Angel on My Shoulder

From: 
Story type: Angel
Location: Hanover, MA
Source: Form Submission

Angel on My Shoulder
I don't know exactly when I started using this phrase but I have no doubt that at times I am guided by an angel. Some call it sixth sense but the number of times this angel has gently tapped on my shoulder and guided my decisions or rapped me in the head (figuratively speaking)for immediate attention has been too numerous over the years to explain it as sixth sense.

I took my young 15 year old son to the mall so he could buy his father a special coffee mug for Christmas. After buying the mug, we went to the food court in the mall for lunch. I was holding the bag with the mug in it and while my son was ordering the food, I dropped the bag and the handle of the mug broke. My son was very upset and wanted to try to return it as defective. I was upset that he would even consider doing such a thing and said we would go back and buy a new one. He was so angry and convinced that I was a fool. I was so angry and lectured him on honesty and how people are basically good and by doing the right thing good things happen.

Very reluctantly he followed me in the store. I told him to get another mug while I got in line. When our turn came to pay for the other mug, I handed the closed bag to the woman and asked her if she could throw it away. Before doing so, she looked in the bag and looked at me quizically. I told her how I had dropped the bag and broke it and needed to buy another. She then turned to her manager and asked "can't we just replace it for this woman" I started to protest but she told me not to worry about it. I put my money away and walked out with the new mug and a wonderstruck teen who repeatedly said wow, mom, wow. I then turned to him and said "Sometimes Angels sit on our shoulders"

This event could have ended very differenly but it ended exactly how it needed to end to make my son believe in the basic goodness of people. I have many simalar stories that have convinced me that an angel sits on my shoulder.