CHAPTER EIGHT: Earth Angels
Book One: Setting the Stage by K.A. Gilmore
Who are earth angels?
These are the people whose actions surpass the ordinary. The people who know you have too much pride to ask for help but offer help in a way that allows you to accept it without loss of pride. People who will fight for your cause, even if it’s not their cause. They are mostly white people. Not for any other reason other than they are often in position to overcome discrimination in away you can’t because of your Black skin.
As I write these stories about these especially self-sacrificing people, I tear up. I hope these stories encourage you to become more aware of those around you. Are you truly as inclusive as you believe you are? Or is that a front you put on? The people in this chapter not only noticed it, but acted on behalf of a Black person in their world.
Morris and Pat Byrd “The Byrds”
I truly believe these two people were angels of a higher order. They had been guiding figures in my family’s lives for decades. They met in the mid-60s. The two families have looked out for each other, as though they were blood relatives.
They were at least 10 years older than my parents. My mom was 27 years old and dad 34 when they met at Lowry AFB in Aurora, Colorado. I cannot do the justice this family deserves in one paragraph. They were my parents’ longest, lifetime friends, a span of 50 plus years. I’ve known this family my entire life. They were why my parents retired in Spokane. Their impact is nothing but significant on my parents’ lives.
My dad absolutely looked up to Morris, and they were fast friends regardless of skin color differences. They shared an interest in the TV production world, working together at KSPS, the local PBS station as civilians post their military careers.
Our families did many things together over the 40 to 50-year friendship. When we came back from Italy and my dad had to put in where he wanted to go as his last base prior to retirement. Why did he choose Fairchild Air Force Base outside Spokane, Washington? Because their good friends, the Byrds, lived there.
Morris retired at Fairchild Air Force base after his time in Denver, and highly recommended the city to my parents. My parents trusted them immensely and the rest is history.
They didn’t just recommend Spokane, they opened up their home to the entire Gilmore clan on the backend of our Italy trip. We stayed until our household goods arrived and base housing was available. There were eleven people in one house for months. I vaguely recall it being summertime. Their house had a nice backyard, complete with a pool. I’d never seen a family with a pool before. It was heaven, though I had no idea how to swim.
Mrs. Byrd was a saint. Going over to their house meant you were going to be well fed, clothed and loved the entire time. They had three children, all adopted. Their oldest was around the same age as my oldest sisters’ while their son was very close in age to my brother, and their youngest was exactly my age.
That relationship between the two families continued well past the death of my dad. They were there for my mom, as you’d expect. Mr. Byrd was recovering from heart surgery and couldn’t attend. That had to have broken his heart even further, as he loved my dad fully and completely. They were there for my mom, as she navigated new territory without her husband.
The last time I saw them was at my mom’s 70th surprise birthday party. My mom said she’d never had a surprise birthday party before. We made it happen.
They were frail the last time. Mrs. Byrd was severely impacted by Rheumatoid arthritis by then. Her knuckles often swollen and distended, but that didn’t stop her for whipping up a batch of homemade popcorn using bacon grease or good ol’ grits. I don’t like grits and was tricked into thinking it was Cream of Wheat ladling a huge pile on my plate only to hear Pat’s sweet voice ask if I liked grits. Ugh. No. I don’t, and I’m too nice to put it back or throw it away.
All of my siblings understand the huge sacrifice they made over the years for our family and loved them as family. Both of them have now passed.
[Next Earth Angel in my Life…my daughter’s namesake]
This excerpt is 18% of the full chapter which expands across more than 4,145 words. There are many more earth angels revealed in the chapter from all decades of my life.
Who are the earth angels in your life?
Better yet, have you been someone’s earth angel?
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where you are in your journey.