Intro to a writing project I'm working on

[sinisterporpoise]

 (Note:  The conceit is that these tales are part of a collection of short stories mostly about a person named Sam who seems to show up at the right time in people's lives or at key moments in an individual's history.  The idea for each story is to hint at divine or supernatural intervention without actually specifying such a thing took place. I'm  might be pulling some of this from the Mormon ideas about the continue existence three Nephites who met Christ in the Americas and the continued existence of John the Revelator. The three Nephites and John the Revelator are supposed to walk unnoticed among modern men. However, I do need to check some details on this, particular any commentary on the belief systems of others.  If I am wrong or unintentionally offensive, please correct me. -Lara.**)

The world angel is missing from all of these stories in this text, although many of the people have read them are certain some divine or supernatural influence happened to each person. While certain elements of each story seem fantastic, they can easily be dismissed as embellishments to the tale. When they cannot be dismissed as embellishments, such details might be the result of an overactive imagination.

The editors who assembled this collection have no opinion either way. These stories might become folktales at some point, if they get handed down to children. Today, we call these stories urban legends. Urban legends, like the myths and folktales that came before them, often exist to tell some deeper truth as well as to entertain. It is the readers who must decide whether each of the stories included in this volume has value.

Even though the editors and the publishers make no claim about the accuracy of the stories, one figure, in particular kept popping up. As they read the text, many people seemed to have encountered a person named Sam. Some cynics might suggest that the people in these tales did not meet an angel, but rather a demonic entity. Samaael is, according to some theologians, the original name for Lucifer Morningstar. Even though Christian tradition holds that Lucifer is the prince of darkness and the father or lies, there is no set Jewish tradition on the matter. Some Jewish mystics believe Satan is merely a role given to an angel by god.* The word merely means adversary Such discussions are better left to rabbis, priests, and religious scholars.

There is one other possibility that those of a more religious and spiritual bent should consider before reading these stories. The mysterious figure each person encounters may really be an angel. Much like Satan meant adversary originally, the word angel just means messenger. Despite the popular beliefs about angels, the Bible does not say they have to have wings. Angels are just messengers sent by God to deliver a message. Anyone can be an angel under this definition. We hope our readers keep this in mind.

*Jews, unlike Christians, do not have set beliefs about the afterlife. How a person lives their life is far more important than what happens to a body after it is deceased. Please consult a Synagogue or a library for more detailed and likely more accurate information.

**If I am intentionally offensive, please deal with it the same way I've asked people to deal with me getting their preferred pronouns wrong. Negative reinforcement seems to be the only way my mind will accept zir after so many editors having problems with the singular they.