A Close Call.

 We don't get many big snow days in Oklahoma, so when they come the excitement is nearly palpable. We gather all the essentials to be "snowed in" (i.e. junk food), I usually have a puzzle or fun activity tucked away to do as a family, and we bundle up to play in it as much as possible.

Luckily enough we got a huge winter storm several weeks ago and we got a good 3 days of snow fun! Darin got off work early one day and loaded us up for a big adventure of sledding. He said he knew of the perfect hill about 40 minutes away, but assured us the trek would be worth it.

We loaded up and off we went, carefully driving down the winding, snow covered roads - the boys on the edge of their seats ready to get there and start the fun. I'd heard a few stories on the news the day before of some tragic sledding accidents in our area so we talked about the safety of sledding nowhere near cars or roads and being safe with our decisions. We talked about how in an instant our lives could be changed forever. When we finally rolled up to the hill it was much, much bigger than I had envisioned. The boys jumped out and were grabbing their sleds before the car was even in park.

I barely had my gloves on and the boys were already running up the SMALL MOUNTAIN ready to sled down. They reached the top, didn't even stop to catch their breath and off Levi went - sitting on his sled and flying down the hill. We were all shocked at just how fast he was going - it was as if here were on the luge in the Olympics - the kid was soaring. It all happened so fast I could barely process what was happening. I was standing next to a fence made from dense metal poles that I didn't dream he would come anywhere near close to as the other kids sledding stopped naturally well before that. But before I knew it, he was flying past me, laying flat, and at full force, slipping underneath the fence beside me. I screamed as he kept going ... past the fence that could have ended tragically had he not had ducked to lay flat, and he was quickly flying toward the road. He threw his feet off the side of the sled, dug his heels in the snow and came to a screeching halt inches before he hit the road.

My heart stopped. There was no traffic on the road at that exact moment, but easily could have been. I had just witnessed TWO near accidents in one pass down the hill within literal seconds of us arriving. Levi said as he was heading toward the metal fence and then into the road all he could think about were the stories I had warned them about on the drive over. He said he was thinking, "Oh no. I'm going to be the next accident." 

I told him I had no doubt whatsoever that his guardian angel pushed him down flat, saving him from slamming into the poles face first and then stopping his sled moments before hitting the road. It all happened so fast he didn't have time to think, let alone strategize. It makes me sick to think about, but things could have ended up so very different that day. It's not lost on me that the Lord was with Levi soaring down that hill. If we could see into the spiritual side of things, I have zero doubts I would have seen angels hovering over my child. God is truly with us wherever we go. Shielding us, protecting us, and oftentimes physically moving us from harms way. I witnessed it firsthand. 

Darin, Levi and I all stopped to catch our breath and process what had just happened. I was screaming, Darin was running to Levi, and Levi jumped up with all color drained from his face and a look of shock in his eyes. At the same time we all looked up the hill and there was Ezra sitting on his sled as he screamed, "HERE I COME!"

"STOPPPPPP!!!!!" we all screamed in unison. 

We ended up moving further down to where there was a much longer distance between the bottom of the hill and the fence and ended up having the best day of sledding ever. But you better believe that after each run down the hill I squeezed my babies tight, quietly thanking God for His protection over their lives.

For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:11-12

(or your face against a pole in our case!)