“Angels are everywhere; open up your eyes and you’ll see them.” This line from a song (“Angels are everywhere” by the group It’s About Good) floated through my head one afternoon as I was getting off the bus after a long day at work. It certainly didn’t seem like I’d seen any angels that day: I was upset at a request my boss had made of me, as it was clearly someone else’s job, someone in a different department. But I didn’t trust the person who would normally do this job to do it well. I had left work in a huff and planned to go home and talk about how unfair this was to my roommates, looking for sympathy and commiseration.

“Angels are everywhere; open up your heart and you’ll free them.” The next line from that song stopped me short. Where did that come from? I realized that it was probably a more productive line of thinking than the one I had been brooding over— reveling in the “fact” that I had been wronged.

Mary Baker Eddy defines angels in Science and Health as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality . . .” (p. 581). I’ve always loved this definition. The popular view of angels with white robes and wings is certainly pretty, but I feel Mrs. Eddy’s definition is not only tangible but practical.

If you’ve dressed up as an angel, wearing wings and a long white robe, you know you can’t get too close to anything; you have to stay outside and move carefully to keep the wings clear and the robe clean. But God’s thoughts, I realized, can go anywhere, and can reach us wherever we are. And while some angel messages may feel like getting hit in the head with a wing, most come gently, lovingly, bringing a sense of peace. My “woe is me” line of thinking was not encouraging any angels to visit me or pass thoughts to me, so I decided to shut the door on this negative attitude, and listen and look for those angels.

I started walking toward the subway, actively listening for God’s direction. I looked up and saw a homeless woman sitting out in the cold. She is often there, and I’ll smile and say hello as I walk by. Even if I can’t give anything, I’ve found it helpful to take a moment and surround her with love in my thought, knowing that she is protected as a beloved child of God and can feel God’s love. This time, though, another thought came to me, and it came out of my mouth just as it hit my thoughts: “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

I decided to shut the door on this negative attitude, and listen and look for those angels.

She looked up, startled. “Really? That would be great!”

I asked her if she wanted cream or sugar, and she proceeded to rattle off a Starbucks request that would rival most regular customers’ orders. I was surprised, but quickly realized that I had the chance to pass some of God’s love to her in the form of a warm drink on a cool day. I smiled, turned around, and headed toward the Starbucks.

After a few questions from the barista, I headed back into the cold, hot drink in hand. The woman’s eyes lit up when she saw me come back. “I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” she exclaimed, surprised. “I didn’t think you’d come back. You’re an angel, a beautiful angel! Thank you!” We talked for a few minutes before I headed on to catch my train.

After I handed her the drink, the warmth stayed with me. I had a peaceful evening, not even mentioning my earlier complaints, and the next day was able to sort everything out and take care of the job assigned to me. I even enjoyed the experience! Everyone in the process was blessed, and it resulted in a positive day for all involved and a quick and happy result. I felt so grateful for this opportunity—which a few hours before, I had been so upset over.

Reflecting on this event a few days later, I realized that this was a perfect example of divine Love meeting every need (see Science and Health, p. 494). Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “Shall we plead for more at the open fount, which is pouring forth more than we accept?” (Science and Health, p. 2). God knows our needs, and, just like a loving parent, supplies them. In fact, there is an overabundance of spiritual supply! The fountain gives us everything we need and more.

As I thought further, I realized that God’s angel thoughts provided solutions both to this woman and to me that day. I had the opportunity to express spiritual qualities like joy, love, and kindness to her, but I could also express them to everyone I encountered. The person at work whom I hadn’t trusted was as much a child of God as the woman on the street. So if I was going to express angel qualities to one of God’s children, shouldn’t I then express them to all of God’s children? The situation at work was really just another chance to give a gift to another and recognize the presence of angel qualities.

Divine Love blessed both the woman on the street and me that afternoon. In a way, we were angels for each other, opening our eyes to the inspiration of good. This experience reminded me that in our daily walk, we can always listen for angel messages to bring us abundant inspiration. Even when we’re dealing with a tough situation, it’s inspiring to know that God’s thoughts reliably lead us to the perfect solution, whatever it may be.