold northern country some years ago and had a son in the US Navy who has long since retired. When I approached her she was in her garage packing what appeared to be garage sale items. We struck up a conversation which quickly leaned toward her hearts mission. She told me the items left in her little garage where items left from a garage sale for our troops. I of course was curious and inquired a little more but not too much to make her uncomfortable. This sweet heart of a grandmother lit up like a neon sign when she talked about our boys and girls in the military as she called them.

Annie was only about 4 1/2 feet in height with snow white short hair. She had long lost her girlish figure and was no longer a queen of the latest fashions. Her home was decorated with furnishings from the 1970’s and 1980’s era. What some would call clutter she would call merchandise in waiting and there seem to be an abundance of it. Even her aging automobile had long lost its luster but was still in good operating condition as was its owner.

Annie asked me to follow her into her little home and only stopped for a moment, turned and with a slightly suspicious grinned asked “Now your not going to come back later and rob me are you?” I assured her I was on her side, told her about the Patriot Guard, Christian Motorcyclist Association and ABATE of Florida all of which I was a member of and how we fully supported our military. She turned back quickly and said “ok, come on then to my war room”. This war room as she called it was a bedroom about 12 ft by 12 ft. The walls were lined with shelving units full of her supplies. One has boxes of small soaps, small shampoo’s, razors and assorted toiletries. Others contained candies, gum, magazines and so forth. She even had a small purse that contained dollar bills which she placed a few into every box she completed.

There were postal boxes everywhere and one nearly complete package was on a small card table in the middle of the room. She opened the box and told me how she filled it with everything she possibly could that would aid in the comfort of our soldiers so far away. She also volunteered at a local blood bank and they gave her small bags used for blood pressure kits She used those as small shaving kits. She said that when she closed the zipper on that kit, if she could poke her frail little finger into it, there was room for one more piece of candy or gum. She does get some donations but more times than not she pays the price for the shipping and many items in the cherished boxes from home. I told her I would be making some calls and doing my part in contributing to this most worthy cause.

As I was turning to leave she handed me a business card and I learned of another duty of this angel. Annie also volunteered at the Navy Air Museum here in Pensacola at one of the exhibits. She stands on the replica street of the early 1940’s and tells of life during World War II. This dear lady does more for our country than 80 percent of it’s younger citizens. What an example she is, what a patriot this white haired granny has become. There truly are angels walking among us.