ann kiemel

it just happened tuesday morning.
i had returned the night before from my
wonderful week-end visit with taylor in
monterey bay. starting to race out the
door to meet my friend at the bank,
i stopped.

no day works the way it should
unless it is started with God. putting
everything in my arms down, i went
over to my jean couch by the french
doors, and sat down. spending time
in the Scriptures .. reading my devotional
book...and yearning, before God, for His
blessings over my children and dear
friends. naming each, one by one,
i asked the Lord to touch. to forgive me
for yesterday's sins.

then,
i dressed myself in God's armor.
my heart was quiet. calm. Jesus and i
on a fresh, clear morning. ready.

driving down the country road where i live,
i was filled with a sense of God's presence.
never suspecting. never imagining.
heading to the bank, and blogs to write,
my thoughts were filled with peace.
i noticed a van on the left side of the road,
at a stop sign. such serenity that i never
expected this could be the last few moments
of my life.

as i was about to pass this side road,
the van seemed to leap across my view,
and in an instant, was directly in front of me.
i did not have even a second to brake.
no room to. no options. i screamed,
and plowed into this fast-moving vehicle,
listening to the crunch and twisting of
metal and glass. my car flipped and began
to roll. with such force and power.

all my bank papers flying around me. my cell
phone and purse...and with a sudden, hard
thud, my car (2005 kia sorento) landed on its
roof, and i was hanging upside down.

i was so scared.
was i paralyzed?
would i ever run again?
suddenly, a kind-looking man
got on his hands and knees, and looked
into my window.

"please get me out! please..."

crawling up onto my feet,
i stood. dazed. in shock. my car
flattened like a pancake, yet i could feel
the sun, warm on my skin, and the slight breeze
on my face. alive. the smell of the warm earth in
my nose.

"it wasn't your fault!" a kind man called to me.
"you never had a chance. that guy pulled directly
in front of you." i could hear the sirens approaching.
my friends who i rent my little house from soon appeared.

the paramedic took my vitals.
pulse of 70 and low blood pressure.
he was in awe. "i'm twenty-two, and i'm
not even close to your good shape, and you
you just flipped your car!"

when others approached the scene,
not even the police officers, believed that i
was alive in that car. except for an injured sternum
(painful!!), i am fine.

car totalled. still shaken.
but alive. i kiss the face of God.
i bow and bury my face in the warmth
and power of His amazing love and care
and deliverance.

put your business affairs in order.
remember to tell your children and friends
that you love them every day. paint daisies
on the sky, and know that God holds the whole
world...even each breath we breathe..in His hands.
He speaks life and He sometimes speaks death.
tuesday, He raised my arms to the sky. and brushed
my tears away with a second chance at life.

allelujah. allelujah.