Except for the families involved, the event at Cokeville, Wyoming, on May 16, 1986, probably slid into the dustbin of history many years ago.

It was a normal day for the 154 children attending elementary school in this little hamlet—that is, until a young couple entered the building and inexplicably announced that they were taking everyone hostage. Terrified kids—and teachers attempting to remain calm—were herded into one classroom, where they were shown the bombs that the young man was wearing.

Once again, Lent had a special meaning in 2011 for Loci Lenar of Mine Hill, New Jersey.

During every Lent since 2005, the image of a cross has appeared on his backyard fence, and this year was no exception.

In 1855, Adele Bris — a 24-year-old who, with her family, had come from Belgium to settle near Green Bay, Wisconsin — began seeing a beautiful lady, just as the famous Bernadette of Lourdes had a year before.

The lady was concerned about the new immigrants abandoning their faith, and she asked Adele to teach the children. Education progressed, but slowly. At one point the lady told Adele that her son might need to punish the people if they did not mend their ways. Adele was convinced she was speaking to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Americans will never forget the first time human beings set foot on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on July 20, 1969.

Armstrong took the first step and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” An entire planet probably trembled with a new awareness of God and His vast creation.

When I began writing about angels, I noticed that the secular media didn’t know what to do about them. The talk show hosts were usually very kind to me when we did interviews, but sometimes at a loss to describe what angels were, and their roles in our lives.

It obviously took time for them to become more comfortable with this topic. But they did, and three entries here are proof positive:

One of my favorite fellow bloggers is Loci Lenar, who posts Angels, Wonders and Miracles of Faith. This blog documents current spiritual signs and wonders, happenings that make people sit up and take notice.

Last year as we approached Christmas, I was discussing angels with a group of fourth graders. Several kids wondered about the purpose of angels—why did God create them and what was their mission here on earth? 

Rather than speculate, I decided to demonstrate! I suggested they read the entire story of Christ’s birth, but eliminate every reference to angels. Then, if they desired, they could go back to the beginning of the story and read it the way it was written—angels added.

This year, my grandson discovered the “truth” about that jolly old man in red. He's nine, surely old enough to already have guessed what has been going on.

And due to regular church-going and discussions about the faith, he is aware of the real meaning of Christmas, and can tell you the Bethlehem story (especially the part about the angels!) with few pauses. So when my daughter inadvertently mentioned the subject, then realized that she would have to ‘fess up, we assumed it would be no big deal. We were wrong.

We’ve all heard the song “Pennies from Heaven,” and several years ago, I wrote a story about people who were receiving pennies out of the blue—mostly lying on streets or in the bottom of their purses, but also in more random places. 

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the early church in Rome wrote many pages about His teachings on angels, and selected September 29 as a day to honor Michael the Archangel. (Later, the honor was given to all the Archangels.)