Quiet Witness

Quiet Witness 

By Annette Camp 

January 20, 2026

Today—

with his mind loosening its grip,

my father looked at me and said,

“You’re the first angel I’ve ever seen.” 

I let the words stay with me.

Although it was a vision.

when he named me—

at the very edge of his leaving—

I understood.

Some angels are not messengers of God.

Some are simply witnesses.

And in that moment,

standing beside my dying father,

I was reminded—

I have watched my mother die of cancer.

I have held my grandmother’s hand,

felt it cool in mine as her world

narrowed because of cancer.

So much loss.

So much leaving.

And still,

I stand here—

the one who remains.

I have learned how to be present

at the threshold,

how to hold a hand,

how to listen

when words are breaking apart.

If I am an angel,

it is only this:

I stay until the end.

...a single tear loosens,

and without sound,

I let it fall.