My guardian angel

When Woman’s World reader Loretta Napolitano of Denville, New Jersey, was desperately missing her mom, the angels sent a special sign to comfort her. She writes:

Before my mother passed away, I always took her swimming at the YMCA. The water was the only thing that helped her aching body. She could barely walk, but the water gave her freedom. After her swim, I would dry her off with her big yellow towel and give her a piece of chocolate. My heart swelled seeing Mom’s smile.

After Mom was gone, it was difficult for me to go swimming without her. When I finally went back, I was sad to be alone and cried while doing my laps. My goggles had to be dumped of tears every few minutes.

When I emerged from the pool, I realized I had left my towel in the locker. With a sigh, I headed back to the locker room. I tried several times to open the combination lock. I was cold and dripping and the lock would not open.

A woman, who had been in another aisle, passed by me on her way out and said that the gym attendant would cut the lock for me. Then as

she rushed out to get to a class, she said, “Feel free to use my towel. I don’t lock my locker. It’s number 104.”

As I went to her locker, I realized that her locker number was my mother’s birthday, October 4. And to my amazement, when I opened the locker, I saw a big yellow towel, just like my mom’s. I already had goose bumps from standing in the cold with no towel, and this gave me more. I wrapped myself in the kind woman’s towel and went to the front desk to get the attendant.

Before cutting off the lock, he tried one more time and the lock opened. I returned the yellow towel back to locker 104 and left some chocolates that I always carry in my gym bag.

“Thanks, Mom, for going through all of that just to let me know you were there,” I said with a smile. Now, I enjoy swimming again, knowing Mom is with me.

“Signs from an angel let me know Mom was closer than I realized!”