Staying alive is nice...

Well, Jeremy and I had a pleasant Friday night planned--but we got an unexpected brush with death.

We’d dropped off our sons at his parents’ house, then went to a restaurant for a rare and wonderful dinner out. Yes, we know food photos are requisite here on AnD, but we just didn’t think to take pics. So use your mind's eye. My food—Australian wine, French onion soup, prime rib, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Jeremy—Guinness, soup du jour, pasta with chicken and cream herb sauce. I had lemon custard pie for dessert, and Jeremy had cheesecake.

Oh, that’s right, the close brush with death. We were headed down the interstate, me at the wheel, when a car flew by to our left, about 95 miles per hour. I remember thinking, “Jerk.” I hate it when people drive like that. Suddenly, a white Nissan sports car was weaving in front of us. It was spinning. It slammed into the guardrail.

“Oh my God,” I said. “Oh my God.” I slammed on the brakes, sure I’d get rear-ended. No—the cars behind us had cleared out. In front, the car was still spinning wildly. Glass and debris were flying everywhere. I braced myself for the impact. The Nissan stopped, just a few feet from our front bumper.

“Oh my God.” I was breathing hard, my shoulders shaking. Jeremy directed me to back up and steer around the totaled Nissan onto the shoulder. He got out of the car to assess the damage. Miraculously, there was none. Some other motorists had stopped too, so I cut the engine and got out.

The Nissan carried one woman in club clothing. I would have checked on her, but others already had, and physically, she was fine. She just sat there in the car, cigarette lit. Someone told her to get out of the car for fear of igniting a gas leak. So she sat on the guardrail, spacing out.

Jeremy discussed the accident with the other people who had stopped to help. We waited for the police. I approached the Nissan girl, asking if she were alright. She shrugged. “I’ve wrecked cars before.”

Those of us at the scene agreed that she must have been under the influence. Her behavior was so out of character for someone who’d just come so close to death, and one of the good Samaritans smelled alcohol. Jeremy was angry that she showed so little concern for anyone else.

But I was only thankful. Thankful that, despite someone’s irresponsible choice to drive drunk, we’d emerged unscratched. Thankful that two little boys did not lose their mommy and daddy.

I am a deeply spiritual person. Though I don’t have easy answers for the tremendous pain of this world, I really believe Someone was looking out for me last night. Guess I have more to achieve here on Planet Earth. I can still see that Nissan spinning in front of me. But I’m thankful to still be here.