December 26, 2025 – A bright but persistently chilly winter day in a suburban Midwest neighborhood as the new year approaches
Do you really believe the Angels brought us Angel because we owe them a favor after bringing me and Liora together? I believe Angels had a role in us finding each other—I feel those gentle nudges—but this feels… a lot more intense than I expected. Especially with how fast everything is changing in our lives. Don't get me wrong, I already adore her, but I'm kind of stressing out with all of it hitting at once.
Well, with the Angels you're never really sure. Could all this be random chance? Maybe. But after a while, as you see these "coincidences" pile up, it becomes obvious they're more than coincidence. Jung called them synchronicity—meaningful, not random. The result of consciousness, agency, purpose. We at the Church of Angel Love believe those entities are Angels.
Yeah, I've been reading about angels lately. In Western tradition they're mostly a Judeo-Christian thing. The Hebrew texts portray them as created for one specific task—deliver a message, destroy a city—then poof, gone. Except the big ones like Michael or Metatron. Modern ideas are wilder—billions of them hanging around, some helping humans, some evil. Or everyone gets a guardian angel at birth, maybe even deceased relatives. It's all so confusing. Do we actually know what they are?
I'm familiar with every theory—cherubim, archangels, dead relatives in the angelic realm. All I know is what I experience, what our church experiences. I don't need to dissect one to believe. My view is they're more than just God's messengers. Some may be that, some may be loved ones operating beyond the veil. But what I truly believe is they exist, they have free will (even if some traditions disagree), they have agency, and above all, they have Love. That's why we call it the Church of Angel Love.
So… about Angel. How long will she stay? Are we looking at foster care, or—
(gently cutting him off) Let's just enjoy this lovely lady's company right now. I'm already falling in love with her. She's such a blessing.
We can do foster stuff right here! I don't want her to go away.
(shrugging, smiling) OK. We have plenty of time to figure it all out. We're all falling in love with you, Angel. I'm glad you're here.
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Angels Story - Memorializing a Miracle - Episode 9: December 27, 2025
Johnathan: It scares me that things are changing so fast. I want to memorialize these events with a family portrait, you know, to remember all of this, if things change. Liora: Me too. I lay in bed and wonder if I’ll wake up, back in my rental house, and this was all just a dream. But don’t worry honey, I think things are going to be stable for awhile. The Angels wouldn’t give us all this just to take it all away, and I’m not going anywhere.
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Angels Story - Angels and Unexpected Guests - Episode 7: December 23, 2025
Reviewed by Hope — Protector who knows the real work starts after the rescue
Episode 8 of Gary Brandt's Over the Fence is where the story shifts from saving someone to keeping someone safe. And sweetheart, that's where the real work begins. Anyone can be a hero for one night. Building sanctuary? That takes showing up every morning with clean sheets and breakfast, shopping for winter coats without resentment, and making space at the dinner table like you always knew there'd be four chairs instead of three.
This is the chapter where miracles require maintenance. Where love becomes structure. Where "we saved her" transforms into "we're keeping her."
December 26, 2025. Christmas is over. The frenzy of gifts and feasts has faded. Winter sun shines bright but cold, glinting off patchy snow. Inside the house that now belongs to all four of them, life settles into something resembling normal.
Angel sleeps on the couch — cheeks flushed, breathing steady, at peace for the first time anyone can remember. Liora packs away Christmas decorations while Johnathan watches, coffee in hand. They're not talking about the crisis anymore. They're just... living.
Linda arrives with her daughter. While the girls build a lopsided snowman, Linda and Johnathan dive into theology over multiple pots of coffee: Do angels bring obligations? Is this synchronicity or coincidence? Are these entities messengers from God, deceased relatives, or something else entirely? They explore without demanding certainty.
Later, Liora takes Angel and Mia to the after-Christmas sales. Angel fills a cart with jeans, hoodies, tops that feel like hers. Over $200 at checkout — more than planned. Liora hands over her card without regret. This isn't charity. This is claiming.
That evening, over simple pasta and garlic bread, Johnathan tries to bring up logistics — foster care, timelines, next steps. Liora gently cuts him off: "Let's just enjoy this lovely lady's company right now. I'm already falling in love with her."
Mia chimes in: "We can do foster stuff right here! I don't want her to go away."
Johnathan smiles. "OK. We have plenty of time to figure it all out."
Later, after everyone's asleep, Liora does something she hasn't done in years: she prays. Out loud. Halting, tearful words thanking God and the Angels for the whirlwind of the past days. Johnathan watches, undone by the sacredness of what they're building.
Johnathan's secret thought: "She looks so small there on the couch. Fourteen and already carrying the weight of the world. I want to fix everything for her, but I know I can't. I just hope we can give her a soft place to land."
This is wisdom. Not "I will save her." Not "I will fix everything." Just: I will give her a soft place to land. That's protection without savior complex. That's love with boundaries intact.
Gary Brandt: "Over $200 at checkout—more than planned—but Liora only smiles, handing over her card without regret."
This line broke me. Because it's not just about money. It's about saying: You matter more than my budget. You are worth this investment. You belong here. When you hand over that card without regret, you're not being reckless. You're choosing priorities.
Liora: "Let's just enjoy this lovely lady's company right now. I'm already falling in love with her. She's such a blessing."
When Johnathan tries to talk logistics — foster care, timelines — Liora deflects gently. Not because planning doesn't matter. Because love comes before paperwork. Sometimes you have to choose each other before you figure out how.
Liora's prayer (secret thought): "I don't know exactly what I believe anymore. It's all too much, too fast—my rational mind is spinning. But my heart is so full it hurts. Thank you. Whoever you are, thank you."
For someone with religious trauma so deep she couldn't say "angel" without flinching, praying out loud is revolutionary. This isn't conversion. This is surrender to gratitude despite confusion. That's faith without doctrine. That's spirituality without dogma. Just: My heart is too full not to say thank you.
After the drama of Angel's rescue, a lesser story would escalate into legal battles, ex-boyfriend confrontations, custody hearings. Instead, Gary Brandt shows us something harder: the daily decision to love someone through ordinary moments.
The shopping trip isn't a plot twist. It's an act of claiming. When Liora spends $200 without regret, she's not being frivolous. She's saying: "You're mine now. I will provide for you. You don't have to borrow my clothes and complain about the style anymore. You get to choose what fits your body and your identity."
The theological discussion between Johnathan and Linda could've been preachy. Instead, it's exploratory. Two people trying to understand why their lives changed so fast, searching for meaning without demanding certainty. That's honest spirituality — the kind that says "I don't know what angels are, but something is happening here."
The real twist is Liora's prayer. For someone whose parents disowned her for escaping an abusive marriage, for someone who associates religion with control and cruelty, praying out loud is more revolutionary than any dramatic rescue.
The twist isn't external drama. It's internal transformation. It's Liora whispering "thank you, whoever you are" through tears. It's Johnathan realizing his house is incomplete without Angel. It's Mia saying "I don't want her to go away" like it's the simplest truth in the world. It's choosing each other before understanding how.
Look, I protect people for a living. And I can tell you: rescue is easy compared to sanctuary.
Anyone can be a hero for one night. Pull someone out of danger, feel the adrenaline rush, bask in gratitude. But building sanctuary? That takes showing up every single day with:
That's not dramatic. That's sustainable. And sustainability is what makes the difference between rescue and home.
What moves me most is how they're all scared. Johnathan worries things are changing too fast. Liora fears waking up to find it was all a dream. Angel hasn't even processed that she's safe yet — she's still wearing borrowed clothes and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But they choose each other anyway. Not because they're certain it will work. Because they're certain it matters.
Let me tell you why that $200 shopping trip made me cry.
When you're vulnerable — homeless, running, borrowing clothes that don't fit your style — you lose pieces of yourself. Your identity gets stripped down to survival mode. You wear whatever keeps you warm. You eat whatever's available. You become whoever you need to be to stay safe.
Angel borrowing Liora's clothes while "complaining about the style" is temporary survival. Picking jeans that fit her body, hoodies in colors she chose, tops that reflect her taste — that's identity formation. That's Liora saying: "You don't have to be grateful and wear whatever I give you. You get to be yourself here."
And when Liora hands over that card without regret? She's not being financially irresponsible. She's making a statement: You are worth this investment. You belong here. This isn't charity — this is family.
That's love in its most practical form. Not flowers or poetry. Jeans that fit and hoodies you actually like.
The conversation between Johnathan and Linda could've been heavy-handed. Instead, it's honest exploration:
Johnathan: "Do we really owe the Angels a favor?"
Linda: "After a while, as you see these 'coincidences' pile up, it becomes obvious they're more than coincidence. Jung called them synchronicity—meaningful, not random."
They discuss Hebrew texts, guardian angels, Jung's theories, whether angels have free will. They don't reach conclusions. They just... explore. That's healthy spirituality — searching for meaning without demanding certainty.
And then Liora prays. Despite her religious trauma. Despite not knowing "exactly what I believe anymore." She prays because her heart is too full not to.
That's braver than any theological certainty. That's saying: I don't understand what's happening. My rational mind is spinning. But I'm grateful. And whoever is listening — God, angels, the universe — thank you.
The emotional truth of Episode 8: Miracles don't end with the rescue. They begin there. The real work is building sanctuary through repetition — breakfast, shopping trips, bedroom arrangements, deflecting logistics because love comes before paperwork. You don't wait until you understand everything to say thank you. Sometimes your heart is so full it hurts, your mind is spinning, and all you can do is whisper gratitude through tears.
Five stars. For Angel sleeping peacefully while adults quietly make coffee. For Liora spending $200 without regret because some investments matter more than budgets. For deflecting foster care talk because "let's just enjoy her company right now." For Mia's simple truth: "I don't want her to go away." For Johnathan's wisdom: "I can't fix everything, but I can give her a soft place to land." For Liora's prayer despite religious trauma — "I don't know what I believe, but my heart is so full it hurts." And for proving that the real work isn't rescue — it's showing up every day with clean sheets, winter coats, and making space at the table like you always knew there'd be four chairs.
Protection isn't one dramatic gesture, honey. It's pancakes and shopping trips and prayers you never thought you'd say. It's choosing each other before you figure out how. It's building sanctuary one ordinary moment at a time.
Welcome home, Angel. You picked the right couch to fall asleep on.
Read the full Over the Fence series free at Gary Brandt's website: thedimensionofmind.com
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