Inspirational speaker:
Patricia Gallagher, author, 215-272-1933, www.teamofangels.com, yngsparro@aol.com
Topic for workshop: WHEN THINGS FELL APART
Introduction:
My life was going well. Four healthy children, husband with a good job, and we were about to buy a new house-five bedroom with a pool in a great neighborhood for raising a family. Tragedy intervened and my husband was seriously injured in an accident. He spent five weeks in the hospital and came home to an orthopedic hospital set up in our living room. It was very difficult for all of us. I had never been a caregiver before and I found it led me to moments of near despair. On many evenings, I sat in the backyard, gazed up at the stars and cried out to God, “ How am I going to do it?”
Today, I will share my testimony about why hitting my rock bottom has been a million dollar spiritual gift.
Reading: The Serenity Prayer
Opening Song: Regina Belle – If I Could
The following spiritual seeds helped me to make changes in my life:
Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Don’t dial up pain.
I can’t. God can. I need to let Him.
When the mother gets healthy, the family gets better.
Help someone: say YOUR prayers – BLESS THEM, HELP ME
You are very important. (Post on your mirror for daily reading.)
I am worth the changes that are good for me.
When one person over-functions, the other under-functions.
I want to have a joy-filled life. I want to be a strong, courageous adult woman.
I am doing this because I care about me.
NO is a complete sentence. Stop explaining yourself to others.
Mind your own business. (When helping too much hurts them. Let go and let God.)
The importance of wearing an I LOVE MYSELF BRACELET.
Mom, what do you need most?
To know I am normal.
Support.
To know that being a mother is important.
Someone to understand how I feel.
Time with God. Time alone.
What helps?
Prayer, affirmations, deep breathing, relaxation, reading self-help books, listening to self-help audiotapes, support groups, retreats, talking to friends, conferences for women
QUESTIONS AND ANSWER SESSION
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
inspirational story, inspirational speaker, women's retreat, Patricia Gallagher, team of angels, inpirational gift
ANGELS ON ALERT
Golden trio of angel pins at the core of personal ministry
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at eleven o’clock at night passing out angel pins. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head, even a man with a gun saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind this past summer when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (http://www.teamofangels.com/) on my van’s rear window.
These are indeed despairing times for Middle American families as the war in Iraq continues, gas prices soar and family budgets are strained. Mom and dad are working two or three jobs to just make ends meet. Serious illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, and cancer are on the rise, and unexpected natural disasters, such as Katrina, seem to be hitting more frequently and closer to home.
In answer to these troubles, I set out on a mission of hope to bring my Teams of Angels to Middle America to help these overwhelmed families and individuals. What I found and whom I met uplifted my hope and taught me valuable lessons about the strength of the human spirit.
My trek across Middle America has been featured in various press venues, including The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Montgomery County Times Herald, Catholic News Service, the nightly news in West Virginia and South Carolina, and a radio show in Georgia, among others.
I would like to share a spirit-lifting story!
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Patricia Gallagher
Team of Angels, 215-272-1933. Box 561, Worcester, PA 19490
http://www.teamofangels.com/
Golden trio of angel pins at the core of personal ministry
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at eleven o’clock at night passing out angel pins. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head, even a man with a gun saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind this past summer when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (http://www.teamofangels.com/) on my van’s rear window.
These are indeed despairing times for Middle American families as the war in Iraq continues, gas prices soar and family budgets are strained. Mom and dad are working two or three jobs to just make ends meet. Serious illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, and cancer are on the rise, and unexpected natural disasters, such as Katrina, seem to be hitting more frequently and closer to home.
In answer to these troubles, I set out on a mission of hope to bring my Teams of Angels to Middle America to help these overwhelmed families and individuals. What I found and whom I met uplifted my hope and taught me valuable lessons about the strength of the human spirit.
My trek across Middle America has been featured in various press venues, including The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Montgomery County Times Herald, Catholic News Service, the nightly news in West Virginia and South Carolina, and a radio show in Georgia, among others.
I would like to share a spirit-lifting story!
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Patricia Gallagher
Team of Angels, 215-272-1933. Box 561, Worcester, PA 19490
http://www.teamofangels.com/
team of angels, Patricia Gallagher, inspirational story, Christian speaker, motivational speaker
Patricia Gallagher, 215-272-1933, www.teamofangels.com, yngpsparro@aol.com
(this was written when I almost gave up doing the team of angels, I was so down and discouraged, look who picked up my spirits!)
Larry, Norman and Harriet: My Personal Team of Angels
I looked down at the lime green pants suit I was wearing with the matching shoes. I bought last year for $9.99 at Ross. I was on my way to speak to a group of college students. I doubted that the outfit was presentable.
My attention was drawn outward as somebody was telling me I had a nearly flat tire. Great, more money! I thought.
I was so broke I was now relying on credit cards. It really seemed like a lot of the situations were beyond my control, such as medical expenses not covered, but this one was my fault. I decided to follow a dream – not impulsively but after a lot of praying for wisdom. Last year, I took the $30,000 in proceeds from the sale of my house, sold my van, and moved into a rental property so I could use the money to make 50,000 Angel Pins to give away.
I have heard family members say “How is she ever going to get rid of them?” The undercurrent was that I had wasted the family funds with my Angel Pin project. But to me they are a meaningful token of support. I ask people to pass the pin and poem along when they find someone who needs it more than they do. I have thousands of pins, boxes of letters from grateful recipients and lots of promises of prayers from strangers worldwide.
I began writing poems as a release and put them on pins featuring three gold colored Angels. I soon came to believe that there were many people with problems who could perhaps find my pins inspirational. The poem “For the Overwhelmed” began:
A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED
I need a Team of Angels, Lord
I don’t think one will do
Please send me all the help from high
For what I’m going through
Guardians to watch over me
And help my soul to cope
I’ll do the best I can to pray
And cherish gifts of faith and hope
Because I was following my heart, not my pocketbook, I took to the road this summer, my rented van cluttered with the new batch of 50,000 pins for hurricane and coal mine victims and others in hospitals, addiction centers, chapels and military installations as I drove up and down the East Coast and out to Ohio.
After my talk that afternoon, I went in to a coffee shop in Haverford. I sat on a comfortable chair and closed my eyes. It overlooked a parking lot filled with luxurious cars, beautiful women in expensive outfits, women with artfully applied makeup, designer sunglasses, professionally coiffed and looking so financially secure. They would never shop at Ross and certainly never be out of season with a lime green suit with a wrinkled satin bow. They probably didn’t have a care in the world.
A man came over and sat across from me, in a large orange chair. He had a gaily-colored cane, with a pattern like a rattlesnake, leaning against his leg. He had red clogs on his feet, a fishing hat, sunglasses, and a nice smile. He said, “I don’t want to interrupt your thoughts.”
And so I ignored him, closed my eyes again, clutched my hands together, listened to the music, and lost myself in self-pity.
I was conscious of my rudeness. It seemed like a long time when I finally asked What gets you through tough times? Not exactly a surface conversation starter with a stranger.
Friends, family, loved ones. When you are going through something, you need people to stay with you and offer encouragement. Some people think it is the big things that matter, but it is really the little things that mean the most. Like in this expensive zip code area especially, many people think it is the cars, fancy houses, prestige, jobs, saving accounts, investments… but material things don’t matter when you have had a brain tumor. I wear the sunglasses because the glare of the sun hurts my eyes, and the walking stick is for balance. I came over to you because that green suit fits with that chair so nicely and you radiate something.
I can’t believe what you are saying because I am sitting here thinking about a project that I am doing. In a minute, I gave him the short version of my current life.
He smiled. You are doing good for humanity. You are helping others. It doesn’t have to make sense when you follow your heart People here in Haverford, have the same problems as everybody else – heavy with cares, illness, bills, life problems. Don’t give up on this. Your pins are renewing people who feel defeated.
His friend Norman joined us; then his mother, Harriet. She said, “Your green suit is lovely.”
Harriet, Norman and Larry were the Team of Angels I needed to meet yesterday.
(this was written when I almost gave up doing the team of angels, I was so down and discouraged, look who picked up my spirits!)
Larry, Norman and Harriet: My Personal Team of Angels
I looked down at the lime green pants suit I was wearing with the matching shoes. I bought last year for $9.99 at Ross. I was on my way to speak to a group of college students. I doubted that the outfit was presentable.
My attention was drawn outward as somebody was telling me I had a nearly flat tire. Great, more money! I thought.
I was so broke I was now relying on credit cards. It really seemed like a lot of the situations were beyond my control, such as medical expenses not covered, but this one was my fault. I decided to follow a dream – not impulsively but after a lot of praying for wisdom. Last year, I took the $30,000 in proceeds from the sale of my house, sold my van, and moved into a rental property so I could use the money to make 50,000 Angel Pins to give away.
I have heard family members say “How is she ever going to get rid of them?” The undercurrent was that I had wasted the family funds with my Angel Pin project. But to me they are a meaningful token of support. I ask people to pass the pin and poem along when they find someone who needs it more than they do. I have thousands of pins, boxes of letters from grateful recipients and lots of promises of prayers from strangers worldwide.
I began writing poems as a release and put them on pins featuring three gold colored Angels. I soon came to believe that there were many people with problems who could perhaps find my pins inspirational. The poem “For the Overwhelmed” began:
A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED
I need a Team of Angels, Lord
I don’t think one will do
Please send me all the help from high
For what I’m going through
Guardians to watch over me
And help my soul to cope
I’ll do the best I can to pray
And cherish gifts of faith and hope
Because I was following my heart, not my pocketbook, I took to the road this summer, my rented van cluttered with the new batch of 50,000 pins for hurricane and coal mine victims and others in hospitals, addiction centers, chapels and military installations as I drove up and down the East Coast and out to Ohio.
After my talk that afternoon, I went in to a coffee shop in Haverford. I sat on a comfortable chair and closed my eyes. It overlooked a parking lot filled with luxurious cars, beautiful women in expensive outfits, women with artfully applied makeup, designer sunglasses, professionally coiffed and looking so financially secure. They would never shop at Ross and certainly never be out of season with a lime green suit with a wrinkled satin bow. They probably didn’t have a care in the world.
A man came over and sat across from me, in a large orange chair. He had a gaily-colored cane, with a pattern like a rattlesnake, leaning against his leg. He had red clogs on his feet, a fishing hat, sunglasses, and a nice smile. He said, “I don’t want to interrupt your thoughts.”
And so I ignored him, closed my eyes again, clutched my hands together, listened to the music, and lost myself in self-pity.
I was conscious of my rudeness. It seemed like a long time when I finally asked What gets you through tough times? Not exactly a surface conversation starter with a stranger.
Friends, family, loved ones. When you are going through something, you need people to stay with you and offer encouragement. Some people think it is the big things that matter, but it is really the little things that mean the most. Like in this expensive zip code area especially, many people think it is the cars, fancy houses, prestige, jobs, saving accounts, investments… but material things don’t matter when you have had a brain tumor. I wear the sunglasses because the glare of the sun hurts my eyes, and the walking stick is for balance. I came over to you because that green suit fits with that chair so nicely and you radiate something.
I can’t believe what you are saying because I am sitting here thinking about a project that I am doing. In a minute, I gave him the short version of my current life.
He smiled. You are doing good for humanity. You are helping others. It doesn’t have to make sense when you follow your heart People here in Haverford, have the same problems as everybody else – heavy with cares, illness, bills, life problems. Don’t give up on this. Your pins are renewing people who feel defeated.
His friend Norman joined us; then his mother, Harriet. She said, “Your green suit is lovely.”
Harriet, Norman and Larry were the Team of Angels I needed to meet yesterday.
thank our troops, support our soldiers, support troops, support military, team of angels, Patricia Gallagher
Patricia Gallagher
www.teamofangels.com
484-932-8311
SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS JUST ONE LITTLE ANGEL PIN TO BRIGHTEN A SOLDIER’S DAY!
What does a mother do when her two sons are involved in life-threatening battles, one as a soldier deployed to the Balkans and the other son battling leukemia here at home? My friend faced this tragic situation. I wrote a poem to cheer up our troops. I attached a little angel pin that I created, fashioned from craft products, to a bookmark bearing the poem A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. My four children and I sent 5000 overseas - three little angels holding hands, reaching out with a heartfelt “thank you”.
On September 22, in a crowd of 45,634 people at a Phillies vs. the Marlins game, I met two vets (unsung heroes) who had received my Team of Angels pin, one wearing it on his hat.
I’ve been clean and sober 79 days. I got this Angel Pin from a guy when I was sitting on a picnic table on a real sunny day. He said ‘ain’t gonna need this anymore’ and he gave it to me. I look at them angels every day.
My nephew gave one to me –yep, I love those three little angels.
In the middle of Ryan Howard’s home run, David Larsen, the former paratrooper called his nephew. You’re not going to believe who I am sitting with. The lady that makes those angel pins
I opened a desk drawer and looked at the letters from soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen as well as the Department of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Veterans of Foreign War.
I am not living on the streets because I am a bum. How does a soldier who fought for his country become homeless? Why have lots of my buddies ended up in jail for drugs and domestic abuse? I lost my wife, my house and my kids. My drinking and rage drove my family away.
Nobody understands what it’s like to have your body crushed, watch your friends blown up and every night still hear the sound of the artillery in your mind.
Your little angel pins make us feel like the heroes we want to be.
If you can make an old military man like me cry here in the desert, I can only imagine what this pin means to our young soldiers here in Iraq.
Having your teams of angels on my humvee makes me feel safe.
I read the letter from a former Vietnam prisoner of war. I pictured his battered face as he told me what my little pins must mean to servicemen and women fighting in Iraq.
A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES
You’re positive, uplifting
Brave, courageous, fun.
The angels bring with grateful joy
Our thanks for all you’ve done.
They bring strength from heaven’s garden
In bouquets of love and cheer
And prayers full of blessings
To protect our forces, far and near!
Why am I doing this? God, am I on the right track? My cell phone rang:
Hi,
I am a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army. While in Kosovo as part of the initial entry force, a soldier in my battery gave me a Team of Angels pin which I wore as part of my uniform, over my heart, under my left breast pocket flap everywhere I went. The pin has since broken. Could you please send me another pin?
Hang in. Don’t hang up. Don’t worry, Sergeant the pins are on their way!
Pins are available for purchase, www.teamofangels.com, 215-272-1933
www.teamofangels.com
484-932-8311
SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS JUST ONE LITTLE ANGEL PIN TO BRIGHTEN A SOLDIER’S DAY!
What does a mother do when her two sons are involved in life-threatening battles, one as a soldier deployed to the Balkans and the other son battling leukemia here at home? My friend faced this tragic situation. I wrote a poem to cheer up our troops. I attached a little angel pin that I created, fashioned from craft products, to a bookmark bearing the poem A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. My four children and I sent 5000 overseas - three little angels holding hands, reaching out with a heartfelt “thank you”.
On September 22, in a crowd of 45,634 people at a Phillies vs. the Marlins game, I met two vets (unsung heroes) who had received my Team of Angels pin, one wearing it on his hat.
I’ve been clean and sober 79 days. I got this Angel Pin from a guy when I was sitting on a picnic table on a real sunny day. He said ‘ain’t gonna need this anymore’ and he gave it to me. I look at them angels every day.
My nephew gave one to me –yep, I love those three little angels.
In the middle of Ryan Howard’s home run, David Larsen, the former paratrooper called his nephew. You’re not going to believe who I am sitting with. The lady that makes those angel pins
I opened a desk drawer and looked at the letters from soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen as well as the Department of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Veterans of Foreign War.
I am not living on the streets because I am a bum. How does a soldier who fought for his country become homeless? Why have lots of my buddies ended up in jail for drugs and domestic abuse? I lost my wife, my house and my kids. My drinking and rage drove my family away.
Nobody understands what it’s like to have your body crushed, watch your friends blown up and every night still hear the sound of the artillery in your mind.
Your little angel pins make us feel like the heroes we want to be.
If you can make an old military man like me cry here in the desert, I can only imagine what this pin means to our young soldiers here in Iraq.
Having your teams of angels on my humvee makes me feel safe.
I read the letter from a former Vietnam prisoner of war. I pictured his battered face as he told me what my little pins must mean to servicemen and women fighting in Iraq.
A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES
You’re positive, uplifting
Brave, courageous, fun.
The angels bring with grateful joy
Our thanks for all you’ve done.
They bring strength from heaven’s garden
In bouquets of love and cheer
And prayers full of blessings
To protect our forces, far and near!
Why am I doing this? God, am I on the right track? My cell phone rang:
Hi,
I am a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army. While in Kosovo as part of the initial entry force, a soldier in my battery gave me a Team of Angels pin which I wore as part of my uniform, over my heart, under my left breast pocket flap everywhere I went. The pin has since broken. Could you please send me another pin?
Hang in. Don’t hang up. Don’t worry, Sergeant the pins are on their way!
Pins are available for purchase, www.teamofangels.com, 215-272-1933
Patricia Gallagher, team of angels, random acts of kindness, throat cancer, peace, hope, encouraement
I waited and wondered if anybody would come. In the happenings section of our Sunday newspaper, it read TEAM OF ANGELS PIN GIVEAWAY by founder Patricia Gallagher will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Tuesday and Wednesday at 369 Washington Street, Royersford. Tea and lemonade. For information, visit www.teamofangels.com I was doing this in memory of my dad who passed away from throat cancer five years ago this week. My mother had just given me a farewell note that my father had written for each of his adult children.
Don’t take life for granted. It can end in a minute.
Try to make people smile.
Do good because good is worth doing.
So the pins were in a basket on the porch and a sign on a chalkboard invited folks to knock on the door of they needed more. My dad had helped me with the angle pin project over the years.He was a veteran of World War
I waited all day for people to come. Nobody came the first day, nor the second and by day three, I didn’t even make the lemonade or get dressed up. It reminded me of a Halloween when there were no Trick or Treaters or inviting people to a party and everybody canceling at the last minute.
The doorbell rang and the dog barked. I invited a lady to come in but she said no, I thought it was because of the dog but later found out she thought it might be a prayer service, since I live in a parsonage. We sat on my front porch and sipped lemonade and ate Jewish apple cake. How did she find out about the angel pins?
I read about it in the Orlando, Florida newspaper.
I live in Pennsylvania, a 24-hour car ride from Orlando. There had been a news story last summer about the team of angel pins but how did she come to be at my door now?
I used to live in Florida so someone sent it to me last summer. I lost the article and couldn’t remember your last name. Then, in yesterday’s paper, I saw about the angel giveaway so I drove here.
She had driven over an hour and gave me a donation of thirty-five dollars but oh she gave me so much more. She shared her life with me. For complete story of the 78,500 people who have my TEAM OF ANGELS pins, please visit www.teamofangels.com, yngsparro@aol.com, 215-272-1933.
Don’t take life for granted. It can end in a minute.
Try to make people smile.
Do good because good is worth doing.
So the pins were in a basket on the porch and a sign on a chalkboard invited folks to knock on the door of they needed more. My dad had helped me with the angle pin project over the years.He was a veteran of World War
I waited all day for people to come. Nobody came the first day, nor the second and by day three, I didn’t even make the lemonade or get dressed up. It reminded me of a Halloween when there were no Trick or Treaters or inviting people to a party and everybody canceling at the last minute.
The doorbell rang and the dog barked. I invited a lady to come in but she said no, I thought it was because of the dog but later found out she thought it might be a prayer service, since I live in a parsonage. We sat on my front porch and sipped lemonade and ate Jewish apple cake. How did she find out about the angel pins?
I read about it in the Orlando, Florida newspaper.
I live in Pennsylvania, a 24-hour car ride from Orlando. There had been a news story last summer about the team of angel pins but how did she come to be at my door now?
I used to live in Florida so someone sent it to me last summer. I lost the article and couldn’t remember your last name. Then, in yesterday’s paper, I saw about the angel giveaway so I drove here.
She had driven over an hour and gave me a donation of thirty-five dollars but oh she gave me so much more. She shared her life with me. For complete story of the 78,500 people who have my TEAM OF ANGELS pins, please visit www.teamofangels.com, yngsparro@aol.com, 215-272-1933.
speaker women's ministries, team of angels, Patricia Gallagher, spirituality, angels, empowering women, workshop leader, motivational speaker, coach,o
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
www.teamofangels.com
You may reprint, provided credit is given.
Mom’s Midlife Crisis
I sat alone in my living room in the middle of the night and thought, Maybe the kids are right – am I going through a mid-life crisis? Yes, the gnawing awareness that my life is more than half over haunted me, what did I have to show for it?
If I were a man, I would probably be signing on for hair replacements, buying a cherry red corvette, dating a young “trophy” girlfriend. It could be worse, I said to my older children (ages 23, 22, 19 and 16). …. At least I’m not out barhopping and drinking, at age 54. Just think you have a mom, driving nationwide in a van bedecked with angels and stars, passing out angel pins. Maybe it seems “a little puzzling” or a little nuts, as many have said.
“For God’s sake, why doesn’t Trisha get a real job?”
“Yeah, why doesn’t she just work like the rest of us?”
“Did you hear what she is trying to do now?!”
The worst pain was hearing “It’s another one of her feverish pursuits.” Lots of people had difficulty understanding it. I vowed not to tell anyone else what I was planning to do.
I tried to catch my breath, my face flushed with embarrassment. My stomach hurt, my head ached. I felt bad enough about my financial situation, fretting over money, but hearing people talking about me at my neighbor’s funeral cut to the core. But what about the part of trying to use any God-given talents, I said to myself. I guess nobody sees any such talent in me.
I had always worked part-time with a variety of home-based business ventures. I had an MBA in Finance. I was raising four children with busy schedules, swimming lessons, scouts, community work, and so on. I even wrote and published a few books. I was a guest on Oprah two times, make that three if you count the time one of the segments reran. I was also on lots of other shows like CNN, Sally Jessy Raphael, Maury Povich, and the 700 Club twice. To others, it seemed like I should just get my act together and start providing for my family.
What I wasn’t counting on were the detours in my life--pulverizing and pummeling my life plan with pain and problems. I know I am no different than anyone else but when you are in the middle of the storm, you feel alone, and self-pity becomes God’s teachable moment.
I began to doubt that life would be "normal" again. I was weighted with failures, mistakes, and fears. I struggled with lots of woulda’s, coulda’s and shoulda’s. I recalled terrible disagreements, some difficult truths out in the open, depression, civil law suits, my daughter's car flipping on a lonely stretch of highway, an airlift by helicopter to a trauma center, illnesses, and regrets.
I had floundered for five years, exhausted, bewildered and overwhelmed. As one problem was resolved, three more appeared. Our family counselor panicked at the latest situation.
“I have never seen such a rash of pain in one family."
God, why is this happening? I’d cry out. It was a plea for guidance.
I cried, wailed and moaned, and prayed harder than ever. I was angry – raging at the people who had caused my problems; infuriated at the way my life was going.
In 1999, I started an angel pin project. It was my own tough times that inspired what I called THE SEND A TEAM OF ANGELS TO HELP movement.
I figured that when you are in despair, you need a whole team on your side. It provided an income for my family. I distributed 78,500 Team of Angels lapel pins and received 30,000 heartwarming letters and grim stories from people around the world – from Michael Ross, a prisoner on death row; a woman whose triplets were killed by a drunk driver; a child who had been abused; and, a young girl who credited the pin with helping her find a kidney donor. The common theme was that the little angel pin carried a message of hope, a little light at the end of a tunnel.
I discontinued my ministry of angels when a bad rainfall flooded the garage where I kept my pins, files, poems and supplies. I watched lounge chairs, boxes of my notes, all of my hard work, and computer parts float away. My eyes were bloodshot with tears for days and I felt weary from a week of cleaning up from a business now in ruins.
I moved in with my mother, the second time in five years. A marital separation had changed our lifestyle and “Mom-Mom” was always there to help.
The angel pins are gone. The project is over. I guess it is time for me to start something new, I wept. How am I going to begin again? I worried that bills would go unpaid and I would be mired in debt again.
God, where do you want us to live? Where is home for my family?
The following day I saw a beautiful stone home on the property of an old church. The sign read PARSONAGE FOR RENT. The touch of the sun and the gentle breeze quieted my anxiety. I love it, I said to myself. The tall trees, the wooden bench, the steeple pointing toward God, the gardens, the stained glass windows, the bell tower all seemed to say WELCOME - YOU ARE HOME. The bright glow of the sun reflected on the stained glass and seemed to pour much-needed healing toward the stone house.
I had a small amount of money in the bank to be used as a down payment for a house. I didn't have a job. I was separated from my husband of 25 years. By the grace of God, we settled in by that Sunday.
I love my home, so peaceful and special. I struggle with the Why's, though. God, why did you bring me here? Why can't I find a job? How do you want me to provide for my family?
My small savings was depleting rapidly - rent, utilities, car expenses, food for a hungry brood of teens, and college tuition for three daughters.
I began to have an image at night, which became almost an obsession. I’d lay there, staring at walls and ceiling, as the clock ticked relentlessly on, minutes, then hours as I lay in my bed, wide awake. I got up in the middle of the night, clicked on the light and reread some of the letters that had survived the flood.
On the mildewed and curled stationery, I re-read their words. My heart broke as I read the letter from a former Vietnam prisoner of war. He had read an article in the Stars and Stripes military newspaper that told of my donation of 5000 pins to our United States’ troops. I pictured his battered face as he told me what my little pins must mean to servicemen and women fighting in Iraq. My fingers wrapped around the letter from a missionary who worked in a leper colony and the one from a teenager who clung to hope with her angel pin--her dad had been missing five days from a camping trip.
The recurring dream, the one I could no longer dismiss, seemed to say, "Make 50,000 more TEAM OF ANGELS PINS and give them away. Reach out to others in need.”
I was not in a position to take on such a venture. I lived across the street from the Golden Age Home for seniors. I wondered if some of those people had regrets about not following their hearts. An inner voice spoke to me “What if you never try it, Trisha. You will be ninety years old, sitting in a rocking chair wondering what would have happened if you had tried it.”
I went to a park. I mused, as I looked upward. I was looking to the clouds for a sign - maybe I was expecting the swirling of angels. Preferably a trio of angels! I went to eight churches - asking the God of many faiths, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Unitarian, Jewish, Episcopal, Protestant, and Baptist, for help.
I thought of the people who had written to me over the years, depressed, lonely, discouraged, sick, and hopeless. I agonized for the city of New Orleans’ victims, the coal miner's relatives, frail sick relatives, and those serving in Iraq. And what about 911 survivors, the people who lost someone, the people in ravaged war zones - couldn't they use a Team of Angels too?
I thought of how in my own life I had felt all of those desperate feelings. I asked God why He had put so many traumas and trials in my life. In the quiet recesses of my mind I heard a voice saying, “So you can truly relate to the pain of those who need your pins.” God seemed to continue – “Trisha, if you step out in faith, I will provide.”
I implored God, It seems foolhardy, and a waste of money I can’t afford to waste. Please send me a sign. I said to myself I will know it is right if it is "seamless"- flowing effortlessly. I turned the computer on. The first word that popped on the screen was SEAMLESS. I received a card in the mail that said STEP OUT IN FAITH. I opened a book and saw the words “Increase our faith!"
I still could not bring myself to borrow the money to make this "thing" happen. What if it was just a crazy, hair brained, and silly notion? What if I really was going nuts?
I noticed the date February 2 - my deceased brother Robbie's birthday. He was a go-getter. He seemed to tell me “JUST DO IT!” That night, I stepped out in faith and did it. I was officially into this, ready or not!
No more excuses, what better way to strengthen my faith than to give the little I had and ask God to do something with it? Do something with 50,000 angel pins and a little poem that accompanied it entitled A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED. This seemed like a tall request, in the conventional sense, but in the spiritual realm, it seemed possible. Only the thought of trying my best to trust Him moved me forward when logic said it was a dumb idea.
I ordered 50,000 gold Team of Angels lapel pins and 120,000 bookmarks. I asked my dad for help from heaven. The cemetery gates were open and I sat by his grave at midnight with a blank piece of paper and a flashlight in my hand. I looked up to the sky. I let my unconscious mind scribble the words that I heard, in my mind.
Trisha, we will send people to help you. You won't be alone. We will provide what you need to pass the message of the angels. You can do it. You will see lots of small acts of kindness. I am with you. Love, Dad.
Oh boy, I muttered to myself, I better not tell my kids about this - they'll say, "Now she is hearing voices!" I could just picture them rolling their eyes.
My heavenly Father, God, has created a patchwork quilt for my life. He took my pain and problems, forced me to pray, made a pin, and guided me on a new path. He wrapped the quilt around me like a warm Comforter.
Oh, now how in heaven’s name will this all happen? I laughed to myself and listened to a whisper from God, "Remember, Trisha, how you love tea, hospitality and people. Why don't you visit lots of U.S. cities and ask anyone who believes in this to host a tea - in a church social hall, shelter, nursing home, hospital, sewing circle, recovery group or support group. You can share the story of the team of angels. Anyone who would like to share the "pass-it-along" angel pin can take the pins and begin passing them along." It sounded farfetched but intriguing.
I told a friend in Maryland about the idea. He asked, "How are you going to do this?" I answered by Divine Providence. "I have a teacup overflowing with pennies here on my kitchen counter. I was wondering what I was going to do with them. I'll get them to you." I told a friend about that conversation and she said, "I have a cup of change. I'll get that to you." This morning I found a plastic bag with 70 pennies on my porch.
I went to an empty church with a notebook. To me the idea is to pass along a symbol of caring that is interfaith and inspirational. I sat and waited for the words to fall onto the paper. I wrote the following words as I daydreamed:
I wondered what would happen if I made 50,000 angel pins and passed them out to those who felt disconnected, overwhelmed, sad, tired, afraid, discouraged, angry, depressed, lonely, hurt or resentful. Please know that I am praying for you whenever you wear this pin. When you see someone who needs it more than you do, kindly pass it along. I hope that the three angels bring peace to your home, your heart and our world.
I did the roadtrip this past summer. It was a lifechanging event! I welcome interviews and speaking engagements.
www.teamofangels.com
215-272-1933
www.teamofangels.com
You may reprint, provided credit is given.
Mom’s Midlife Crisis
I sat alone in my living room in the middle of the night and thought, Maybe the kids are right – am I going through a mid-life crisis? Yes, the gnawing awareness that my life is more than half over haunted me, what did I have to show for it?
If I were a man, I would probably be signing on for hair replacements, buying a cherry red corvette, dating a young “trophy” girlfriend. It could be worse, I said to my older children (ages 23, 22, 19 and 16). …. At least I’m not out barhopping and drinking, at age 54. Just think you have a mom, driving nationwide in a van bedecked with angels and stars, passing out angel pins. Maybe it seems “a little puzzling” or a little nuts, as many have said.
“For God’s sake, why doesn’t Trisha get a real job?”
“Yeah, why doesn’t she just work like the rest of us?”
“Did you hear what she is trying to do now?!”
The worst pain was hearing “It’s another one of her feverish pursuits.” Lots of people had difficulty understanding it. I vowed not to tell anyone else what I was planning to do.
I tried to catch my breath, my face flushed with embarrassment. My stomach hurt, my head ached. I felt bad enough about my financial situation, fretting over money, but hearing people talking about me at my neighbor’s funeral cut to the core. But what about the part of trying to use any God-given talents, I said to myself. I guess nobody sees any such talent in me.
I had always worked part-time with a variety of home-based business ventures. I had an MBA in Finance. I was raising four children with busy schedules, swimming lessons, scouts, community work, and so on. I even wrote and published a few books. I was a guest on Oprah two times, make that three if you count the time one of the segments reran. I was also on lots of other shows like CNN, Sally Jessy Raphael, Maury Povich, and the 700 Club twice. To others, it seemed like I should just get my act together and start providing for my family.
What I wasn’t counting on were the detours in my life--pulverizing and pummeling my life plan with pain and problems. I know I am no different than anyone else but when you are in the middle of the storm, you feel alone, and self-pity becomes God’s teachable moment.
I began to doubt that life would be "normal" again. I was weighted with failures, mistakes, and fears. I struggled with lots of woulda’s, coulda’s and shoulda’s. I recalled terrible disagreements, some difficult truths out in the open, depression, civil law suits, my daughter's car flipping on a lonely stretch of highway, an airlift by helicopter to a trauma center, illnesses, and regrets.
I had floundered for five years, exhausted, bewildered and overwhelmed. As one problem was resolved, three more appeared. Our family counselor panicked at the latest situation.
“I have never seen such a rash of pain in one family."
God, why is this happening? I’d cry out. It was a plea for guidance.
I cried, wailed and moaned, and prayed harder than ever. I was angry – raging at the people who had caused my problems; infuriated at the way my life was going.
In 1999, I started an angel pin project. It was my own tough times that inspired what I called THE SEND A TEAM OF ANGELS TO HELP movement.
I figured that when you are in despair, you need a whole team on your side. It provided an income for my family. I distributed 78,500 Team of Angels lapel pins and received 30,000 heartwarming letters and grim stories from people around the world – from Michael Ross, a prisoner on death row; a woman whose triplets were killed by a drunk driver; a child who had been abused; and, a young girl who credited the pin with helping her find a kidney donor. The common theme was that the little angel pin carried a message of hope, a little light at the end of a tunnel.
I discontinued my ministry of angels when a bad rainfall flooded the garage where I kept my pins, files, poems and supplies. I watched lounge chairs, boxes of my notes, all of my hard work, and computer parts float away. My eyes were bloodshot with tears for days and I felt weary from a week of cleaning up from a business now in ruins.
I moved in with my mother, the second time in five years. A marital separation had changed our lifestyle and “Mom-Mom” was always there to help.
The angel pins are gone. The project is over. I guess it is time for me to start something new, I wept. How am I going to begin again? I worried that bills would go unpaid and I would be mired in debt again.
God, where do you want us to live? Where is home for my family?
The following day I saw a beautiful stone home on the property of an old church. The sign read PARSONAGE FOR RENT. The touch of the sun and the gentle breeze quieted my anxiety. I love it, I said to myself. The tall trees, the wooden bench, the steeple pointing toward God, the gardens, the stained glass windows, the bell tower all seemed to say WELCOME - YOU ARE HOME. The bright glow of the sun reflected on the stained glass and seemed to pour much-needed healing toward the stone house.
I had a small amount of money in the bank to be used as a down payment for a house. I didn't have a job. I was separated from my husband of 25 years. By the grace of God, we settled in by that Sunday.
I love my home, so peaceful and special. I struggle with the Why's, though. God, why did you bring me here? Why can't I find a job? How do you want me to provide for my family?
My small savings was depleting rapidly - rent, utilities, car expenses, food for a hungry brood of teens, and college tuition for three daughters.
I began to have an image at night, which became almost an obsession. I’d lay there, staring at walls and ceiling, as the clock ticked relentlessly on, minutes, then hours as I lay in my bed, wide awake. I got up in the middle of the night, clicked on the light and reread some of the letters that had survived the flood.
On the mildewed and curled stationery, I re-read their words. My heart broke as I read the letter from a former Vietnam prisoner of war. He had read an article in the Stars and Stripes military newspaper that told of my donation of 5000 pins to our United States’ troops. I pictured his battered face as he told me what my little pins must mean to servicemen and women fighting in Iraq. My fingers wrapped around the letter from a missionary who worked in a leper colony and the one from a teenager who clung to hope with her angel pin--her dad had been missing five days from a camping trip.
The recurring dream, the one I could no longer dismiss, seemed to say, "Make 50,000 more TEAM OF ANGELS PINS and give them away. Reach out to others in need.”
I was not in a position to take on such a venture. I lived across the street from the Golden Age Home for seniors. I wondered if some of those people had regrets about not following their hearts. An inner voice spoke to me “What if you never try it, Trisha. You will be ninety years old, sitting in a rocking chair wondering what would have happened if you had tried it.”
I went to a park. I mused, as I looked upward. I was looking to the clouds for a sign - maybe I was expecting the swirling of angels. Preferably a trio of angels! I went to eight churches - asking the God of many faiths, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Unitarian, Jewish, Episcopal, Protestant, and Baptist, for help.
I thought of the people who had written to me over the years, depressed, lonely, discouraged, sick, and hopeless. I agonized for the city of New Orleans’ victims, the coal miner's relatives, frail sick relatives, and those serving in Iraq. And what about 911 survivors, the people who lost someone, the people in ravaged war zones - couldn't they use a Team of Angels too?
I thought of how in my own life I had felt all of those desperate feelings. I asked God why He had put so many traumas and trials in my life. In the quiet recesses of my mind I heard a voice saying, “So you can truly relate to the pain of those who need your pins.” God seemed to continue – “Trisha, if you step out in faith, I will provide.”
I implored God, It seems foolhardy, and a waste of money I can’t afford to waste. Please send me a sign. I said to myself I will know it is right if it is "seamless"- flowing effortlessly. I turned the computer on. The first word that popped on the screen was SEAMLESS. I received a card in the mail that said STEP OUT IN FAITH. I opened a book and saw the words “Increase our faith!"
I still could not bring myself to borrow the money to make this "thing" happen. What if it was just a crazy, hair brained, and silly notion? What if I really was going nuts?
I noticed the date February 2 - my deceased brother Robbie's birthday. He was a go-getter. He seemed to tell me “JUST DO IT!” That night, I stepped out in faith and did it. I was officially into this, ready or not!
No more excuses, what better way to strengthen my faith than to give the little I had and ask God to do something with it? Do something with 50,000 angel pins and a little poem that accompanied it entitled A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED. This seemed like a tall request, in the conventional sense, but in the spiritual realm, it seemed possible. Only the thought of trying my best to trust Him moved me forward when logic said it was a dumb idea.
I ordered 50,000 gold Team of Angels lapel pins and 120,000 bookmarks. I asked my dad for help from heaven. The cemetery gates were open and I sat by his grave at midnight with a blank piece of paper and a flashlight in my hand. I looked up to the sky. I let my unconscious mind scribble the words that I heard, in my mind.
Trisha, we will send people to help you. You won't be alone. We will provide what you need to pass the message of the angels. You can do it. You will see lots of small acts of kindness. I am with you. Love, Dad.
Oh boy, I muttered to myself, I better not tell my kids about this - they'll say, "Now she is hearing voices!" I could just picture them rolling their eyes.
My heavenly Father, God, has created a patchwork quilt for my life. He took my pain and problems, forced me to pray, made a pin, and guided me on a new path. He wrapped the quilt around me like a warm Comforter.
Oh, now how in heaven’s name will this all happen? I laughed to myself and listened to a whisper from God, "Remember, Trisha, how you love tea, hospitality and people. Why don't you visit lots of U.S. cities and ask anyone who believes in this to host a tea - in a church social hall, shelter, nursing home, hospital, sewing circle, recovery group or support group. You can share the story of the team of angels. Anyone who would like to share the "pass-it-along" angel pin can take the pins and begin passing them along." It sounded farfetched but intriguing.
I told a friend in Maryland about the idea. He asked, "How are you going to do this?" I answered by Divine Providence. "I have a teacup overflowing with pennies here on my kitchen counter. I was wondering what I was going to do with them. I'll get them to you." I told a friend about that conversation and she said, "I have a cup of change. I'll get that to you." This morning I found a plastic bag with 70 pennies on my porch.
I went to an empty church with a notebook. To me the idea is to pass along a symbol of caring that is interfaith and inspirational. I sat and waited for the words to fall onto the paper. I wrote the following words as I daydreamed:
I wondered what would happen if I made 50,000 angel pins and passed them out to those who felt disconnected, overwhelmed, sad, tired, afraid, discouraged, angry, depressed, lonely, hurt or resentful. Please know that I am praying for you whenever you wear this pin. When you see someone who needs it more than you do, kindly pass it along. I hope that the three angels bring peace to your home, your heart and our world.
I did the roadtrip this past summer. It was a lifechanging event! I welcome interviews and speaking engagements.
www.teamofangels.com
team of angels pins, Trisha Gallagher, hope, encouragement, peace
Mom goes on the road to spread hope!
“I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER HURTING PEOPLE!”
Why did I travel 7000 miles in a gold van - decorated with stars and angels - rented from Budget - to spread hope?
Why did I make 50,000 angel pins to give away to strangers nationwide?
What did I learn about the goodness of others as I asked thousands of people the simple questions:
DO YOU NEED HOPE? ARE YOU OVERWHELMED? DO YOU NEED A TEAM OF ANGELS?
Why did I sell my house and my van - and use the $30,000 proceeds to follow my dream despite all of the naysayers who thought I had cracked up?
(It is not that I am foolhardy; I have an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University and I went to Villanova University to be a teacher. I have written and published a few books.)
Why was I searching for 50,000 overwhelmed people to help?
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups? (I created the pin and the accompanying poem during a crisis in my own life.)
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW DID I FIND VETERANS WEARING MY TEAM OF ANGELS PIN IN A CROWD OF 44,689 PEOPLE AT A PHILLIES GAME?
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
484-932-8311
www.teamofangels.com
“I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER HURTING PEOPLE!”
Why did I travel 7000 miles in a gold van - decorated with stars and angels - rented from Budget - to spread hope?
Why did I make 50,000 angel pins to give away to strangers nationwide?
What did I learn about the goodness of others as I asked thousands of people the simple questions:
DO YOU NEED HOPE? ARE YOU OVERWHELMED? DO YOU NEED A TEAM OF ANGELS?
Why did I sell my house and my van - and use the $30,000 proceeds to follow my dream despite all of the naysayers who thought I had cracked up?
(It is not that I am foolhardy; I have an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University and I went to Villanova University to be a teacher. I have written and published a few books.)
Why was I searching for 50,000 overwhelmed people to help?
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups? (I created the pin and the accompanying poem during a crisis in my own life.)
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW DID I FIND VETERANS WEARING MY TEAM OF ANGELS PIN IN A CROWD OF 44,689 PEOPLE AT A PHILLIES GAME?
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
484-932-8311
www.teamofangels.com
team of angels pins, Trisha Gallagher, hope, encouragement, peace
Mom goes on the road to spread hope!
“I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER HURTING PEOPLE!”
Why did I travel 7000 miles in a gold van - decorated with stars and angels - rented from Budget - to spread hope?
Why did I make 50,000 angel pins to give away to strangers nationwide?
What did I learn about the goodness of others as I asked thousands of people the simple questions:
DO YOU NEED HOPE? ARE YOU OVERWHELMED? DO YOU NEED A TEAM OF ANGELS?
Why did I sell my house and my van - and use the $30,000 proceeds to follow my dream despite all of the naysayers who thought I had cracked up?
(It is not that I am foolhardy; I have an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University and I went to Villanova University to be a teacher. I have written and published a few books.)
Why was I searching for 50,000 overwhelmed people to help?
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups? (I created the pin and the accompanying poem during a crisis in my own life.)
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW DID I FIND VETERANS WEARING MY TEAM OF ANGELS PIN IN A CROWD OF 44,689 PEOPLE AT A PHILLIES GAME?
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
484-932-8311
www.teamofangels.com
“I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER HURTING PEOPLE!”
Why did I travel 7000 miles in a gold van - decorated with stars and angels - rented from Budget - to spread hope?
Why did I make 50,000 angel pins to give away to strangers nationwide?
What did I learn about the goodness of others as I asked thousands of people the simple questions:
DO YOU NEED HOPE? ARE YOU OVERWHELMED? DO YOU NEED A TEAM OF ANGELS?
Why did I sell my house and my van - and use the $30,000 proceeds to follow my dream despite all of the naysayers who thought I had cracked up?
(It is not that I am foolhardy; I have an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University and I went to Villanova University to be a teacher. I have written and published a few books.)
Why was I searching for 50,000 overwhelmed people to help?
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups? (I created the pin and the accompanying poem during a crisis in my own life.)
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW DID I FIND VETERANS WEARING MY TEAM OF ANGELS PIN IN A CROWD OF 44,689 PEOPLE AT A PHILLIES GAME?
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
484-932-8311
www.teamofangels.com
Patricia Gallagher, help the troops, angels for soldiers, support the military, inspirational speaker, motivational speaker, Christian speaker,
Mom goes on the road to spread hope!
“I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER HURTING PEOPLE!”
Why did I travel 7000 miles in a gold van - decorated with stars and angels - rented from Budget - to spread hope?
Why did I make 50,000 angel pins to give away to strangers nationwide?
What did I learn about the goodness of others as I asked thousands of people the simple questions:
DO YOU NEED HOPE? ARE YOU OVERWHELMED? DO YOU NEED A TEAM OF ANGELS?
Why did I sell my house and my van - and use the $30,000 proceeds to follow my dream despite all of the naysayers who thought I had cracked up?
(It is not that I am foolhardy; I have an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University and I went to Villanova University to be a teacher. I have written and published a few books.)
Why was I searching for 50,000 overwhelmed people to help?
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups? (I created the pin and the accompanying poem during a crisis in my own life.)
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW DID I FIND VETERANS WEARING MY TEAM OF ANGELS PIN IN A CROWD OF 44,689 PEOPLE AT A PHILLIES GAME?
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
484-932-8311
www.teamofangels.com
“I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER HURTING PEOPLE!”
Why did I travel 7000 miles in a gold van - decorated with stars and angels - rented from Budget - to spread hope?
Why did I make 50,000 angel pins to give away to strangers nationwide?
What did I learn about the goodness of others as I asked thousands of people the simple questions:
DO YOU NEED HOPE? ARE YOU OVERWHELMED? DO YOU NEED A TEAM OF ANGELS?
Why did I sell my house and my van - and use the $30,000 proceeds to follow my dream despite all of the naysayers who thought I had cracked up?
(It is not that I am foolhardy; I have an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University and I went to Villanova University to be a teacher. I have written and published a few books.)
Why was I searching for 50,000 overwhelmed people to help?
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups? (I created the pin and the accompanying poem during a crisis in my own life.)
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW DID I FIND VETERANS WEARING MY TEAM OF ANGELS PIN IN A CROWD OF 44,689 PEOPLE AT A PHILLIES GAME?
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gallagher
215-272-1933
484-932-8311
www.teamofangels.com
DRUG ADDICTION, NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS, BRAIN TUMORS, CANCER SUPPORT GROUPS, SELF-HELP
Patricia Gallagher, 215-272-1933, yngsparro@aol.com
I WENT ON A 7000 MILE ROADTRIP TO SPREAD HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT:
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at 11 pm passing out angel pins. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, and a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head. Even a man saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (www.teamofangels.com) on my van’s rear window.
Back in February, I decided to spend the summer traveling around the country. I hired a high school student to make a web site and then contacted military bases, the Katrina flood relief services and lots of newspapers. I believed in myself and what I wanted to do but obstacles kept popping up –mainly the financial side of it. How would I travel? Where would I stay? How would I pay for food? And also the people side of it: the dream busters who whispered that I was going through an identity crisis – “who does she think she is? The great white hope? She’s just a middle-aged mom who needs to get her head out of the clouds and get a job!”
I tried contacting car dealerships to ask if they would like to sponsor the tour by lending me a van for the summer and also spent hours trying to garner the support of hotel managers to offer a complimentary room; all was in vain. The more I talked to people, the crazier my dream seemed. I kept hearing this refrain in my mind: “Just travel and do good. Get up, get out, and get going.”
I finally bit he bullet, applied for a Discover credit card and rented a new gold van from Budget Rent-A-Car. I had magnetic signs made for the side panels and added 50 magnetic stars and angels. The signs on the side doors said NEED A TEAM OFANGELS? OVERWHELMED? Ask us for a free angel pin and then kindly pass it along. A second sign read NEED HOPE? with the pass along message repeated.
Leaving from our Philadelphia suburb, I felt a great sense of anticipation and wondered what our immediate future held. It didn’t take long until the black vehicle in front of me moved me to tears.
I WENT ON A 7000 MILE ROADTRIP TO SPREAD HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT:
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at 11 pm passing out angel pins. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, and a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head. Even a man saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (www.teamofangels.com) on my van’s rear window.
Back in February, I decided to spend the summer traveling around the country. I hired a high school student to make a web site and then contacted military bases, the Katrina flood relief services and lots of newspapers. I believed in myself and what I wanted to do but obstacles kept popping up –mainly the financial side of it. How would I travel? Where would I stay? How would I pay for food? And also the people side of it: the dream busters who whispered that I was going through an identity crisis – “who does she think she is? The great white hope? She’s just a middle-aged mom who needs to get her head out of the clouds and get a job!”
I tried contacting car dealerships to ask if they would like to sponsor the tour by lending me a van for the summer and also spent hours trying to garner the support of hotel managers to offer a complimentary room; all was in vain. The more I talked to people, the crazier my dream seemed. I kept hearing this refrain in my mind: “Just travel and do good. Get up, get out, and get going.”
I finally bit he bullet, applied for a Discover credit card and rented a new gold van from Budget Rent-A-Car. I had magnetic signs made for the side panels and added 50 magnetic stars and angels. The signs on the side doors said NEED A TEAM OFANGELS? OVERWHELMED? Ask us for a free angel pin and then kindly pass it along. A second sign read NEED HOPE? with the pass along message repeated.
Leaving from our Philadelphia suburb, I felt a great sense of anticipation and wondered what our immediate future held. It didn’t take long until the black vehicle in front of me moved me to tears.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Christian speakers bureau, team of angels, christian retreat, motivational speaker
THE TEAM OF ANGELS
A MINISTRY OF COMFORT, CARING AND HOPE
BOX 561
WORCESTER, PA 19490
215-272-1933
Dear New Friend:
Are your church members going through tough times? Our family understands the challenges because we have faced them ourselves. I know God’s provision during difficult times and how He has strengthened us in danger, consoled our family in sorrow, and given a thankful voice to our rejoicing.
I see the hand of God leading me forward to share my family’s journey. The topic of the presentation is WHEN YOUR LIFE FALLS APART. What better way to express my thankfulness and strengthen our hope than to share our family’s pain and recovery to help others. From the familiar psalm: “He leadeth me”, I am willing to share my story of how God led us through joys and sorrows, dangers, depression, a suicide attempt of a family member, my husband’s accident, and the many curve-balls of life.
The attached newspaper article tells a little about our family’s challenges and our mission to help others. Our personal message is uplifting, humorous, poignant and demonstrates how our faith and confidence in God has been fortified, even in the midst of the storm.
By way of this letter, I invite your church ministries to contact us as we finalize our speaking engagement itinerary for 2007. We do have a few openings available and urge you to contact us as soon as possible to schedule a presentation filled with fresh insights, uplifting spiritual truths, and a strong, faith-filled message for retreats, support groups, Bible Studies, and Faith Formation gatherings. Please forward this message to pertinent support groups within your organization.
We look forward to speaking with you and helping your church members.
Sincerely yours,
Patricia Gallagher
yngsparro@aol.com
www.teamofangels.com
A MINISTRY OF COMFORT, CARING AND HOPE
BOX 561
WORCESTER, PA 19490
215-272-1933
Dear New Friend:
Are your church members going through tough times? Our family understands the challenges because we have faced them ourselves. I know God’s provision during difficult times and how He has strengthened us in danger, consoled our family in sorrow, and given a thankful voice to our rejoicing.
I see the hand of God leading me forward to share my family’s journey. The topic of the presentation is WHEN YOUR LIFE FALLS APART. What better way to express my thankfulness and strengthen our hope than to share our family’s pain and recovery to help others. From the familiar psalm: “He leadeth me”, I am willing to share my story of how God led us through joys and sorrows, dangers, depression, a suicide attempt of a family member, my husband’s accident, and the many curve-balls of life.
The attached newspaper article tells a little about our family’s challenges and our mission to help others. Our personal message is uplifting, humorous, poignant and demonstrates how our faith and confidence in God has been fortified, even in the midst of the storm.
By way of this letter, I invite your church ministries to contact us as we finalize our speaking engagement itinerary for 2007. We do have a few openings available and urge you to contact us as soon as possible to schedule a presentation filled with fresh insights, uplifting spiritual truths, and a strong, faith-filled message for retreats, support groups, Bible Studies, and Faith Formation gatherings. Please forward this message to pertinent support groups within your organization.
We look forward to speaking with you and helping your church members.
Sincerely yours,
Patricia Gallagher
yngsparro@aol.com
www.teamofangels.com
Catholic War Vets, Support our troops, care for soldiers, wounded soliders
Patricia C. Gallagher
Box 561
Worcester, PA 19490
215-272-1933
Yngsparro@aol.com
To Mr. Jose Garcia and all Executive Directors of the Catholic War Veterans:
WOULD YOU PLEASE FORWARD THIS INVITATION?
I am Patricia Gallagher, a Catholic Pennsylvania Mom, who wants to give away 20,000 angel pins to families who have loved ones serving in the military. Sometimes it is the little things that get us through the toughest times. That is why I am giving away a special reminder to let the troops and their families know they are not forgotten: a Team of Angels pin. Would you please help me spread the word through your contacts?
The pins come with two special poems that I wrote titled A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES and A TEAM OF ANGELS TO PROTECT ALL MILITARY FAMILIES. Please visit www.teamofangels.com for details of the national tour.
I started the Team of Angels pin and poems about six years ago, when I was going through a difficult time in my life. My first poem was called A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED, which aptly described my own feelings at that time. I made makeshift angel pins using safety pins and other materials. My four children and I left them at train stations, in hospital waiting rooms, and other places. Somehow, one of those pins got the attention of the military newspaper STARS AND STRIPES, which did a full-page feature, story about my project, and contacted me for the pins. The CBS Early Show visited my home for a segment with Bryant Gumbel and my story was featured in Family Circle magazine, Gannett Wire Service, and Woman’s World. A producer from the Oprah show called!
With that said, I would like to visit twenty military bases and as many Catholic war veterans posts as possible to give a talk which I have titled TEA, TALK AND A TEAM OF ANGELS. After the presentation, I will pass out a pin and poem card to honor our troops and all veterans. I am writing to ask if I might visit your local CWV post? Can you help me get the ball rolling with CWV and military families in your area? My inspirational talk is of interest to both men and women.
My message is a simple one: “From the bottom of our hearts, I and every American wish to thank you for the job you are now doing. Please wear this angel pin next to your heart under your outer garment. It has brought good fortune and safety to others. May God bless you and keep you safe.”
PATRICIA GALLAGHER
www.teamofangels.com
Box 561
Worcester, PA 19490
215-272-1933
Yngsparro@aol.com
To Mr. Jose Garcia and all Executive Directors of the Catholic War Veterans:
WOULD YOU PLEASE FORWARD THIS INVITATION?
I am Patricia Gallagher, a Catholic Pennsylvania Mom, who wants to give away 20,000 angel pins to families who have loved ones serving in the military. Sometimes it is the little things that get us through the toughest times. That is why I am giving away a special reminder to let the troops and their families know they are not forgotten: a Team of Angels pin. Would you please help me spread the word through your contacts?
The pins come with two special poems that I wrote titled A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES and A TEAM OF ANGELS TO PROTECT ALL MILITARY FAMILIES. Please visit www.teamofangels.com for details of the national tour.
I started the Team of Angels pin and poems about six years ago, when I was going through a difficult time in my life. My first poem was called A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED, which aptly described my own feelings at that time. I made makeshift angel pins using safety pins and other materials. My four children and I left them at train stations, in hospital waiting rooms, and other places. Somehow, one of those pins got the attention of the military newspaper STARS AND STRIPES, which did a full-page feature, story about my project, and contacted me for the pins. The CBS Early Show visited my home for a segment with Bryant Gumbel and my story was featured in Family Circle magazine, Gannett Wire Service, and Woman’s World. A producer from the Oprah show called!
With that said, I would like to visit twenty military bases and as many Catholic war veterans posts as possible to give a talk which I have titled TEA, TALK AND A TEAM OF ANGELS. After the presentation, I will pass out a pin and poem card to honor our troops and all veterans. I am writing to ask if I might visit your local CWV post? Can you help me get the ball rolling with CWV and military families in your area? My inspirational talk is of interest to both men and women.
My message is a simple one: “From the bottom of our hearts, I and every American wish to thank you for the job you are now doing. Please wear this angel pin next to your heart under your outer garment. It has brought good fortune and safety to others. May God bless you and keep you safe.”
PATRICIA GALLAGHER
www.teamofangels.com
Catholic speaker, inspirationa speaker, motivationa speaker
Don’t miss this opportunity to have this unique Catholic mom help your parish ministry, readers, retreat, conference, Bible Study group!
Carol Zimmerman, a reporter for The Catholic News Wire Service interviewed Patricia Gallagher. The story was listed on the service (June 26, 2006) Please visit Patricia’s web site www.teamofangels .com or use the CNS story to learn how she is spreading her message of courage, strength and faith in God.
Your readers won’t want to miss what she has to offer! She has been a gift on EWTN and Oprah!
Carol Zimmerman, a reporter for The Catholic News Wire Service interviewed Patricia Gallagher. The story was listed on the service (June 26, 2006) Please visit Patricia’s web site www.teamofangels .com or use the CNS story to learn how she is spreading her message of courage, strength and faith in God.
Your readers won’t want to miss what she has to offer! She has been a gift on EWTN and Oprah!
money saving ideas, frugal, penny pinching, budget
Patricia C. Gallagher
Box 561
Worcester, PA 19490
215-272-1933
yngsparro@aol.com
Patricia Gallagher, 215-272-1933, www.teamofangels.com, yngsparro@aol.com
I am the author of RAISING HAPPY KIDS ON A REASONABLE BUDGET. Permission is granted to reproduce this article, provided credit is given, as listed above.
MOM-CENT$ CORNER – week 1
SO, YOU LIKE TO SEW?
With the high price of clothes, linens and curtains, many people are going back to the basics-sewing their own. Look for fabric sales at local stores, but if you live near a garment center, or fabric factory, materials are a better buy there. The variety is magnificent and the prices low.
For draperies and large-item projects, garment center shopping offers great selection and prices. A friend began to sew when she was unable to find flannel crib sheets for her baby. She took one of her fitted crib sheets to the fabric store, showed the clerk what she wanted to do, bought a piece of flannel in the recommended size, sewed a hem and ran elastic through it. Within an hour, she had made several custom-fitted flannel sheets.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 2
EATING OUT
Check your local restaurants for advertised special. Usually one night a week is set aside for a special offer. Our family regularly goes out to eat at family restaurants: one fast-food restaurant offers the $2.99 unlimited salad bar and free iced tea refills; another has a special titled “Kids Pay What They Weigh” and free drink refills; a popular pancake eatery has a “Kids Eat Free Night”; and a fourth has an all-inclusive Special Kids’ meal. Certain conditions may apply, so call first for times and days and any other restrictions.
About a half hour before you leave for the restaurant. Give the kids some yogurt, cheese, an apple, or just a little something so that they are not completely starving when you arrive. This also helps to alleviate the begging for dessert, which is how some restaurants make their money. This is one way to avoid spending more than you have budgeted for a night out at a restaurant.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 3
BULK BUYING
Buying in bulk can be a great way to stretch your dollar. The things to purchase in large packages or economy bottles are items that you currently need and those items you will definitely need in the future.
Sometimes the store brand is actually the same as the name brand. In many cases, one company manufactures both products with the same ingredients. Only the label is changed! They ship the same exact orange juice or soup out to different companies. You could be paying extra just for the fancy or extra packaging or for the company’s expensive advertising campaign.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 4
NEWFOUND MONEY-LITTLE WAYS TO STRETCH YOUR FOOD DOLLARS
There are two ways to add money to your food budget. You can either earn more or you can save more. I prefer the latter. I have tried both ways and saving money in little ways adds up to big savings.
Here are a few money-and time-savers for you to try:
For lunchbox desserts, cut your costs by separating the prepackaged snacks. Each child gets one, not two.
Add a little more water than directed to canned soups.
Don’t purchase an excessive amount of something that has a short shelf life.
Stretch your casserole portions by adding additional vegetables, rice, pasta or potatoes and substitute meats that are on sale for specific meats when possible.
When the price of chicken is low, it’s time to get out your cookbooks and experiment with some chicken a la king, chicken noodle soup and chicken croquette recipes.
MOM CENT$ CORNER- week 5
SAVINGS ON CAR MAINTENANCE
The advice of the professionals is to always take care of the basics in order to keep major breakdowns minimal. The problem with such advice is that routine care is not affordable for many families. In theory, we all know it makes sense, but for many people that leftover $50 in the checking account has a list of multiple causes putting in for a claim.
There are some things you can accomplish with the aid of a quick study of a video from the library, or an adult night course:
Replace headlights, taillights, and wiper blades
Check for worn tires, bald spots, inadequate tread
Fill tires with air
Make sure you have a spare tire and the proper tools to change a tire
MOM CENT$ CORNER- week 6
KEEPING PARENTS IN TOUCH
For fun and parent therapy, why not start a Mommy (or parent) Club. We kiddingly called ours the make the Most of Your Morning Club. Four parents and their kids is a good size for a group. Set aside one morning a week to meet at the playground armed with a picnic basket filled with drinks, snacks, or an easy lunch (don’t forget plenty of tissues and a first-aid kit). It is a great way to start off your day. You can even branch out to other places. In season, visit an apple orchard and return home to roll out some apple pies. Our spouses loved one. Or, sign the group up for the story hour at the library and afterwards treat the kids to an ice cream cone. Depending on the weather, we selected appropriate activities such as going to a pizza shop, construction site, florist shop, police station, firehouse, pet store, small airport, botanical garden and dairy farm.
MOM CENT$ CORNER - week 7
SHARING CHILDREN’S TOYS AND CLOTHING
Creative sharing will help you rid your overflowing closets of decorative picture frames, kites, roller blades, and spinning tops. You can clear the garage cluttered with sleds, old bikes, jump rope and other items that have long since lost their appeal by sending them to greener pastures on the other side of your fence – your neighbors’. The toy box treasures no longer prized needs to be recycled for someone else’s toddler. And all of that “stuff’ lying around your house – the Barbie lunch box, the xylophone and jackets that no longer fit – need to find a new home. Before you give it to Goodwill, throw it in the trash or take it to a consignment shop, look around to your neighbors and friends. Many people in these tough economic times would be grateful for usable hand-me-downs of clothing, household items and playthings.
Neighborhood toy and clothing exchanges are a great way to recycle what you do not need and lend a helping hand to someone who would appreciate your good junk. You, in turn, may find that your own charitable cause will be enhanced with a much-needed
desk, tricycle, or scout uniform.
MOM CENT$ CORNER –week 8
CLOTHING THE FAMILY
The eleventh commandment should be “Thou shalt not pay full price for anything.”
Why should you when you have end-of-season sales, rummage sales, designer warehouses, consignment shops, as well as several other alternatives.
Here are some tips for buying bargain clothing:
When clothes shopping for the family, try to find some items that can be worn “all weather.” For example, I have a jacket that I can wear with a winter wool skirt or as a light cover-up with a summer dress.
Volunteer at a thrift shop .In addition to feeling good about helping a worthy cause, you often have the opportunity to purchase the bargain items as they are displayed.
Avoid outfits that require dry cleaning, especially for kids. Read labels carefully. Wash–and-wear outfits are desirable for kids-after one wearing, their outfits need to be washed. Also, rather than wash a whole outfit, try to remove just the stain thus preserving the overall freshness of an outfit.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 9
OUTLET FEVER
Outlet stores can be of two types, manufacturer-owned stores or mass merchandise stores. At a manufacturer-owned store, the manufacturer of the product may have extra stock, slightly flawed merchandise or leftovers from a previous season. Their own stores sell the goods at a discount price, sometimes as much as a 60% discount. Mass merchandise stores such as Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and Filene’s Basement, on the other hand, buy the leftovers from a variety of sources and pass along the savings to you in the form of a large store selling many brands of clothing and housewares.
The following tips should help you get the most from your shopping trips.
· Make sure your proposed purchases are really a bona fide bargain. Don’t assume because they say it is that it is.
· Check store policies. If merchandise is returned, will you receive a cash refund, store credit or are all sales final?
· Only buy goods that are today’s fashions and are in great condition.
· Pack a little bag with a snack or two and a drink. Factory outlets rarely have places to eat and smart shopping is hard work.
·
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 10
TIPS FOR DECORATING A CHILD’S ROOM
Some children have specific ideas about how they would like their rooms decorated.
Their idea of a child’s delight may not be your vision at all. Your flowered-print bedspread pales in comparison to the Pokemon one they saw in a friend’s bedroom.
Their personalities, ages and tastes will affect what they want in the room you plan to “facelift.”
· Jazz up a dull area with some glow-in-the-dark paint. (How about stars painted on the ceiling or rocket ships blasting off?)
· Inexpensive odd rolls of colorful wallpaper purchased at garage sales are great as shelf paper in a kid’s closet.
· Reproduce the pattern on the bedspread as a design on the wall.
Always check the “cut up” bin in a home center. The pile will have lots of interesting odds and ends such as colorful molding, plywood, pieces of Formica, and decorating accents.
Box 561
Worcester, PA 19490
215-272-1933
yngsparro@aol.com
Patricia Gallagher, 215-272-1933, www.teamofangels.com, yngsparro@aol.com
I am the author of RAISING HAPPY KIDS ON A REASONABLE BUDGET. Permission is granted to reproduce this article, provided credit is given, as listed above.
MOM-CENT$ CORNER – week 1
SO, YOU LIKE TO SEW?
With the high price of clothes, linens and curtains, many people are going back to the basics-sewing their own. Look for fabric sales at local stores, but if you live near a garment center, or fabric factory, materials are a better buy there. The variety is magnificent and the prices low.
For draperies and large-item projects, garment center shopping offers great selection and prices. A friend began to sew when she was unable to find flannel crib sheets for her baby. She took one of her fitted crib sheets to the fabric store, showed the clerk what she wanted to do, bought a piece of flannel in the recommended size, sewed a hem and ran elastic through it. Within an hour, she had made several custom-fitted flannel sheets.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 2
EATING OUT
Check your local restaurants for advertised special. Usually one night a week is set aside for a special offer. Our family regularly goes out to eat at family restaurants: one fast-food restaurant offers the $2.99 unlimited salad bar and free iced tea refills; another has a special titled “Kids Pay What They Weigh” and free drink refills; a popular pancake eatery has a “Kids Eat Free Night”; and a fourth has an all-inclusive Special Kids’ meal. Certain conditions may apply, so call first for times and days and any other restrictions.
About a half hour before you leave for the restaurant. Give the kids some yogurt, cheese, an apple, or just a little something so that they are not completely starving when you arrive. This also helps to alleviate the begging for dessert, which is how some restaurants make their money. This is one way to avoid spending more than you have budgeted for a night out at a restaurant.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 3
BULK BUYING
Buying in bulk can be a great way to stretch your dollar. The things to purchase in large packages or economy bottles are items that you currently need and those items you will definitely need in the future.
Sometimes the store brand is actually the same as the name brand. In many cases, one company manufactures both products with the same ingredients. Only the label is changed! They ship the same exact orange juice or soup out to different companies. You could be paying extra just for the fancy or extra packaging or for the company’s expensive advertising campaign.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 4
NEWFOUND MONEY-LITTLE WAYS TO STRETCH YOUR FOOD DOLLARS
There are two ways to add money to your food budget. You can either earn more or you can save more. I prefer the latter. I have tried both ways and saving money in little ways adds up to big savings.
Here are a few money-and time-savers for you to try:
For lunchbox desserts, cut your costs by separating the prepackaged snacks. Each child gets one, not two.
Add a little more water than directed to canned soups.
Don’t purchase an excessive amount of something that has a short shelf life.
Stretch your casserole portions by adding additional vegetables, rice, pasta or potatoes and substitute meats that are on sale for specific meats when possible.
When the price of chicken is low, it’s time to get out your cookbooks and experiment with some chicken a la king, chicken noodle soup and chicken croquette recipes.
MOM CENT$ CORNER- week 5
SAVINGS ON CAR MAINTENANCE
The advice of the professionals is to always take care of the basics in order to keep major breakdowns minimal. The problem with such advice is that routine care is not affordable for many families. In theory, we all know it makes sense, but for many people that leftover $50 in the checking account has a list of multiple causes putting in for a claim.
There are some things you can accomplish with the aid of a quick study of a video from the library, or an adult night course:
Replace headlights, taillights, and wiper blades
Check for worn tires, bald spots, inadequate tread
Fill tires with air
Make sure you have a spare tire and the proper tools to change a tire
MOM CENT$ CORNER- week 6
KEEPING PARENTS IN TOUCH
For fun and parent therapy, why not start a Mommy (or parent) Club. We kiddingly called ours the make the Most of Your Morning Club. Four parents and their kids is a good size for a group. Set aside one morning a week to meet at the playground armed with a picnic basket filled with drinks, snacks, or an easy lunch (don’t forget plenty of tissues and a first-aid kit). It is a great way to start off your day. You can even branch out to other places. In season, visit an apple orchard and return home to roll out some apple pies. Our spouses loved one. Or, sign the group up for the story hour at the library and afterwards treat the kids to an ice cream cone. Depending on the weather, we selected appropriate activities such as going to a pizza shop, construction site, florist shop, police station, firehouse, pet store, small airport, botanical garden and dairy farm.
MOM CENT$ CORNER - week 7
SHARING CHILDREN’S TOYS AND CLOTHING
Creative sharing will help you rid your overflowing closets of decorative picture frames, kites, roller blades, and spinning tops. You can clear the garage cluttered with sleds, old bikes, jump rope and other items that have long since lost their appeal by sending them to greener pastures on the other side of your fence – your neighbors’. The toy box treasures no longer prized needs to be recycled for someone else’s toddler. And all of that “stuff’ lying around your house – the Barbie lunch box, the xylophone and jackets that no longer fit – need to find a new home. Before you give it to Goodwill, throw it in the trash or take it to a consignment shop, look around to your neighbors and friends. Many people in these tough economic times would be grateful for usable hand-me-downs of clothing, household items and playthings.
Neighborhood toy and clothing exchanges are a great way to recycle what you do not need and lend a helping hand to someone who would appreciate your good junk. You, in turn, may find that your own charitable cause will be enhanced with a much-needed
desk, tricycle, or scout uniform.
MOM CENT$ CORNER –week 8
CLOTHING THE FAMILY
The eleventh commandment should be “Thou shalt not pay full price for anything.”
Why should you when you have end-of-season sales, rummage sales, designer warehouses, consignment shops, as well as several other alternatives.
Here are some tips for buying bargain clothing:
When clothes shopping for the family, try to find some items that can be worn “all weather.” For example, I have a jacket that I can wear with a winter wool skirt or as a light cover-up with a summer dress.
Volunteer at a thrift shop .In addition to feeling good about helping a worthy cause, you often have the opportunity to purchase the bargain items as they are displayed.
Avoid outfits that require dry cleaning, especially for kids. Read labels carefully. Wash–and-wear outfits are desirable for kids-after one wearing, their outfits need to be washed. Also, rather than wash a whole outfit, try to remove just the stain thus preserving the overall freshness of an outfit.
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 9
OUTLET FEVER
Outlet stores can be of two types, manufacturer-owned stores or mass merchandise stores. At a manufacturer-owned store, the manufacturer of the product may have extra stock, slightly flawed merchandise or leftovers from a previous season. Their own stores sell the goods at a discount price, sometimes as much as a 60% discount. Mass merchandise stores such as Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and Filene’s Basement, on the other hand, buy the leftovers from a variety of sources and pass along the savings to you in the form of a large store selling many brands of clothing and housewares.
The following tips should help you get the most from your shopping trips.
· Make sure your proposed purchases are really a bona fide bargain. Don’t assume because they say it is that it is.
· Check store policies. If merchandise is returned, will you receive a cash refund, store credit or are all sales final?
· Only buy goods that are today’s fashions and are in great condition.
· Pack a little bag with a snack or two and a drink. Factory outlets rarely have places to eat and smart shopping is hard work.
·
MOM CENT$ CORNER – week 10
TIPS FOR DECORATING A CHILD’S ROOM
Some children have specific ideas about how they would like their rooms decorated.
Their idea of a child’s delight may not be your vision at all. Your flowered-print bedspread pales in comparison to the Pokemon one they saw in a friend’s bedroom.
Their personalities, ages and tastes will affect what they want in the room you plan to “facelift.”
· Jazz up a dull area with some glow-in-the-dark paint. (How about stars painted on the ceiling or rocket ships blasting off?)
· Inexpensive odd rolls of colorful wallpaper purchased at garage sales are great as shelf paper in a kid’s closet.
· Reproduce the pattern on the bedspread as a design on the wall.
Always check the “cut up” bin in a home center. The pile will have lots of interesting odds and ends such as colorful molding, plywood, pieces of Formica, and decorating accents.
one day at a time, AA, 12 step recovery programs, Alcoholics Anonymous
Patricia Gallagher, 215-272-1933, www.teamofangels.com, yngsparro@aol.com
“Hello, Mrs. Gallagher, my name is Mike and I received one of your Team of Angels pins when I came out of prison. I felt like it was a sign from my Higher Power. I am just calling to let you know what I did with the angel pin, because I know the message says to pass it along.”
Throughout life, he had been caught up in a lot of family problems and alcohol had been his means of coping. He had an impressive six years sober but the demands of taking care of a mother with dementia had drawn him back to his unhealthy old habits.
“After mom’s passing, I was devastated. I lost my sobriety and was arrested for a DUI. It wasn’t the first, I am ashamed to say, and my lawyer and family couldn’t cover for any more of my bad decisions. I had to go to jail.”
The message was on my answering machine. I wondered what the conversation would be about. Mike was in a Twelve Step recovery group and attended daily Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. He had seen a young woman, very distraught, walking to her car after the meeting. He went up to see if he could help. As she choked through her words, she explained she had terror-filled nights and painful bouts of depression, no medical insurance and couldn’t afford the right medicine – she had to depend on doctor’s samples, which were not dependable. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she couldn’t sleep because of her anxiety over the misery of a failed marriage. He gave her the Team of Angels pin for taking One Day at a Time. The following morning, she walked into the AA meeting room looking as proud as a peacock. She gave him a big smile and hug.
“Guess what, Mike”, she said happily, “I slept twelve hours last night after getting the pin.”
She was wearing the pin on a flamboyant green blouse with pink petunias.
“Joe, please don’t tell anyone but I am not going to pass this pin along…not until I am on the other side of this horrible disease.”
“Don’t worry, “ Joe told her, “ with that team of angels, you are well on your way to recovery. They worked for me and I know they will work for you too.”
Tears came to my eyes. What a blessing this little pin was for a struggling young woman! Thank you, God for giving this woman the gift of sleep, and for Mike passing along the Team of Angels!
“Hello, Mrs. Gallagher, my name is Mike and I received one of your Team of Angels pins when I came out of prison. I felt like it was a sign from my Higher Power. I am just calling to let you know what I did with the angel pin, because I know the message says to pass it along.”
Throughout life, he had been caught up in a lot of family problems and alcohol had been his means of coping. He had an impressive six years sober but the demands of taking care of a mother with dementia had drawn him back to his unhealthy old habits.
“After mom’s passing, I was devastated. I lost my sobriety and was arrested for a DUI. It wasn’t the first, I am ashamed to say, and my lawyer and family couldn’t cover for any more of my bad decisions. I had to go to jail.”
The message was on my answering machine. I wondered what the conversation would be about. Mike was in a Twelve Step recovery group and attended daily Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. He had seen a young woman, very distraught, walking to her car after the meeting. He went up to see if he could help. As she choked through her words, she explained she had terror-filled nights and painful bouts of depression, no medical insurance and couldn’t afford the right medicine – she had to depend on doctor’s samples, which were not dependable. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she couldn’t sleep because of her anxiety over the misery of a failed marriage. He gave her the Team of Angels pin for taking One Day at a Time. The following morning, she walked into the AA meeting room looking as proud as a peacock. She gave him a big smile and hug.
“Guess what, Mike”, she said happily, “I slept twelve hours last night after getting the pin.”
She was wearing the pin on a flamboyant green blouse with pink petunias.
“Joe, please don’t tell anyone but I am not going to pass this pin along…not until I am on the other side of this horrible disease.”
“Don’t worry, “ Joe told her, “ with that team of angels, you are well on your way to recovery. They worked for me and I know they will work for you too.”
Tears came to my eyes. What a blessing this little pin was for a struggling young woman! Thank you, God for giving this woman the gift of sleep, and for Mike passing along the Team of Angels!
team of angels poems, cancer support groups
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Claire Mohan
Team of Angels Foundation, Inc.
Box 561, Worcester, PA 19490
www.teamofangels.com
215-272-1933
WHAT CAN GOD DO WITH A WOMAN LIKE HER?
How have three little gold angels, hands intertwined, teamed up to provide comfort to cancer patients worldwide? Ask Patricia Gallagher who began the SEND A TEAM OF ANGELS TO HELP MOVEMENT. She did not plan to bring a message of hope to those facing adversity, nor to distribute 78,500 of her little angels. She never expected to receive 30,000 letters from grateful recipients. When her father was diagnosed with throat cancer and spent lots of time in hospitals, she penned a poem to help him. She attached a team of angels lapel pin that she created to the poem
A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS.
Lord, please send celestial melodies
And healing whispers too
I need a Team of Angels
For what I’m going through.
I’ll trust them to surround me
To uplift, console, caress
And carry all my fears
On wings of tenderness.
Gallagher herself knew what anxious waiting in doctors’offices was like. She had her share of personal problems in recent years. “Sometimes it is the little things that can make you feel better: the kind gesture of a stranger, random acts of kindness and the three little angels. For information on quantity discounts for fundraisers, please visit www.teamofangels.com. 215-272-1933. The 13 bookmarks can be branded and customized to reflect the message of the sponsoring organization.
Claire Mohan
Team of Angels Foundation, Inc.
Box 561, Worcester, PA 19490
www.teamofangels.com
215-272-1933
WHAT CAN GOD DO WITH A WOMAN LIKE HER?
How have three little gold angels, hands intertwined, teamed up to provide comfort to cancer patients worldwide? Ask Patricia Gallagher who began the SEND A TEAM OF ANGELS TO HELP MOVEMENT. She did not plan to bring a message of hope to those facing adversity, nor to distribute 78,500 of her little angels. She never expected to receive 30,000 letters from grateful recipients. When her father was diagnosed with throat cancer and spent lots of time in hospitals, she penned a poem to help him. She attached a team of angels lapel pin that she created to the poem
A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS.
Lord, please send celestial melodies
And healing whispers too
I need a Team of Angels
For what I’m going through.
I’ll trust them to surround me
To uplift, console, caress
And carry all my fears
On wings of tenderness.
Gallagher herself knew what anxious waiting in doctors’offices was like. She had her share of personal problems in recent years. “Sometimes it is the little things that can make you feel better: the kind gesture of a stranger, random acts of kindness and the three little angels. For information on quantity discounts for fundraisers, please visit www.teamofangels.com. 215-272-1933. The 13 bookmarks can be branded and customized to reflect the message of the sponsoring organization.
Angel on Earth - Patricia Gallagher
Patricia C. Gallagher Rights Offered
yngsparro@aol.com
215-272-1933
Doing Good, for Goodness Sake!
By
Patricia C. Gallagher
An angel on earth, oh yes. I do believe. Celestial assistance intertwined with my problem. It seemed far-fetched, but it did happen, on April 5, the day I moved to Main Street in Norristown.
After experiencing the shifting cloudy shadows of a difficult period in my life, I went to live with my mother. With an infinite variety of cartons, crates, and barrels of the cherished belongings of my four children, we filled my mother’s basement. Rather than placing our household goods in a temporary storage facility, we stacked them on her pool table, ping-pong table, and then filled the perimeter with boxes lined side by side, and floor to ceiling.
Six months later I found a house that I could afford and eagerly looked forward to moving day. The night before settlement, all of my plans
shattered. My three friends who had volunteered to help, canceled one by one. The truck rental company called to advise me that they were not able to provide what I needed. I had no one to help me with the move, and I felt blinded by the tasks ahead of me.
Feeling quite discouraged, I went to the basement and had a lonely vigil with the boxes. As I reminisced, I tried not to let the veil of sadness overwhelm me. I knew that a plea to God for assistance was called for. I smiled to myself as I thought, If God can move mountains, then surely this little move should be a piece of cake.
But there was no one left to call! I had called everyone that I thought “owed me a favor,” and the kids were all in school.
I picked up the local newspaper classifieds hoping to patch together a network of handymen with trucks for hire. I doubted that on such short notice it was even a possibility. I called several phone numbers and got recorded messages. I left my name, number, and a brief message that I needed assistance the following day by noon. Frustrated, I wanted to forget the whole thing. All of my plans were going into a spiraling descent.
There was another classified ad that drew my attention. In a boxed ad I read, “Man will help you with any job, errand, willing to assist, no fee.” I made one more call. Should I risk, let alone accept, an offer from a total stranger?
“Trish, this man has a caring heart. You can trust him,” I felt the Lord speak to my spirit.
I placed the call.
The next morning I went to the Title Company to sign the settlement papers. All went well, and I left with my keys and a welcome home gift from the realtor. I let the tears flow and muttered to myself, “What home? What if I never find anyone to help me move?”
It was cold and sleet began to fall. I shivered as I checked my phone messages at an outdoor pay phone. There was only one response to my previous evening calls; it was the mysterious man who would help, for no money! I called and asked if he had a truck.
He politely answered that he had a van, and he could take the seats out for more space. He asked when I needed assistance.
“As soon as possible, preferably in an hour, about noon,” I said.
He asked for directions and said he would meet me at my mother’s house. I asked again about the fee. He assured me there was none.
I looked across the street and saw a U-Haul rental facility. Although I had no experience driving a truck, I went in and rented a large one.
A very clean-cut man in his early thirties arrived and helped me for three hours. We loaded the truck to capacity. My mother invited him in for coffee and he explained that he was “between jobs” and had some time on his hands. He had asked God for spiritual guidance, and he was led to put the ad in the paper.
As the only person who responded, I was the benefactor of a spiritual reward. He took no money. He did all of the heavy work, no money and no strings attached. He was just doing good, for goodness sake! A faithful witness to the random act of kindness movement, an anonymous person filling a temporary void in his life, reaching out to help another, with no expectations. An angel on earth!
Was there a lesson here? This man seemed to have captured the essence of a moment in time. He lifted himself out of the shadow of a job loss, focused his problem through a spiritual lens, and turned his empty moments in time, to doing good. His name? His address? I don’t know. With each heavy box, he also lifted my heavy heart. He taught me a lesson. We all have something to give! Huddled close to the boxes, in my new home on Main Street, I thanked God for the angel on earth.
yngsparro@aol.com
215-272-1933
Doing Good, for Goodness Sake!
By
Patricia C. Gallagher
An angel on earth, oh yes. I do believe. Celestial assistance intertwined with my problem. It seemed far-fetched, but it did happen, on April 5, the day I moved to Main Street in Norristown.
After experiencing the shifting cloudy shadows of a difficult period in my life, I went to live with my mother. With an infinite variety of cartons, crates, and barrels of the cherished belongings of my four children, we filled my mother’s basement. Rather than placing our household goods in a temporary storage facility, we stacked them on her pool table, ping-pong table, and then filled the perimeter with boxes lined side by side, and floor to ceiling.
Six months later I found a house that I could afford and eagerly looked forward to moving day. The night before settlement, all of my plans
shattered. My three friends who had volunteered to help, canceled one by one. The truck rental company called to advise me that they were not able to provide what I needed. I had no one to help me with the move, and I felt blinded by the tasks ahead of me.
Feeling quite discouraged, I went to the basement and had a lonely vigil with the boxes. As I reminisced, I tried not to let the veil of sadness overwhelm me. I knew that a plea to God for assistance was called for. I smiled to myself as I thought, If God can move mountains, then surely this little move should be a piece of cake.
But there was no one left to call! I had called everyone that I thought “owed me a favor,” and the kids were all in school.
I picked up the local newspaper classifieds hoping to patch together a network of handymen with trucks for hire. I doubted that on such short notice it was even a possibility. I called several phone numbers and got recorded messages. I left my name, number, and a brief message that I needed assistance the following day by noon. Frustrated, I wanted to forget the whole thing. All of my plans were going into a spiraling descent.
There was another classified ad that drew my attention. In a boxed ad I read, “Man will help you with any job, errand, willing to assist, no fee.” I made one more call. Should I risk, let alone accept, an offer from a total stranger?
“Trish, this man has a caring heart. You can trust him,” I felt the Lord speak to my spirit.
I placed the call.
The next morning I went to the Title Company to sign the settlement papers. All went well, and I left with my keys and a welcome home gift from the realtor. I let the tears flow and muttered to myself, “What home? What if I never find anyone to help me move?”
It was cold and sleet began to fall. I shivered as I checked my phone messages at an outdoor pay phone. There was only one response to my previous evening calls; it was the mysterious man who would help, for no money! I called and asked if he had a truck.
He politely answered that he had a van, and he could take the seats out for more space. He asked when I needed assistance.
“As soon as possible, preferably in an hour, about noon,” I said.
He asked for directions and said he would meet me at my mother’s house. I asked again about the fee. He assured me there was none.
I looked across the street and saw a U-Haul rental facility. Although I had no experience driving a truck, I went in and rented a large one.
A very clean-cut man in his early thirties arrived and helped me for three hours. We loaded the truck to capacity. My mother invited him in for coffee and he explained that he was “between jobs” and had some time on his hands. He had asked God for spiritual guidance, and he was led to put the ad in the paper.
As the only person who responded, I was the benefactor of a spiritual reward. He took no money. He did all of the heavy work, no money and no strings attached. He was just doing good, for goodness sake! A faithful witness to the random act of kindness movement, an anonymous person filling a temporary void in his life, reaching out to help another, with no expectations. An angel on earth!
Was there a lesson here? This man seemed to have captured the essence of a moment in time. He lifted himself out of the shadow of a job loss, focused his problem through a spiritual lens, and turned his empty moments in time, to doing good. His name? His address? I don’t know. With each heavy box, he also lifted my heavy heart. He taught me a lesson. We all have something to give! Huddled close to the boxes, in my new home on Main Street, I thanked God for the angel on earth.
christian speaker, christian, Catholic speaker, motivational speaker
September 14, 2006
To Whom it May Concern:
Our parish, St. Patrick, Troy, Ohio, had the privilege to host Trisha Gallagher this past August 14, 2006. She touched many people telling her own story of faith and courage. She made us aware that God is always working in our lives and all we need to do is listen, trust and just turn everything over to Him.
Trisha passed out her Team of Angel pins and prayer cards to those present and encouraged people to pass them along to those who may need them. It motivated other people in the audience to share their own stories. I later visited a nursing home where some ladies were brought to the talk and they were wearing their pins. There was very positive feedback from those who attended Trisha’s talk.
I highly recommend inviting Trisha to your church, group or event and be inspired by her message.
In His Service,
Pat Smith, Coordinator Adult Faith Formation
St. Patrick Parish
To Whom it May Concern:
Our parish, St. Patrick, Troy, Ohio, had the privilege to host Trisha Gallagher this past August 14, 2006. She touched many people telling her own story of faith and courage. She made us aware that God is always working in our lives and all we need to do is listen, trust and just turn everything over to Him.
Trisha passed out her Team of Angel pins and prayer cards to those present and encouraged people to pass them along to those who may need them. It motivated other people in the audience to share their own stories. I later visited a nursing home where some ladies were brought to the talk and they were wearing their pins. There was very positive feedback from those who attended Trisha’s talk.
I highly recommend inviting Trisha to your church, group or event and be inspired by her message.
In His Service,
Pat Smith, Coordinator Adult Faith Formation
St. Patrick Parish
Patricia Gallagher - team of angels for soldiers
Team of Angels Tour Brings Hope to Middle America
To contact Trish on her travels:
CALL: 215-272-1933 or 484-932-8311
EMAIL: yngsparro@aol.com
www.teamofangels.com
July 20, 2006, Royersford, PA—Patricia Gallagher and her Team of Angels is traveling through Middle America beginning next week to bring hope to families. These are indeed despairing times for Middle American families as soaring gas prices have curtailed or even canceled family summer vacations, mom and dad are working two or three jobs to just make ends meet, serious illnesses such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and cancer are on the rise, even in younger people, and unexpected natural disasters, such as Katrina, seem to be hitting more frequently and closer to home.
In answer to these troubles, Patricia (Trish) Gallagher has set out on a mission of hope to bring her Teams of Angels to Middle America to help these overwhelmed families and individuals. She leaves this Sunday, July 23, from her Philadelphia, PA, suburban home, setting out for Florida in a celestial gold van bedecked with stars and angels, and a sign on the rear bumper asking: “Do you or someone you know need a Team of Angels?” She will be making frequent stops at towns along the way to speak and spread her Team of Angels message of hope with her pins and bookmarks.
Trish began her Team of Angels ministry seven years ago during an especially difficult personal time. She prayed to God for an angel, then amended her request with “better send a team of angels, Lord; I don’t think one will do….” The answer to her prayer was this original poem—“A Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed”:
II need a team of angels, Lord
I don't think one will do. Please send me all the help from HighFor what I'm going through.
Guardians to watch over meAnd help my soul to copeI'll do the best I can to prayAnd cherish gifts of faith and hope.
These words started her thinking. How many people were overwhelmed like her, and might welcome an actual, tangible sign of support? She designed a gold lapel angel pin featuring three angels holding hands. She mounted the pin on a bookmark-style card that bore the “Team of Angels” poem inspired by God and she began to spread the word.
“I see my ministry as a Pass Along ministry,” Trish said. “When I started this in 1999, I printed 50,000 bookmarks with pins and asked my relatives to carry the bookmarks in their purse, briefcase or pocket. Friends and strangers began passing my bookmarks along to share a message of hope, friendship, and comfort.”
Trisha contacted some chaplains and sent 5000 of the pins overseas to be distributed to U.S. troops in the Middle East. She donated 2500 more to hospitals and women’s groups in her Pennsylvania community. “I dropped them off at toll booths, mailboxes, waiting rooms and phone booths,” Trish says. “I even put a basket of them on my front porch, and encouraged neighbors to take what they needed.”
Today, Trish asks strangers she sees in restaurants, stores, and parks “Do you or someone you know need a team of angels to help? Please keep this bookmark until you see someone who needs it more than you do and then kindly pass it along.” She asks them to share their story of where they were when someone gave them this message. Over the years she has received thousands of letters from all over the world from people who have received a Team of Angels pin and bookmark, telling their stories of how their Team of Angels saved them from despair and gave them hope. Here is one of them:
Dear Trish,I recently found the "Team of Angels" with the for loss of loved one poem attached. I am a member of a group called Patriot Guard Riders. Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. We go to show respect and honor our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities. I purchased some of the "Team of Angels" pins for the loss of a loved one poem attached to give to these families. I just stumbled across your product and found it to be perfect. So perfect a tear rolled down my cheek when I first looked it over & read it. I knew right away how much this would mean to the families. I gave one to a mother and a wife at a viewing this week; the next morning the mother was wearing her Team of Angels when she arrived for the funeral. Later in the week another funeral took place; again angels were given. I want you to know this product gives comfort and aid to the grieving family. It has meant so much to the families that have received them.Thank you so muchDaniel
Since the first 50,000 bookmarks were printed, Trish has written 12 more poems, individualized to express the words people need to hear and want to express to someone they love. In addition to the Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed bookmark poem, she now offers a Team of Angels:
1. For Serious Illness
2. For Someone Special
3. Thinking of You
4. To Thank You
5. For Friendship
6. For Hope
7. To Thank Our United States Armed Forces
8. For Getting Well
9. For United States Military Families
10. For Taking One Day At a Time
11. To Protect My Loved Ones
12. To Help
In development is a book compilation of the stories from people all over the globe sharing where they were when they received a Team of Angels pin and how they helped.
To read more true stories and testimonials, and to view and order the Team of Angels pin and 13 different bookmark poems, please go to www.teamofangels.com.
To contact Trish on her travels:
CALL: 215-272-1933 or 484-932-8311
EMAIL: yngsparro@aol.com
Article written By Sue Harper, The Writer’s Cottage, www.thewriterscottage.com
To contact Trish on her travels:
CALL: 215-272-1933 or 484-932-8311
EMAIL: yngsparro@aol.com
www.teamofangels.com
July 20, 2006, Royersford, PA—Patricia Gallagher and her Team of Angels is traveling through Middle America beginning next week to bring hope to families. These are indeed despairing times for Middle American families as soaring gas prices have curtailed or even canceled family summer vacations, mom and dad are working two or three jobs to just make ends meet, serious illnesses such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and cancer are on the rise, even in younger people, and unexpected natural disasters, such as Katrina, seem to be hitting more frequently and closer to home.
In answer to these troubles, Patricia (Trish) Gallagher has set out on a mission of hope to bring her Teams of Angels to Middle America to help these overwhelmed families and individuals. She leaves this Sunday, July 23, from her Philadelphia, PA, suburban home, setting out for Florida in a celestial gold van bedecked with stars and angels, and a sign on the rear bumper asking: “Do you or someone you know need a Team of Angels?” She will be making frequent stops at towns along the way to speak and spread her Team of Angels message of hope with her pins and bookmarks.
Trish began her Team of Angels ministry seven years ago during an especially difficult personal time. She prayed to God for an angel, then amended her request with “better send a team of angels, Lord; I don’t think one will do….” The answer to her prayer was this original poem—“A Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed”:
II need a team of angels, Lord
I don't think one will do. Please send me all the help from HighFor what I'm going through.
Guardians to watch over meAnd help my soul to copeI'll do the best I can to prayAnd cherish gifts of faith and hope.
These words started her thinking. How many people were overwhelmed like her, and might welcome an actual, tangible sign of support? She designed a gold lapel angel pin featuring three angels holding hands. She mounted the pin on a bookmark-style card that bore the “Team of Angels” poem inspired by God and she began to spread the word.
“I see my ministry as a Pass Along ministry,” Trish said. “When I started this in 1999, I printed 50,000 bookmarks with pins and asked my relatives to carry the bookmarks in their purse, briefcase or pocket. Friends and strangers began passing my bookmarks along to share a message of hope, friendship, and comfort.”
Trisha contacted some chaplains and sent 5000 of the pins overseas to be distributed to U.S. troops in the Middle East. She donated 2500 more to hospitals and women’s groups in her Pennsylvania community. “I dropped them off at toll booths, mailboxes, waiting rooms and phone booths,” Trish says. “I even put a basket of them on my front porch, and encouraged neighbors to take what they needed.”
Today, Trish asks strangers she sees in restaurants, stores, and parks “Do you or someone you know need a team of angels to help? Please keep this bookmark until you see someone who needs it more than you do and then kindly pass it along.” She asks them to share their story of where they were when someone gave them this message. Over the years she has received thousands of letters from all over the world from people who have received a Team of Angels pin and bookmark, telling their stories of how their Team of Angels saved them from despair and gave them hope. Here is one of them:
Dear Trish,I recently found the "Team of Angels" with the for loss of loved one poem attached. I am a member of a group called Patriot Guard Riders. Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. We go to show respect and honor our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities. I purchased some of the "Team of Angels" pins for the loss of a loved one poem attached to give to these families. I just stumbled across your product and found it to be perfect. So perfect a tear rolled down my cheek when I first looked it over & read it. I knew right away how much this would mean to the families. I gave one to a mother and a wife at a viewing this week; the next morning the mother was wearing her Team of Angels when she arrived for the funeral. Later in the week another funeral took place; again angels were given. I want you to know this product gives comfort and aid to the grieving family. It has meant so much to the families that have received them.Thank you so muchDaniel
Since the first 50,000 bookmarks were printed, Trish has written 12 more poems, individualized to express the words people need to hear and want to express to someone they love. In addition to the Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed bookmark poem, she now offers a Team of Angels:
1. For Serious Illness
2. For Someone Special
3. Thinking of You
4. To Thank You
5. For Friendship
6. For Hope
7. To Thank Our United States Armed Forces
8. For Getting Well
9. For United States Military Families
10. For Taking One Day At a Time
11. To Protect My Loved Ones
12. To Help
In development is a book compilation of the stories from people all over the globe sharing where they were when they received a Team of Angels pin and how they helped.
To read more true stories and testimonials, and to view and order the Team of Angels pin and 13 different bookmark poems, please go to www.teamofangels.com.
To contact Trish on her travels:
CALL: 215-272-1933 or 484-932-8311
EMAIL: yngsparro@aol.com
Article written By Sue Harper, The Writer’s Cottage, www.thewriterscottage.com
support the troops - one mom's effort
Contact: Patricia Gallagher # 484-932-8311 yngsparro@aol.com
A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THE RESCUE
Pennsylvania mom gave away thousands of angel pins to families who have loved ones serving in the military
Sometimes it is the little things that get us through the toughest times. That is why Patricia Gallagher gave away a special reminder to let the troops and their families know they are not forgotten: a Team of Angels pin.
The Pennsylvania woman said she has given thousands of lapel pins to the families of servicemen and women serving our country.
The pins come with two special poems that she wrote herself titled A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES and A TEAM OF ANGELS TO PROTECT ALL MILITARY FAMILIES.
Gallagher started the Team of Angels pin and poems about six years ago, when she was going through a difficult time in her life. Her first poem was called A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED, which aptly described her own feelings. She made makeshift angel pins using safety pins and other materials. She and her four children left them at train stations, in hospital waiting rooms, and other places. Somehow, one of those pins got the attention of the military newspaper STARS AND STRIPES which did a full page feature story about Gallagher’s project, which led to the PX stores placing orders for them. Military chaplains and family support groups contacted her for the pins. The CBS Early Show visited her home for a segment with Bryant Gumbel and her story was featured in Family http://www.teamofangels.com/Circle magazine, Gannett Wire Service, and Woman’s World. A producer from the Oprah show called!
“I would like to visit twenty military bases and give a talk which I have titled TEA, TALK AND A TEAM OF ANGELS.”
Her message is a simple one: “From the bottom of our hearts, I and every American wish to thank you for the job you are now doing. Please wear this angel pin next to your heart under your outer garment. It has brought good fortune and safety to others. May God bless you and keep you safe.
For more information on how to invite Patricia Gallagher to your military installation, family support group, or military organization, please visit http://www.teamofangels.com/
A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THE RESCUE
Pennsylvania mom gave away thousands of angel pins to families who have loved ones serving in the military
Sometimes it is the little things that get us through the toughest times. That is why Patricia Gallagher gave away a special reminder to let the troops and their families know they are not forgotten: a Team of Angels pin.
The Pennsylvania woman said she has given thousands of lapel pins to the families of servicemen and women serving our country.
The pins come with two special poems that she wrote herself titled A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES and A TEAM OF ANGELS TO PROTECT ALL MILITARY FAMILIES.
Gallagher started the Team of Angels pin and poems about six years ago, when she was going through a difficult time in her life. Her first poem was called A TEAM OF ANGELS FOR THE OVERWHELMED, which aptly described her own feelings. She made makeshift angel pins using safety pins and other materials. She and her four children left them at train stations, in hospital waiting rooms, and other places. Somehow, one of those pins got the attention of the military newspaper STARS AND STRIPES which did a full page feature story about Gallagher’s project, which led to the PX stores placing orders for them. Military chaplains and family support groups contacted her for the pins. The CBS Early Show visited her home for a segment with Bryant Gumbel and her story was featured in Family http://www.teamofangels.com/Circle magazine, Gannett Wire Service, and Woman’s World. A producer from the Oprah show called!
“I would like to visit twenty military bases and give a talk which I have titled TEA, TALK AND A TEAM OF ANGELS.”
Her message is a simple one: “From the bottom of our hearts, I and every American wish to thank you for the job you are now doing. Please wear this angel pin next to your heart under your outer garment. It has brought good fortune and safety to others. May God bless you and keep you safe.
For more information on how to invite Patricia Gallagher to your military installation, family support group, or military organization, please visit http://www.teamofangels.com/
Help soldiers in Iraq, help wounded troops
SUGGESTED STORY IDEA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
By Patricia Gallagher
www.teamofangels.com
484-932-8311
215-272-1933
SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS JUST ONE LITTLE ANGEL PIN TO BRIGHTEN A SOLDIER’S DAY!
What does a mother do when her two sons are involved in life-threatening battles, one as a soldier deployed to the Balkans and the other son battling leukemia here at home? My friend faced this tragic situation. I wrote a poem to cheer up our troops. I attached a little angel pin that I created, fashioned from craft products, to a bookmark bearing the poem A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. My four children and I sent 5000 overseas - three little angels holding hands, reaching out with a heartfelt “thank you”.
On September 22, in a crowd of 45,634 people at a Phillies vs. Marlins game, I met two vets David Larsen and his friend William, (unsung heroes) who had received my Team of Angels pin, one wearing it on his hat.
I’ve been clean and sober 79 days. I got this Angel Pin from a guy when I was sitting on a picnic table on a real sunny day. He said ‘ain’t gonna need this anymore’ and he gave it to me. I look at them angels every day.
My nephew gave one to me –yep, I love those three little angels.
In the middle of Ryan Howard’s home run, David Larsen, the former paratrooper called his nephew. You’re not going to believe who I am sitting with. The lady who makes those angel pins
I opened a desk drawer and looked at the letters from soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen as well as the Department of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Veterans of Foreign War.
I am not living on the streets because I am a bum. How does a soldier who fought for his country become homeless? Why have lots of my buddies ended up in jail for drugs and domestic abuse? I lost my wife, my house and my kids. My drinking and rage drove my family away.
Nobody understands what it’s like to have your body crushed, watch your friends blown up and every night still hear the sound of the artillery in your mind.
Your little Angel Pins make us feel like the heroes we want to be.
If you can make an old military man like me cry here in the desert, I can only imagine what this pin means to our young soldiers here in Iraq.
Having your Team of Angels on my humvee makes me feel safe.
I read this letter from a former Vietnam prisoner of war. I pictured his battered face as he told me what my little pins must mean to servicemen and women fighting in Iraq.
A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES
You’re positive, uplifting
Brave, courageous, fun.
The angels bring with grateful joy
Our thanks for all you’ve done.
They bring strength from heaven’s garden
In bouquets of love and cheer
And prayers full of blessings
To protect our forces, far and near!
Why am I doing this? God, am I on the right track? My cell phone rang:
Hi,
I am a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army. While in Kosovo as part of the initial entry force, a soldier in my battery gave me a Team of Angels pin which I wore as part of my uniform, over my heart, under my left breast pocket flap everywhere I went. The pin has since broken. Could you please send me another pin?
Hang in. Don’t hang up. Don’t worry, Sergeant the pins are on their way!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
By Patricia Gallagher
www.teamofangels.com
484-932-8311
215-272-1933
SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS JUST ONE LITTLE ANGEL PIN TO BRIGHTEN A SOLDIER’S DAY!
What does a mother do when her two sons are involved in life-threatening battles, one as a soldier deployed to the Balkans and the other son battling leukemia here at home? My friend faced this tragic situation. I wrote a poem to cheer up our troops. I attached a little angel pin that I created, fashioned from craft products, to a bookmark bearing the poem A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. My four children and I sent 5000 overseas - three little angels holding hands, reaching out with a heartfelt “thank you”.
On September 22, in a crowd of 45,634 people at a Phillies vs. Marlins game, I met two vets David Larsen and his friend William, (unsung heroes) who had received my Team of Angels pin, one wearing it on his hat.
I’ve been clean and sober 79 days. I got this Angel Pin from a guy when I was sitting on a picnic table on a real sunny day. He said ‘ain’t gonna need this anymore’ and he gave it to me. I look at them angels every day.
My nephew gave one to me –yep, I love those three little angels.
In the middle of Ryan Howard’s home run, David Larsen, the former paratrooper called his nephew. You’re not going to believe who I am sitting with. The lady who makes those angel pins
I opened a desk drawer and looked at the letters from soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen as well as the Department of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Veterans of Foreign War.
I am not living on the streets because I am a bum. How does a soldier who fought for his country become homeless? Why have lots of my buddies ended up in jail for drugs and domestic abuse? I lost my wife, my house and my kids. My drinking and rage drove my family away.
Nobody understands what it’s like to have your body crushed, watch your friends blown up and every night still hear the sound of the artillery in your mind.
Your little Angel Pins make us feel like the heroes we want to be.
If you can make an old military man like me cry here in the desert, I can only imagine what this pin means to our young soldiers here in Iraq.
Having your Team of Angels on my humvee makes me feel safe.
I read this letter from a former Vietnam prisoner of war. I pictured his battered face as he told me what my little pins must mean to servicemen and women fighting in Iraq.
A TEAM OF ANGELS TO THANK OUR UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES
You’re positive, uplifting
Brave, courageous, fun.
The angels bring with grateful joy
Our thanks for all you’ve done.
They bring strength from heaven’s garden
In bouquets of love and cheer
And prayers full of blessings
To protect our forces, far and near!
Why am I doing this? God, am I on the right track? My cell phone rang:
Hi,
I am a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army. While in Kosovo as part of the initial entry force, a soldier in my battery gave me a Team of Angels pin which I wore as part of my uniform, over my heart, under my left breast pocket flap everywhere I went. The pin has since broken. Could you please send me another pin?
Hang in. Don’t hang up. Don’t worry, Sergeant the pins are on their way!
inspirational speaker, Patricia Gallagher
Seminar topic, inspirational speaker, workshop, retreat, women’s conference, Patricia Gallagher, www.teamofangels.com, 215-272-1933
HOW THE TEAM OF ANGELS BOOKMARK PROJECT BEGAN:
Introduction:
After my husband’s accident, finances were now strained and we were struggling to stay in our smaller home, not the new one. My husband’s paycheck was drastically reduced due to a disability salary while the cost of medical co-pays and uncovered medical expenses mounted. I was not able to work outside of the home because I needed to wear the hats of mother, father and caregiver. I was feeling totally overwhelmed and began writing poems which were probably more like prayers asking for divine assistance. Each day I would go to the Monastery of the Poor Clares in Langhorne and write a poem which eventually became laminated bookmarks, 78,500 of them. I just received a shipment of 50,000 more.
Readings: The Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed
A Team of Angels to Protect My Loved Ones
Song: Johnny Cash – What on Earth Will You Do (For Heaven’s Sake)
THE TEAM OF ANGELS GOOD WILL TOUR – summer 2006
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at 11 pm passing out angel pins and bookmarks. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, and a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head. Even a man saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (www.teamofangels.com) on my van’s rear window.
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWER SESSION
HOW THE TEAM OF ANGELS BOOKMARK PROJECT BEGAN:
Introduction:
After my husband’s accident, finances were now strained and we were struggling to stay in our smaller home, not the new one. My husband’s paycheck was drastically reduced due to a disability salary while the cost of medical co-pays and uncovered medical expenses mounted. I was not able to work outside of the home because I needed to wear the hats of mother, father and caregiver. I was feeling totally overwhelmed and began writing poems which were probably more like prayers asking for divine assistance. Each day I would go to the Monastery of the Poor Clares in Langhorne and write a poem which eventually became laminated bookmarks, 78,500 of them. I just received a shipment of 50,000 more.
Readings: The Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed
A Team of Angels to Protect My Loved Ones
Song: Johnny Cash – What on Earth Will You Do (For Heaven’s Sake)
THE TEAM OF ANGELS GOOD WILL TOUR – summer 2006
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at 11 pm passing out angel pins and bookmarks. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, and a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head. Even a man saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (www.teamofangels.com) on my van’s rear window.
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWER SESSION
Team of angels pins - inspirational speaker
Patricia Gallagher – 484-932-8311
HOW THE TEAM OF ANGELS BOOKMARK PROJECT BEGAN:
(I sold my house and used the proceeds to fund giving away 50, 000 angel pins attached to an inspirational bookmark. I am no longer able to do this and would like to ask my fellow Americans help to continue. I hope I can tell my story to help others.
THE TEAM OF ANGELS GOOD WILL TOUR – summer 2006
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at 11 pm passing out angel pins and bookmarks. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, and a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head. Even a man saying with a gun saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (www.teamofangels.com) on my van’s rear window.
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
HOW THE TEAM OF ANGELS BOOKMARK PROJECT BEGAN:
(I sold my house and used the proceeds to fund giving away 50, 000 angel pins attached to an inspirational bookmark. I am no longer able to do this and would like to ask my fellow Americans help to continue. I hope I can tell my story to help others.
THE TEAM OF ANGELS GOOD WILL TOUR – summer 2006
I never thought that I would be wandering around cities at 11 pm passing out angel pins and bookmarks. But there I was, meeting people: junkies, a mother of a young woman arrested for prostitution twice in one day, and a lady who had been hit 50 times in the head. Even a man saying with a gun saying “No one will get hurt, I need money for my baby.” That isn’t what I had in mind when I began my 7000-mile trek. I called my trip THE ANGELS ALONG THE WAY GOODWILL TOUR and had a sign company put those words and my web site address (www.teamofangels.com) on my van’s rear window.
What lesson did a beautiful, young heroin addict waiting outside a detox center in Boston teach me about parenting?
How did a middle-aged West Virginian mother with a 19-year-old daughter serving 45 years in a federal prison show me what really matters in life?
How did Erma, a Disney employee from Epcot, help me put my marriage back together?
What do I think of the 30,000 letters and e-mails that I received from the 78,500 people who have my angel pins?
Why did I pass out thousands of my TEAM OF ANGELS pins to hospital emergency room patients, addiction centers, disabled veterans, 5000 soldiers in the Middle East desert, and grief support groups
What made me leave baskets and plastic bags filled with thousands of Angel pins in the bathrooms of highway rest stops, Pizza Huts, Cracker Barrels, Holiday Inns, toll booths and to folks with broken down vehicles on the side of the road?
Why do I keep a large basket of Angel pins on my front porch in Pennsylvania, with a sign that says: FREE ANGEL PINS TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE –PLEASE KNOCK IF YOU NEED MORE?
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