-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had only been doing the Angel Project on the streets for a month when a friend of mine whom I'd met at Agape Spiritual Center, and who is also a DJ, invited me to a red carpet event at a hotel. He told me that the crowd at the event could use my Angel messages. I had no idea how amazing of an event it would turn out to be! Agape Spiritual Center is kind of like a church, but different and was founded by Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, who was a featured speaker in the well-known documentary called, "The Secret". I think The Secret is awesome, and I own a copy on DVD. Once I had gotten to attend Agape for a service, I was hoping that someday I would get to meet Michael Beckwith...
So the night of the event, I put on my most giant pair of angel wings and grabbed one of my huge posters. When I pulled up to the hotel, I was amazed by how snazzy of a joint it was! Tuxedo-sporting staff members everywhere, fancy cars getting valeted left and right, beautiful water fountains and lighting wherever my eyes looked. I was almost intimidated by how ritzy it all was. I was thinking that surely these rich people will take one look at me and think I'm nuts! LOL
I put on my brave face and strolled up in there. I came upon two ladies at a small sign-in table. They looked me up and down, obviously not sure what to make of me, and asked who I was. They checked their guest list, and apparently my name wasn't on it. I was a bit embarrassed as I explained who I was and how I got invited. One of the ladies said she'd go find the DJ and be back. When she came back though, she said she didn't see any DJ around. I didn't know what to do at that point, so I went to sit down in a nearby couch area and texted my DJ friend to tell him my predicament, asking him to come get me. While I was sitting there, a man in a tuxedo came up and asked if he could wear my wings for a bit. I was like, "Uhh, sure go ahead!" So he happily strapped on my wings and began to parade around the restaurant area proudly. Turns out the guy was the manager of the restaurant! He gave me his card and thanked me for letting him sport my wings.
Finally my friend approached, and I followed him right into the event, passing the sign-in table. The two ladies that had been at the table were mysteriously gone. Fate must have arranged that somehow. The event was being held at an outdoor patio area. As soon as I walked into the event, a lady appeared in front of me wearing all black, and kind of got up in my face asking who I was and what I was doing there. I was stammering trying to figure out what to say, when she told me it was her event and she wasn't sure she liked me having my poster. Just then, a group of people grabbed her, wanting to take a photo with her, so she turned and left me standing there. My DJ friend had disappeared in the crowd, so I just stood there for a little while, basically waiting for the woman to come back and yell at me some more. She ended up staying busy doing photos, so I walked to the corner of the event near the food table and just stood there shyly, not knowing what to do and not feeling very welcomed.
I was facing the corner, with my back to the party crowd, trying to compose myself, when suddenly, I heard a guy's voice say "Hey!" I turned around, and was stunned to see a very handsome guy standing there, with the brightest smile I've ever seen. I was taken aback, like in the movie Forrest Gump, when Forrest sees Jenny on the school bus for the first time. He introduced himself {Paris Dylan}, and wanted to know what I was doing in the angel outfit. He told me he used to be an inspirational speaker, but now he was an actor and had a comedy show with a famous comedian cohort {Andy Dick}. He led me over to introduce me to a bunch of people, including Andy Dick, which was great because I sure felt weird standing alone in the corner in my angel regalia while everyone stared at me, wondering what I was doing there and who invited me. After Paris got me successfully infiltrated into the party, I was more at ease. (I ended up dating him on and off for several months :) We stay in touch and still care about each other). He ended up getting is own TV Radio show on TradioV.com/LA called "Paris in LA" and he had me as a guest on his show!
The 1-hour episode where I'm interviewed by Paris on his show with co-host Jen Rade, a Hollywood Stylist:
As far as events and red carpets go, I STRUCK GOLD on my very first time!! I got to meet Michael Beckwith, I met a sweet guy that I ended up dating for awhile that night, and I also got to meet one of the founders of the Knowphest event that night. The Knowphest was an event I'd actually heard about before that night and wanted to attend. Long story short, I ended up getting to attend the Knowphest for helping to promote the event, and it was such an amazing experience in and of itself because THAT event led me to many more amazing people that have strongly influenced my life and helped further my spiritual growth and the Angel Project.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall, fate intricately weaved a lot of happenings and meetings that night that were epically pivotal in my life.
Life Lessons: Pay attention to the doors that open for you, and have the courage to walk through them.
Also, you don't always have to follow the rules! You may not always fit in with the crowd, but that's ok. God made you a unique masterpiece; just be yourself and shine in whatever circumstances you find yourself thrown into, because you never know what will happen!
~Mandelyn Reese~
The LA Street Angel
4/13/13
I love reading your stories. You should seriously publish a book. You never know, it could turn into a best seller and end up as a TV series. Consider adding more dialogue :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! What could use more dialogue?
DeleteYour Blog in general :)
ReplyDelete