In the Arms of Angels: True Stories of Heavenly Guardians    by Joan Wester Anderson Order:  USA  Can Loyolapress, 2004 (2004) Softcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke Joan Wester Anderson shares with readers stories of people, young and old, who experience events in their lives that are 'beyond coincidence'. In these accounts, heavenly messengers, or guardian angels, protect and guide. Sometimes it happens invisibly, sometimes they are in human form, sometimes within rays of light, as they call out or whisper words of hope and help, or sing faithful songs. In 'Comfort From Beyond', Jackie attended a Sunday church service in Callahan, Florida. No one suspected she was considering suicide. (The author writes, 'It is difficult, perhaps, for those who have never been clinically depressed to understand what a tremendous toll this illness takes on a person's mind and soul.') Something about Judy, seated in the pew behind her, caught Jackie's attention - she saw an aura, a protective light surrounding Jackie. At the end of services, Judy hesitatingly approached Jackie, and this meeting led Jackie to resume her life in joy and service to others. In 'The Day The Angels Drove', cross-country truck driver Gail of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Tommy (driver of a second tractor trailer) were on their way to deliver corrosive materials to Illinois. Over the CB radio came Tommy's voice, 'I can't stop ... I'm going to hit them!' Gail sees Tommy's truck brakes smoking, and her Jake Brake wouldn't work! But all came out safely - the drivers, people at the gas station and standing by on the roadside, and the children on a school bus that would have been hit, if Angels had not intervened. In 'Love For Always', Margo leaves Salt Lake City, Utah for her homeland in Eidn, Scotland, after the birth mother of Margo's adopted child decided to take the baby back. The return flight to the States met with layovers. A man named Andrew sat down next to Margo at the airport, talking to her for hours, sharing lunch and comfort. When the fog lifted, the flight was on its way, and Andrew told Margo he would see her in Salt Lake. Margo was anxious to introduce Andrew to her family, but upon landing, there was no sign of him. Days later while looking through old photos with her mom, Margo spotted the picture of her great-grandfather Andrew ... the same man who helped her at the airport! In 'Nearer The Infinite', we hear of Jeanie Taylor repeatedly experiencing the presence of 'white light in the form of humans, with substance, not just air'. The first time, she was a preschooler going through a traumatic period. The same occurred when Jeanie was ten years old, going through more difficulties. Again at sixteen, she was carried from an auto accident. She continues to hear 'singing heavenly helpers'. Jeanie performs her own music throughout the world. The author writes, 'Music is well said to be the speech of angels,' and Thomas Carlyle once remarked 'and it brings us near to the infinite.' In the Arms of Angels is a treasure to read. Anderson has also written Where Wonders Prevail, An Angel To Watch Over Me and Where Miracles Happen. Reading the book brought to mind my poster of 9/11 -- a colored photo of an exhausted, crying Fireman, surrounded by Angels, and the words, 'The Day The Angels Cried'. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews