Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 28/Sep 09:48

The angels are listening

ON Tuesday morning, before leaving home to go to Pennysavers grocery, I thought about not wanting to park far away and walk a long distance to get to the entrance. Physiotherapy exercises had my leg muscles sore. “Angels, secure a parking spot for me near to the grocery door,” I said aloud as I started the engine. As a friend from the US had sent some animal-rescue-related funds via Western Union, I envisioned the ideal parking spot would be in front of that building, which is next to the grocery entrance. At the Pennysavers carpark, there was a spot waiting for me in front of Western Union. “The angels are listening,” I thought. As I pulled into the spot, a little girl was bending to tie her shoelaces. Emblazoned across her backpack, facing me, was the word “LOVE.” Ahh, a message from the angels who had heard and swiftly attended to my parking request…“with love.” When I glanced to the left, some words from the advertisement on the window of the phone store caught my eye. Sometimes mundane commercial messages appear to carry inspiring or celestial meanings: “It’s okay, we can fix that.” Indeed, anything can be fixed with the right assistance, I mused, acknowledging that the angels are busy. It was one of those days when various slogans jumped out at me with deeper meanings: “Serving up smiles,” near to the coffee section, seemed apt, given the positive flow of events since I had left home. [caption id="attachment_1181037" align="alignnone" width="541"] -[/caption] How many times had I passed by but never seen the “We Care” name of a mini-mart on the main road? How fitting to notice it, then, en route to my destination – the Bacolet physio clinic, where, indeed, the energy is welcoming and caring. After physio, the therapist suggested that I should ice the sore area at home. “Ice it!” she repeated cheerily as I departed. As I reached my vehicle, guess what was lying in the grass next to my parking spot – a chewing-gum pack with its brand name staring up at me: “ICE.” Call it coincidence or call me whimsical; I saw it as further confirmation of angelic attendance – listening, communicating. “Make yourself familiar with the angels and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.” (St Francis de Sales) On September 20, 12-year-old Mariah Seenath was found dead in a bushy track in her home village of Friendship, Ste Madeleine. Reports said barking dogs alerted a neighbour to the presence of Mariah’s bruised, lifeless body. I was moved to tears on reading news of the autopsy results: Mariah had been beaten to death (severe head trauma). According to her father, Mariah was “a nice, loving and caring girl.” Reports say she was a respectful child, well known, an exemplary student, dramatist, footballer, sportswoman of the year, about to be a prefect…and no doubt so much more. No one can imagine the unthinkable terror that this innocent must have experienced on the track that she had often used, day and night, as a shortcut between her home and her grandmother’s. What further moved me to tears were two simple details in newspaper reports. First: “…She had soaked her school uniform and taken a photo of her father sleeping in a hammock.” Taking a photo of a sleeping loved one suggests, to me, a simple but profound act of endearment. It gave me an understanding of a potentially close connection with her 40-year-old single father. The second: her father is reported as saying that Mariah’s dog had chased after the hearse that took her body away. This poignant detail suggests that Mariah could have shared a special bond with her dog – and, possibly, also the dogs along the track. Perhaps she interacted often with them as she traversed that route. In the end, they spoke up for her, barking until her body was found. Were they witnesses to the heinous crime? As I write this article on Wednesday, September 24, no arrests have yet been made. Angels, you are listening and answering requests. Please bring swift justice in Mariah’s case, and ensure deep healing and resolution for her loved ones and all throughout the nation who grieve in the wake of senseless violence. Inspire the right solutions and systems, enabling us to deal, from the root, with the scourge of crime in TT. (Add your own requests here.)   The post The angels are listening appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.