The Christmas Angel by Glennyce S. Eckersley & Gary Quinn

The Christmas Angel
by Glennyce S. Eckersley, England
and Gary Quinn

For most of us, Christmas and joy go hand in hand. For Steve in particular the Christmas of 2002 brought joy in abundance.

It was December 23 and very cold when Steve received a call to repair a boiler. This was Steve’s specialty but he knew only too well that it might be a simple task or very complicated depending on the fault or type of boiler. Arriving at the house, Steve inspected the boiler, and after making several adjustments, he realized that in fact the problem was now even worse! His heart sank: this was indeed a complicated problem. He realized at this point that what he actually required was a printed circuit board.

Seeing my blank stare when telling me his story, Steve patiently explained the problem. There are, he assured me, hundreds of different types of circuit boards that can be fitted into boilers. Each individual boiler is different and of varying type, making it unlikely that an engineer would have the correct circuit board on hand. In addition to this problem, however, is the fact that these printed boards are very expensive, costing possibly hundreds of pounds each. They are therefore ordered when needed and not carried around in most heating engineers’ vans.

All this was very depressing. Steve was faced with the unenviable task of telling the people who had called on him for help that they would be without hot water or heat for the whole of Christmas. It could, he informed me, often take several weeks to obtain the part required. Staring at the boiler Steve tried to think of how he could help these people. He did have a large heater at home he could loan them, but that would not solve the hot water problem, which was insoluble. Placing his hand on the boiler, he said aloud, “Please angels, I need your help desperately!” Nothing happened.

Chuckling at this point, he said he had almost expected a flashing blue light and the boiler to spring into life! Slowly he packed away his tools and carried them downstairs to his van. I shall put these away, he thought, and then I simply will have to face these people and break the awful news. Placing his main tools in the back of the van, he then went around to the side door and slowly slid it open. At this point, he received the shock of his life: falling out of the van, directly into his hands, was the exact circuit board he needed!

Climbing the stairs once more to the top of the house, in complete disbelief, he tried the circuit board, and yes, incredibly, it was the correct one. In minutes the job was complete. The couple smiled happily when told all was well, never knowing of Steve’s dilemma. Sitting in his van, after leaving the house, too shocked to start the engine, Steve took stock of the situation once more. He had never in his professional career stored expensive circuit boards in his van, or anywhere else for that matter. How on earth could the exact board he required have fallen into his hands at the eleventh hour, so to speak? Well, he did know of course: there may not have been any flashing lights, but the angels had heard him after all. Grinning to himself, he silently thanked them, realizing the true meaning of Christmas joy that year.
There is a footnote to this lovely story. Steve and his partner Joan own an alternative health center in North Manchester and I was visiting them specifically to take details of Steve’s story. We sat in the shop, surrounded by statues of angels, crystals etc., as I noted down the details. Finally, I said, “Did the people in the house ever know the facts of this story?”

“No,” replied Steve, “sadly I have never seen them since.” At that very moment the lady involved in the story walked past the window! Steve dashed out and asked her to come inside, where he related the incredible events of that Christmas to a very surprised shopper.