The Cable Guy – Or Was He?

My cable was down at work, which in a consulting environment driven by deadlines with clients can be a disaster.

My coworker called the cable company and left a message around 11:30 a.m.

After she hung up the phone, I told her that I had been through this before, and my previous experiences did not make me optimistic that he would call back, much less show up.

Then at high noon . . .

Thirty minutes after our initial call, the cable guy walked into our office. He said he was in the area so he just came by. I had no frame of reference for this quick response time. Plus, we usually see the van pull up since parking is directly in front of our office. We didn’t notice a vehicle this time.

As he entered our office, I saw that he had a huge smile on his face, which made me question whether he actually worked for the cable company.

My co-worker and I told him where the cable box was, and continued our conversation about my dad who was a minister. Our cable guy stopped in his tracks.

“I’m a part-time minister,” he explained.

And we started to talk . . . about everything.

We discussed children and grandparents and work and faith. Since he led music, we sang part of a hymn together. Then we found out that his church was near my current home, located in a sparsely populated area. I asked him if he’d ever seen any spirits out there since that location is known for them. He threw back his head and laughed, replying, “Of course I have.”

2:11 a.m. . . 

He told me that his spirit moments occurred at 2:11 a.m. That was when they came to him. We shared our spirit stories, sometimes laughing hysterically and other times getting misty-eyed.

After what seemed like 20 minutes, he said he had to go. As he was going out the door, he checked his phone for the time and looked at me.

“Check the time,” he said with a smile and a wink. And he was gone.

My coworker and I looked at the clock. It was 2:11 p.m.

I asked her what time he walked through the door. She said, “12:00 noon on the dot. I know because I was getting ready to leave for lunch.”

He had been with us 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Who was that cable guy?

My young coworker looked at me and said, “You guys were soul mates or something. I thought he was here for ten minutes, but he was here over two hours. The time flew. And it’s like you knew each other.”

I realized that I had been searching for some answers, and this visit reminded me of what is important – connection with others. I smiled to myself.

Then my business side kicked back in and I said, “He never fixed the cable!” Great, I thought, I just got scammed.

We ran to the door to grab him, but the van we never saw come or go was gone.

My coworker looked at her computer, then at me, all color leaving her face. “Um, the computers are back up,” she whispered.

“What? That’s impossible. He didn’t do anything, and we haven’t even shut them down or restarted.”

“Well,” she replied, “they’re back up.” And our computers have not gone down again in the past two years.

Maybe he was the best cable guy in the world, but I think he was more.

His very presence reminded me of the power found in human connection. I think we all define angels on earth differently, but he was one of mine. And I was reminded that each one of us can change someone else’s day and life by entering their story, and sharing one of our own.

 [If you have had an “angel on earth” experience that gave you or someone else needed power, please share in the comments below or send me an email at [email protected]]