Radio and television hosts and newspaper reporters frequently ask this question when we do interviews for our books. Sometimes it is accompanied by a snide comment such as, “My pet isn’t an angel!” Then they go on to report all the behavior that drives them crazy. Usually they end their tirade by saying, “But he’s family, and we love him.”
Over these many years, as you can imagine, we have come up with an answer to the question about animals as angels. We explain that our definition of an angel animal springs from the Greek derivation for the word angel, or angelos. This word literally means messenger.
We believe (and have thousands of stories to back us up) that animals can be divine messengers who bring assurance to people that yes, indeed, there is love in this world.
Then we get into the thornier aspect of the question: Is every animal an angel?
Because both animals and humans are souls, or divine sparks of God, clothed in physical form, they can serve as messengers for others. Notice we draw no distinction between joyful, sad, protective, or any other type of message.
Mother Teresa once compared herself to a pencil God used for writing a love letter to the universe. Animals are delivering love letters too. What does yours say today?