I am a grandmother of eight beautiful children. My memories of my own dear grandmother Lila make me strive to be as good an example to my own grandchildren as she was to me.

Several years ago, during the Christmas season, one of my daughters and her husband and children came to visit my husband and me during the holiday season. Feeling the Christmas spirit, I took great joy in decorating our home with both sentimental items from years past, and a few new treasures in preparation for their visit.

One of the newer decorative items was a lovely ceramic angel that stands almost a foot tall and is designed to be displayed on a mantle or tabletop.

Her wings are spread open and she holds a harp with delicate hands, her long wavy auburn hair framing her dainty face with a loving expression on her face. The amazing thing about this angel is that the edges of her wings are covered with transparent fiber optic tubes so that when she is plugged in, her wings light up in a plethora of colors that change and alternate every few seconds in breathtaking fashion.

When other lights in the room are dimmed, she casts a mesmerizing glow. It almost seems that she is watching you, no matter where you are in the room. I decided from the moment I first took her out of the box that she would represent my guardian angel.

So when my seven year old granddaughter saw and became transfixed with the beauty of this angel, it gave me a chance to have a meaningful dialogue with her about angels and how they watch over us throughout our lives.

"What is her name, Grandma?"

"Well you know dear, I hadn't really thought about it. What do you think I should call her?"

She stood and thought deeply for a few seconds without saying a word.

"What name do you think would best suit her?", I prompted gently. "She's so beautiful, she must be given a beautiful name, don't you agree?"

Suddenly, without hesitation, and with a twinkle in her eyes, my granddaughter exclaimed, "LILA!" I think you should call her Lila!"

I froze, at first not believing my own ears, but quickly agreed. "Yes, Lila is a lovely name for her my dear! Did you know that Lila was the name of my grandmother?" I didn't see how she could have known. I had never spoken about my grandmother Lila in her presence. It made the hairs on my arm stand up to think that of all the names she could have chosen, Lila was the name that came out of her mouth.

"Lila she is then," I said softly. "She will be my guardian angel from now on." And she will.