Pocket Angels

By Christine Righthouse

Twenty-three years after Lena was taken from her family in 1996, her mother, Christine, had a vision of Lena sitting in heaven. She was dressed in a white dress with a white pinafore apron which contained a pocket. Lena was playing with something flying in and out of her pocket. At first, Christine thought Lena was playing with butterflies, but then soon realized she was playing with small cherub angels. The stories in this book were provided by the guidance of Jesus Christ our Lord and were inspired by Christine's thirty-five years of teaching Sunday school. Lena, the main character, teaches her pocket angels lessons from the Bible which she learned growing up in church. At first, the pocket angels do not recognize they are angels. They think they are just Lena's friends, but they soon learn that Lena is more than just a friend. From her, they learn valuable life lessons on how to behave and react to difficult situations. Lena teaches them why bad things happen to good people and that there's a beautiful place in heaven for all children who come there. 2

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098053123

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Pocket Angels

Christine Righthouse

Copyright © 2020 by Christine Righthouse

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Christian and Yonnie Learn about Gifts

This Little Light of Mine

The No Names

The Ten Commandments

The Cherubs Go to Church

You Name It

Lena and Her Sister, Alicia

Scotty: A Friend from the Past

Elder Moses and Tiny Larry Help Miracle

Amish Hannah

Alicia and Bubbles Have a Secret Place

Cherubs Go Camping and Hear about a Whale

David and Goliath and Motorbike!

Giant and His Dragon

King and Patty Peacock

Thanksgiving Pie Party

Merry Christmas

The Lighthouse

Lena’s Cedar Chest

The Cross

Flowers and Rainbow

Heaven in Its Glory

In memory of all children who have lost their lives through tragic accidents, school shootings, mass shootings, and all crimes against children.

Special thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ and my husband, Gary, along with our daughter, Alicia, and our family for all their support.

Also thank you to author Janette Oke for her kindness and special words.

And thanks to Jill Monroe of Mayhaven Publishing who backed me up with her special note.

And thanks to actor Ed Asner for his support.

And may God bless Julie Sheppard and Braden Docherty, along with all the behind-the-scenes workers.

And thanks to Pam Noble of J+C Printing.

If only the public can realize that the mother of a murdered child wrote these stories and understands firsthand how they really feel about their loss and about how Jesus was always the answer and he still is and he will forever be. They can receive the same help and comfort from him as my family and I have.

The main character is Lena. She lives in a small community just outside of heaven. She has some special friends. They are small baby cherubs which she calls pocket angels.

Number 1 cherub is Miracle, Lena’s helper.

Number 2 cherub is Elder Moses. He is from the Old Testament. He is an older cherub. He has been around a long time. He has seen a lot.

Number 3 cherub is Tiny Larry. He is the littlest and youngest cherub. He follows Elder Moses around. And he says gee-oh a lot.

Number 4 cherub is Alicia. She is a writer. She is named after Lena’s sister. She is independent.

Number 5 cherub is Christian. He is mischievous and gets in trouble, but he learns along the way.

Number 6 cherub is Yonnie. He is kind and tender-hearted. He is a peacemaker.

Number 7 cherub is Jelly Bean. He is shy and bashful. He changes colors. He wears suspenders. And he stutters.

Number 8 cherub is Bubbles. She has a bubbly personality. She giggles a lot and is happy most of the time. She has big dimples and long eyelashes. She is fashioned after Lena’s personality.

Number 9 cherub is Amish Hannah. She is nervous and carries a hankie in her sleeve. She is a good cook, and she also mothers the cherubs. She can speak Dutch.

Number 10 cherub is Little David. He wants to be like David in the Bible. He has a slingshot, and he rides a colored unicorn called Patches. Patches flies.

There also is a white tiger with black stripes. He is King of the forest.

Then there’s a fancy, bossy peacock who is Patty Peacock. She tries to be boss.

There’s a monkey, an elephant, and a porcupine named Clarence.

There’s a bad dragon.

There’s a good dragon.

There’s a battle between good and evil. The good wins!

There are a lot of animals.

There are thousands of lightning bugs that light the way for the cherubs.

There’s a lighthouse.

There’s a treehouse.

There’s a swinging bridge.

There’s a lake, a river, and an ocean.

There’s rainbow.

There’s a waterfall.

There are poems.

There are songs.

There’s Lena’s bench.

There’s a country church.

There’s a wood cross.

There’s a bridge which crosses to heaven.

There are Bible verses.

There are Bible stories.

There’s a motorbike.

Jesus and the angel Gabriel with the archangel Michael appear sometimes.

And most of all there’s a peek into heaven.

And there are thousands of angels.

Come join Lena, the pocket angels, and me, her mother, on this breathtaking visit to the past, present, and future.

Where It All Started

I was going through some rough time again in life. The hardest time though was twenty-three years ago when our daughter Lena was murdered in our home.

Note: Lena’s story was published by Mayhaven Publishing with the help of Doris Wenzel. The title is Lena: Murder in Southern Indiana. I am the published author.

Then my mother-in-law passed away a few years back. She cooked family dinners for our family for forty years. Sometimes ten to fifteen people were present. But when she passed away, the dinners stopped, and everyone went their own ways.

I deeply missed our family gatherings. I still have two brothers and one sister living whom I try to visit often. Thank God for family!

One night when I was sad and lonely, I lay down on our couch with my face toward the back of the couch. (I was not asleep.) I shut my eyes, and my daughter Lena appeared to me in a vision. I saw her in heaven sitting on a bench, and what I saw her playing with was out of this world. Also in my vision I saw a country church, and there was a big cross with a circle above it, but it was not connected to the cross.

Then a few days later, I started humming a tune in my head. Then the words started coming. The song went along with the vision. The title of the song and my stories is Pocket Angels and/or Pocket Angels.

My new stories which the good Lord has given me are to help children who have lost their siblings in these tragic shootings and for parents who have lost their children through murders or accidents or when the good Lord calls them home.

All children today can be around so many bad things. Some games are played that aren’t good for them. Some movies and even some cartoons have bad language in them.

My stories are full of love, friendship, laughter, and hope. There’s a promise of angels, Bible verses, and heaven.

My story is of Lena and her pocket angels. There are flashbacks of her life and teaching stories from the Bible. After all, I have been a Sunday school teacher for thirty-five years.

As you will see, Lena’s pocket angels are just small cherubs. They live in Lena’s pocket and the area around the church where the cross is. It sits by Lena’s bench.

Pocket Angels Song

One night when it was dark and I was lonely, I wondered about my Lena. Where has she been? To my surprise, she appeared to me in a vision. I saw my daughter sitting in heaven on a bench.

She was all dressed in white with tiny ruffles. She was playing with a pocket on her dress. I took a peek. I thought that I saw butterflies. But when I took a closer look, I saw it was angels instead.

Chorus

Pocket angels, oh pocket angels

Little baby cherubs flying around

Pocket angels, oh pocket angels

They are flying all around up in the clouds.

If you’ve had a child who’s died and gone on before you, you may wonder as you miss them, Are they sad? I cannot tell you all that goes on in heaven, but I can tell you as I prayed at the altar, they appeared again.

Chorus

Pocket angels, oh pocket angels

Little baby cherubs flying around

Pocket angels, oh pocket angels

They are flying all around up in the clouds.

In this world, there is sorrow, grief, and worry. Oh, it seems there is trouble in every hand. Our children are taken from us at such a young age. What’s happened to them wasn’t included in our plans.

They’ve been murdered and shot down, and some have died in car wrecks. The plans we had for them are all ruined. But be assured that up in heaven they will not suffer, for on the streets the angels will play with them always.

Chorus

Pocket angels, oh pocket angels

Little baby cherubs flying around

Pocket angels, oh pocket angels

They are flying all around up in the clouds.

Once upon a time, over thirty-eight years ago, in a Southern Indiana town, there was a baby girl born who always looked as if the sun could shine in her face. As she was growing up, you could say that she was like any other child, but it seemed there was something special about her. She loved everybody.

She had many friends through the years of her young life. Her mom, dad, and older sister adored her. The neighbor children flocked around her. Even in school, she never seemed to have any enemies. But if she did, they were not her enemy for very long because they couldn’t get past her big smile and bubbly personality without liking her.

One would think she could have owned the world; but it wasn’t to be. Someone had different ideas.

As she ran and played through her childhood days, she didn’t seem to have a care in the world. However, things changed in her teen years. Darkness lurked around her neighborhood. Sadness, woe, and troubles were closer than her family knew. It’s strange how one day life can be so full of promise and hope and the road straight and sure. Then the next day, all promise and hope are gone. It is strange, but the Bible says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, in as much as ye are partakers of Christ’s suffering, that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (1 Peter 4:12–13).

I’m Lena’s mother; and this is my story of what I’ve seen and heard through visions, dreams, and prayers. Join me and Lena on this journey where imaginary thoughts may not be imaginary anymore, a place where angels may be present and heaven could be near, where tragedies may be spoken of without grief and fears.

Lena is a young girl who in real life died a tragic death and left Earth to go to heaven. In her natural life, she was part of a family with a dad, mom, and sister. She was fourteen at the time of her death, and she died at home. She was a happy run-of-the-mill teenager who loved the telephone and her many friends.

Since she was twelve days old, she had a church family along with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins with whom she was very close. But even though she had all of this, she still had to face death. I don’t know why it had to be at such a young age. Only God knows.

God holds all breath in his hands. He gives life; but he can also take it away. One good thing about it all is that there is a better place to go to and a better life if we live right and prepare to go there: heaven! What did it mean for Lena?

I don’t know everything, but I believe I saw a small glimpse when I saw the vision of her in heaven sitting on a bench, dressed in white. She was playing with baby cherubs or angels flying in and out of her pocket. I also saw a small country church there and a tall cross with a circle on top which wasn’t connected to the cross.

This is how I got the life of my stories. They fill my head, and I write them down as I feel led. I believe God has led me to write what I see to help and comfort all those who are losing their children and siblings at young ages. My stories relate to what is happing in the world today. I have been a Sunday school teacher for thirty-five years, and I have seen miracles. My stories include Bible verses. A lot in my stories are true, but of course some storylines are make-believe. Some are influenced by past events. Children, young people, and even adults can relate to these stories.

Because of where Lena live in her own little land outside of heaven, there is still daytime and nighttime. The natural part of life is still in this place.

All I can tell you is what I have seen through prayer and faith in God. I like to imagine good things in life. After Lena’s death, it took me over twenty years to look at or hang up Lena’s pictures. She has been gone for over twenty-four years now. Since I received the vision of her, I have been uplifted, and I understand a lot more now.

Lena’s dad, sister, and I have hope of seeing her again. Who knows? She may welcome us to heaven, or maybe one of your children will. I choose to believe that it is all going to end well.

And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof (Zechariah 8:5). There can be no better street to play in. My stories are about children, angels, and hope of a happy place.

The children today are around so many bad things in the world. Some games are played that aren’t for children. Some movies and even cartoons have bad language. What happened to children being children? They grow up so quickly in today’s society.

My stories are full of love, friendship, hope, and, yes, even discipline when needed and forgiveness. They include a promise of heaven, angels, and Bible verses. There are stories from the past, present, and future as well as a few poems. My or, rather, Lena’s pocket angels aren’t perfect yet; but they do learn through these stories. I hope to help others learn also.

The cherubs have more of the heart and spirit of children and young people except for the older mature cherubs. Just as children do, they make mistakes and feel emotions. They cry, laugh, and feel fear at times. Because Lena is a human, the cherubs learn her ways. Even though there is no real darkness here, there is still nature and the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

At times, imaginations work over time. Join me and Lena on this wonderful, breathtaking journey. See if it relates to you and yours.

May God bless those who read and follow this journey with comfort, peace, and joy and a lot of laughter.

Special Poem 1

In a place far away on the front side of glory dwells a young girl whose name is Lena. She is a special girl who has special gifts given to her.

What makes these gifts special is where they came from, what they are, and whom they came from.

Lena is sitting on her bench where the sun is brighter than ever before and the sky is blue as blue can be. The clouds are the purest white, fluffy, and free.

She looks around in the place where she dwells. She notices the small country church on the hill. It is painted white with a steeple, pointing up into the sky.

And to the right where the bridge crosses and the waters flow, there’s a beautiful cross all aglow. It has a circle on top not connecting to it though.

She thinks to herself, I’m blessed to be here. I’m safe and happy from all my past fears.

I love my white pinafore apron dress with all the ruffles trimmed on my chest, but I love what’s inside my pocket the best.

From deep in my pocket fly out my little cherub angels. Oh my, oh my.

As Miracle announces to Lena, Here we come, she orders the cherubs around, being the oldest and motherly one.

She commands the younger cherubs to follow her out. Those she mentions by name are the closest to Lena’s heart. She loves them all, even though with some she parts.

As Miracle gives charge, Alicia, Bubbles, you girls wing it on the right side of me, Bubbles flies out giggling, happy, and free. She’s mostly cheerful. As you read the stories, you will see.

Christian, Yonnie, and Jellybean, you boys wing it on the left side of me. The rest of you cherubs, gather all around. You listen to Lena, to her every sound.

Lena tells them, "You are precious to me. You are the gifts I received. When I came here, Jesus gave you to me.

You will see wonders and sights untold, as you fly around in this heavenly abode. You may have questions if you don’t understand. Just ask Miracle. She can explain them."

With wide eyes and open mouths, they stare amazed, as they wait to hear of this wonderful place.

"Another gift that has been given to me is that I can see not only the present and future but also the past. I help children and young ones, you see, to cross over the bridge to be made free.

But as we cross over and enter the gate, in those heavenly mansions no sadness or grief awaits. But as long as I’m here by this little church and cross, I can help young ones who feel like they’re lost.

I know with time, you will learn as you should. You are little and childlike and told to be good, but with time and wisdom that comes from above, you will have power and the gift of heavenly love.

I also have one more gift that you cannot see, but you can hear it as you listen to me."

Special Poem 2

In this beautiful place, where colors are bright, birds sing and chirp in the early light.

Rabbits scuttle out from their holes in the ground. Squirrels play with one another while running up the trees which are bound from their roots in the ground.

Where the flowers and grass are wet from the dew, you see butterflies light on them to get a drink to renew.

Giraffes eat the leaves tall from the trees where the eagles rest in their homey nest.

Lena looks around as all the beauty abounds, lighthearted and peaceful with a soul at ease, knowing evil, sin, or ugly will no more forever be seen.

The little church on the hill is all aglow, as the cross with the circle has a story of its own.

The cherubs notice, as they look at Lena’s face, she may be remembering another happy place.

Miracle, Alicia, and Bubbles bring up the front, as Christian, Yonnie, and Jelly Bean follow suit.

As Lena sings Pocket Angels, they listen with awe, because she sings from her heart. They can tell her past she recalls.

Miracle motions to the cherubs to not bother Lena now as Lena stares at the water, which stands still. With her image shining back, her own smile reveals.

As her past swirls around in her head and she remembers the home where she once lived, she sees her mom, dad, and sister and looks pleased. I remember them all. My soul is at ease. One day I will see them in this land. We will all be together, together again.

Chapter 1

Christian and Yonnie Learn about Gifts

Lena is singing Pocket Angels while sitting on her bench. Some of the cherubs hear her and begin talking to each other. Because Miracle is the mature cherub that always watches over the others, she flies out of Lena’s pocket to see what Christian and Yonnie are up to, especially Christian as he can be rowdy at times.

She hears Lena singing Pocket Angels and sees the boys playing close by. Christian, why are you holding your ears? she asks.

Barely hearing her, he says, What?

She asks again a little louder, Why are you holding your ears?

He asks a little louder, What?

Getting tired of this, she grabs his fingers from his ears and quickly asks again, I said why are you holding your ears?

Oh, I couldn’t hear what you were saying.

I know. It was because your fingers were over your ears. Why?

With a look of disgust, he says, I just can’t stand to hear girls sing these cutesy songs.

Thinking to herself about what Lena’s song means, she replies, That is a beautiful song, and Lena sounds heavenly.

Yeah, you would think that because you’re a girl. Boys don’t like singing.

Yonnie chimes in, I’m a boy and I love singing.

Teasingly, Christian says, Yeah, Yonnie, but you’re a sissy.

With a look of shock, Yonnie fires back, I’m not a sissy. I just have a good, kind heart.

Yeah, yeah, whatever you want to call it.

With dignity, Yonnie holds his head up high and pouts.

Stop it right now, you guys. I’ve heard enough. As they both start to accuse one another to her, she starts