Gratitude for my guardian angels
.jpg)
By Lee Eung-tae
A recent article, ``Guardian Angels,” written by Kim Ae-ran and published in The Korea Times moved me to think about myself.
The story was so touching that I immediately thought of people who have dedicated themselves to supporting me. I totally agree with that most of us have guardian angels that help us to stand firm in this troubling world.
Like Kim Ae-ran I believe that I have been guarded by many angels in many ways. My parents, of course, gave me life. Though they couldn’t really afford to pay tuition, they managed to put three male children through college. Their love for us continues. They are true guardian angels.
Even though my father passed away long ago, I still find him whenever I face challenges. I conjure him up or he enters my dreams to give consolation. Then I feel I am refreshed again thanks to him. My mother, who is now 86, still regards me as her immature youngest kid. She often calls me up with seasonal advice. I feel guilty at the thought that she takes care of me when I am supposed to care for her. In her eyes, I am still a helpless child. She doesn’t know that she is now a fragile old lady.
Being a guardian angel to someone isn’t easy. It cannot be achieved with coercion or pretense. Rather, it can be realized when we have a mind as loving as an angel’s. We know our guardian angels not on big occasions but in small sincere talks.
My wife goes to church every morning for dawn prayer, leaving me asleep. When she comes home, she is full of high spirits, humming merrily as she prepares breakfast. Whatever the content of her prayers ― think most of them are concerned with her husband and children ― he is certain to meet her Guardian Angels. Or else, she may be happy because she plays the role of a Guardian Angel for my family.
A teacher next to me greets me every morning with a big smile. She is always eager to help me. As a co-worker, she is another guardian angel of mine helping and giving encouragement whenever I feel under the weather.
And I cannot forget Mr. Frederick, professor at Kaya University, who inspired me to write English columns in the Korea Times. Without his kind encouragement I couldn’t go on writing columns. As he taught me how to fly high in the creative sky, I could experience this fantastic world with strong wings. In this sense, he must be the Guardian Angel of my literary life.
I also feel grateful to my 40 students who will surely be Guardian Angels to somebody. Those young ladies I met just a month ago for the first time as their homeroom teacher had to take a sick leave and I took charge of her class. Despite our brief acquaintance, they make me happy in many ways. A couple of students handed me chocolate sticks on double-11 day. Some other students gave me a flower made of maple leaves. Those people are my guardian angels empowering me to stand firm just like a redwood tree. Without them, I wouldn’t be what I am. They have taught me what real angels are like.
Then, how about myself? Am I a guardian angel to people in need, my students for example? Those young ladies are so fragile and vulnerable that, without strong guidance, they will become victims of many vicious temptations.
Nowadays, gloomy stories about financial problems are breaking my heart. This winter is forecast to be much colder. Many people living in the marginalized sector are worried about how they will spend this winter. Instead of being intertwined redwood roots, most of us are too obsessed with our personal problems to help others.
In the lead up to the presidential elections, most candidates are talking as if they were the only guardian angels who could save us. However, we have been so disillusioned by empty pledges that most of us are unmoved. Confessing my own self-repentance, I wish our next president will be a real guardian angel sincerely dedicated to making us happy.
The writer is an English teacher in Gimhae Girls' High School in South Gyeongsang Province. His email address is
.