Angels in the Department Store

An Angel Blouse and a Lesson in Forgiveness

By Katharine Giovanni

The angels have a funny way of getting my attention. This time it was in the checkout line of a department store. Last Saturday, they reminded me (again) that my real work doesn’t happen in a corporate suit. It happens in the ordinary. Checkout lines, coffee shops, and all the places you’d never think angels would show up. Apparently, they like department stores too.

I had found two blouses I liked, only to realize in the fitting room that I’d grabbed the exact same one from two different sections of the store. Message received. Buy the blouse. (It’s now my “angel shirt.”)

When I finally found a register, the poor cashier looked exhausted. The last customer had drained him, and I could feel the stress rolling off him in waves. But instead of turning away, I stayed as I sensed that he needed me.

You see, back in the days when I trained concierge, I taught people how to read body language and pick up on the unspoken cues. Once you know how to read a room, you can’t unsee it. It’s a skill that sticks with you. Of course that was another lifetime ago (I’m retired from the concierge world now), but the lessons have never left me.

Which brings me back to that checkout line.

When it was my turn, I mentioned I used to train concierge staff and there was nothing he could do for that customer. This instantly gave him permission to exhale. Within minutes, he was telling me about his brother and how he could never forgive him.

Listen, he brought that up, not me.

I told him what I tell everyone: you don’t have to forgive the unforgivable. Seriously, you don’t.

You can forgive yourself for anything you did (or didn’t do). You can forgive all sorts of people, places, and things tied to that memory. The room, the city, even the year it happened. But the person themself? Only when you’re ready.

Forgive what you can and move forward. You can always circle back later if you want to. And if you don’t? That’s okay too.

Because everything carries energy, and it sticks in your field until you clear it out.

You forgive for you, not for them. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you’re saying they were right because they weren’t. What happened was still wrong, and making amends is their responsibility, not yours.

Forgiveness simply means you’re ready to move on. You want them out of your head so you can live your life again. It’s selfish in the best way, a private thing you do for your own peace, whether or not anyone else ever knows.

He stopped, stared, then whispered: “No one has ever told me that before.”

And that’s when his late mother came through to me with a message telling him he had done enough, and it was time to live his life. The shift was instant. His energy went from heavy to light, and for the first time, he smiled.

As I rode the escalator down, I heard the angels say: “Yes. This is what you’re meant to do.” And I laughed, because I intuitively knew they were right.

Here’s why I’m telling you this story.

Ten out of ten humans are intuitive. The truth is, the universe doesn’t care about perfect timing. It shows up where you least expect it. In checkout lines, over coffee, when you’re stuck in traffic, elbow-deep in dishes, or chasing the dog around the block. The extraordinary is often hiding inside the ordinary, waiting for you to notice.

And if you’d like to practice this in person, join us at one of our workshops! We do them a few times a year.

So pay attention. You never know when the universe is about to tap you on the shoulder, or hand you an angel blouse.

Until next time,
Katharine