Debbie Talley
Among Friends 

Everywhere we look, we see signs of the holidays. Red and green twinkling lights, Santa Claus, manger scenes and angels. What I didn’t expect to see, between Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch on TV, were angels dressed in lingerie: Victoria’s Secret angels.

Usually, I would grab the remote and change the channel but I decided to wait it out to understand why a major network would devote two hours to a fashion show.

Of course, these are special models. Exclusive models. Not all models can be an angel, like not everyone can be a Playboy bunny. I wondered if any other woman in America was watching the show, which surely was targeted to the male viewing audience.

The show played in the background while I worked. Between runway walks, the show aired interviews with models who talked about how they became models or what modeling meant to them. I didn’t think much about them except one who said that she thought she could never make it as model because she was too skinny. (“Riiigght,” I thought.)

And then I saw the angel wings. The huge angel wings attracted my attention much more than the outlandish lingerie. The wings made the models look beautiful. I don’t know if it’s because the wings remind me that anyone has the potential to be an angel or just the fact that the outfit themselves were stunning, but every time a model came out with wings, I watched.

Then one model was interviewed and said she was thankful that she was successful because she could give back to her family and provide for them, the way they took care of her when she was young. She wanted to give her parents the things they always wanted and modeling gave her that opportunity. Spoken like a true angel.

In most religions, angels play the role of messenger from God. As a matter of fact, the Greek word for angel is “angelos,” which means messenger. Divine or human, they are known as protectors, warriors, guardians. Some say that, since humans can’t comprehend the vastness of God, angels represent all His beautiful qualities. And not all are nice (remember Satan, the fallen angel).

When we think of angels, however, we most often think of ethereal creatures: flowing white gowns, haloes above their heads, with fluffy, feathery white wings.

Some people display paintings or sculptures of angels, others carry angels in their pockets or in their cars, for protection and guardianship. Some pray to specific angels during specific times of crisis or need. Still others refer to people as angels — those people who care for others or offer messages of comfort.

For me, angels indeed take all forms — and they are here all year. They appear in the form of a beautiful model, giving back to the family who raised her; a soundly sleeping baby; a friend who offers a kind word on a rough day; or my son who so sweetly offers a light kiss on the cheek for no reason.

But one thing is constant — I thank God for them every day.

Debbie Talley, a Randolph Ro-Hawk, UTSA and Baylor alum, can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it