Near Death Experiences

Many of us have wondered just how close to death we may have come at some point in our lives. God's hand creating a few seconds delay in our schedule or someone else may have turned a devastating event into a near miss that saved our lives. I think it happens more often that we realize. Survivors of 9/11, those who did not get on a plane, or were late for work are well known examples of what I am referring to. I can think of 2 instances in my life when I may have cheated death.

Very late one Christmas eve, Terri and I were travelling south on Quivera Road after spending the traditional time with Terri's parents. I was driving the ugly green Ford Pinto that Terri owned before e were married. Because of a poorly engineered gas tank, Ford Pinto's had a nasty habit of exploding into flames when struck in a certain way. On this evening, I was stopped at the streetlight at Johnson Drive. When the light turned green, I slowly pulled into the intersection. In a fuzzy blur, another car headed west blew straight across the front of our car. Just one second faster to the accelerator, or the other vehicle delayed by a single 1 second , and Terri an I would have been T-boned in an exploding vehicle hit by a speeding motorist. I don't think we would have made it.

The second instance that comes to mind was poor judgement on my part. I was 18 years old and owned a candy apple red 1969 GTO convertible. It was the fastest car I have ever owned. Late one night I was driving with 3 friends. They dared me to see how fast it would go. I found out - 120 mph, which pegged the speedometer. The top was down, and 1 friend was sitting on the back of the rear seat. The front tires on the GTO were completely bald. A blow out would have meant certain doom for everyone in the car. We did not have a blowout ... that night. The blowout waited 1 more day at a time I was travelling 25 mph. Just another case of death avoided.

All I can do is thank God that he allowed me to live for at least 53 years.