Faith
Angels In Seminole
(c) 2007
in
Chicken Soup For Working Mom's Soul
Health Communication, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442-8190
by
Stephen A. Peterson
In July, 2002, Rachel woke up to three very hungry young children with just $2.23 in her purse. The night before her husband had left her and the children swearing that he would never return. The children, two boys and a girl were 4, 2 and 5 months of age respectively.
The children’s’ father and her husband was never at home much of the time due to his addiction to drugs. When he was at home, they feared his presence. As soon as they heard his voice, the two boys would run and hide under their beds. The infant girl would cry unceasingly.
Understanding that he was not coming home, she picked up what clothes he had left in the house. She folded and placed them in boxes or trash bags just in case he should return. As she picked her husband’s clothing, a $20.00 bill fell out of a shirt pocket. With what little she had, Rachel’s first thoughts were to buy some food for her children. Now that her husband had decided not to return, she and her children would no longer be subjected to persistent and timely beatings or emotional abuse. However, she now had to replace what little income he did bring in. Now there would be nothing to feed, clothe and shelter her children.
Rachel prepared and fed her children egg sandwiches (all that she had left in her house) then gave each child a bath as well as herself, put on the best clean clothing she had for everyone then got into her old, rusty 1979 Dodge and drove through Seminole, Oklahoma to look for a job. Rachel and her children went to every plant, restaurant, and department store in the town of roughly 7.000 souls but found nothing. The children got in and out of the car along with their mother so that by noon they were very tired and crying to their mother for something to eat. Now stressed Rachel prayed to God for guidance and strength to help her get a job to support her family
The place she forgot to go to was the local Sonic restaurant. The manager was an older Native American woman who saw Rachel struggling to maintain order and control of her tired, hungry and crying children at the time. Grandma Harjo (as she was called by those who knew her) needed someone to work the 4PM to 11PM shift. She offered Rachel a starting hourly wage of $5.50. She also indicated that Rachel could start that night if she wished to do so.
Excited Rachel fed her children and herself at the Sonic then raced with her children to get ready for her first job since high school. Rachel drove down to her neighbor’s home to see if her lifelong friend would allow her teenage daughter to baby sit her three children. Rachel was able to bargain with the teen and her mother for $25.00
a week and food to hire on the 14 year old. Everything seemed as though Rachel was most fortunate after the start of a very bad day. Rachel with her children by her side knelt down in thanksgiving to God for what she had received that day.
When Rachel arrived at home, usually around midnight, she paid her babysitter $5.00 each day she worked. As the weeks passed, the season changed from summer to winter. The heating bills added a strain to an already strained income. The old dodge needed tires, anti-freeze to winterize the car and an oil change. Exhausted from the strains of work, concerns for her old vehicle and her children, Rachel unlocked her car door and found four brand new tires in the back seat and a gray envelope with enough money to winterize her car. Amazed Rachel could not believe what she had seen. There was no note—nothing to identify her benefactor.
Not having the know how, tools or equipment to change the tires, Rachel went to a car shop to see if she could make a deal with the owner. Rachel gave the owner what money she had been given and offered to clean the owner’s office in exchange for the remaining cost to mount, balance her tires and winterize her car. He agreed. Rachel remembered having to work two days over the weekend to cover her debt. However, to her it was well worth it.
Time passed. By winter, Rachel had worked at the Sonic for nearly six months. She was now working six days a week instead of five yet there still was not enough money. Christmas was just around the corner. While at work, one of her fellow employees told her that Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church in Shawnee gave families who were struggling food and gifts for Christmas. Before she left for work, Rachel jumped in her old reliable dodge and made the 17 mile drive to Shawnee. Father Maurus, Pastor of Saint Benedict, greeted her then gave Rachel clothing for her children as well as food and toys. Pleased she thanked God and quickly returned to Seminole. Now she had the problem of hiding the gifts from the children as it was a few days before Christmas.
On Christmas Eve some of Sonics usual customers came to celebrate Christmas before the restaurant closed down for Christmas day. People Rachel had known all of her life ordered a variety of food on her behalf. After she served them she was given their change as a Christmas gift. Among them was Father Basil Keenan, Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church of Seminole, people from the area churches, the Seminole American Legion and employees from Seminole State College. They were all there.
As was usual, Rachel left the restaurant close to midnight. She was very tired from having to serve so many people that Christmas Eve night. She hoped that she would have enough strength to put a Christmas tree and move the presents she had gotten from Saint Benedict’s Church up from the basement to her small living room.
It was very dark when the business lights were turned off. Rachel walked over to her car, placed her key in the keyhole then unlocked the old car’s door. As soon as she opened the door, a neatly wrapped box fell out hitting her right foot. Now wide awake, she could see that her rusty old 1979 Dodge was full from top to bottom with boxes of all shapes and sizes. Getting inside of the car, then turning on the cabin light she found a case of blue jeans, shirts, shoes and underclothing for little boys and girls. A note asked her to check the trunk. Slowly getting out of her car, she walked back to the trunk and opened it. In the trunk were boxes filled with food of every kind to include—a large ham, canned foods, bread, fresh vegetables, Christmas candy, pies, cakes, fruit cakes and more. Enough, it seemed, for a month. Stunned her eyes weld with tears and at that moment she said a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the kindness of friends and strangers as she drove the 5 miles to her house.
As she watched the sun rise in the Eastern Oklahoma sky on Christmas morning and heard the laughter of her three children, Rachel Hernandez treasured always in her heart and mind the people in the small town of Seminole, Oklahoma toward the Mexican family of four.
Yes, Rachel would go on to say there are angels and they live in Seminole, Oklahoma, U.S.A!
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