My sister had a convertable once.

One time my sister should have died. She was in her car driving home when a semi truck in front of her stopped and she didn’t see it; she slammed on her breaks and swerved to the right but the car still caught the corning on its backside. I remember sitting at work when I got the phone call from my mom. It was one of those phone calls when you recognize the number and pick up the receiver chipper only to hear the panic in the voice on the other end. I’ll never forget the day my Great Aunt Ruthie called and quietly asked to speak with my mom; it was New Years Day and I asked if she was enjoying the new year only to be answered with “ I need to speak with you mom”. I bounced into her room and handed her the phone in bed only to watch her face drop and hear the shriek in her voice as she screamed “No” in response to finding out her dad passed away the night before. That day in my cubical my mom was slow to speak and crying; “Mom what happened?” was the fastest thing that could jump out of my throat. Before she could even speak tears welled up in my eyes; when someone answers the phone crying and can’t even talk the news has to be bad and if they took the time to call you while still crying you know it’s because you’re about to cry too.


“Your sister was in a car accident?”


Now at this point I’m crying because hearing the news your blood related, Barbie doll sharing, punk of an older sister was in a car accident life was about to fall apart quick.


“Is she okay” I mustered out.


“They are taking her to the hospital now”
“Who’s taking her?”
“The ambulance”


And then something clicked in my head; my sister has two kids who are with her at every moment of her day…..which means they would have been with her in the car…. “Mom, what about the kids”? Silence. “MOM”? It was the yell of hope. “They’re fine, they’re with me”. Out of all the days in the year the kids happen to be staying with my mom so my sister could “hurry and run some errands”.
The hours progressed and eventually found out she was doing okay at the hospital. And by okay I mean great. And by great I mean an absolute miracle happened when she looked up and realized she was about the run into a semi truck. She later said she just felt like she should lean her head right and she did in perfect timing; the right edge of the back on the semi smashed into her windshield, hooked onto the car, and literally peeled the roof of the car backwards. Seeing pictures of the totaled car you wouldn’t expect anyone to survive that. In small moments like seeing a rainbow driving down the highway or getting the last good parking space at the mall you know God is real; but when you’re sister should have been decapitated and she walks out of the hospital that day with a few bruises you know God is incredible.

The after shots taken at the junk yard