Every parent’s worst nightmare is to lose a child. I can’t even imagine the pain that one must endure with that tragic loss. This blog fortunately is not a story about loss but of gratitude and miracles.

My daughter Emily is 19 years old. 

She drives a small old Volkswagen Jetta which she loves. I love Emily to the moon and back and I think we have a really close relationship. I would always tease her that I love my car just a little more than her, which is obviously not true. 

For those of you that know me you have heard me say that my car is my pride and joy. I own a Red Jeep Wrangler which is my dream car. It was beautiful. I decorated the inside with red accents all over the dashboard to make it mine. Everytime I drove it I would automatically smile. It was so fun to drive and feeling the wind through my hair and on my skin just made me feel so alive. The car did not even have a backup camera or any bells and whistles but it was mine. This car meant a lot to me. I paid for this car myself and it was registered in my own name. The first thing I have owned since I was married. I had not worked for years staying home with my kids so I did not have any income until now. I did not know at the time that I bought this car that I would mean so much more.  

One night In June, Emily asked me if she could borrow my car to pick up a friend since her car was having repairs done and was in the shop.  I said Sure since Emily is a very safe driver and has not given me any reason to worry. I was waiting on the couch for her to get home and my body told me something terribly was wrong. I felt something was off. 

I picked up my phone to check her location and as I picked the phone up it rang. The call was from Emily. I quickly answered it and all I heard was, ‘Mom, come quick the jeep flipped’ and she told me where she was. 

I quickly put on my running sneakers and ran out the door in the middle of the night. As I was running I called her father to inform him.  I had no idea at this point if Emily was injured or what I was going to find. Her voice was frantic and scared. Her voice sent a chill up and down my body. So I just ran as fast as I could.  As I was almost there her father pulled up in his car and drove me the rest of the way.  As we pulled up to the scene I could see an ambulance and fire trucks. It looked so scary and my stomach dropped.  

I think I jumped out of the car before it even stopped moving. I started to run up to this horrific scene screaming Emily’s name. A police officer stopped me and said you can’t go any further.  There are live wires down. I screamed “Where is my daughter?”  He said we have her in the ambulance.  He took me to her and I took a breath when I saw she was OK as far as I could see.  After sitting with her the police officer asked me to take him to my car to get some information. The car was turned on its side and the trunk smashed in. I saw pieces of the car and my belongings scattered throughout the street.  I picked up my daughter's college ID off the ground and my purple blanket that I always keep in the car.  My mom had bought me this blanket years ago from Costco and I have used it when I was cold during every one of Emily's soccer games. I took a minute to take a breath to gather myself as I just looked around the accident scene of blaring lights and police officers and firemen. I kept repeating to myself that Emily is alive.  

I went back to the ambulance where the paramedics wanted to take Emily to the hospital to be checked out and I stayed with her in the ambulance. I just kept trying to catch my breath repeating again that Emily is alive.  

I don’t know how but nothing was broken. Emily had some back and neck pain along with pain on her chest probably from the seatbelt.  While we were there she explained to the doctors and the police what had happened.  A boy who was underage driving a Chevrolet Tahoe with 2 other passengers in the car ran a red light and T- boned her. She said she could feel the car flipping and it was like it was happening in slow motion.  After the jeep came to a halt she found herself hanging suspended by the seat belt.  Emily's passenger was able to climb out the roof of the car.  I opened the roof that afternoon and took out the back windows.  Emily had to undo the seatbelt and she fell down into the passenger side and climbed out the roof as well.  

As I listened to the story my entire body tightened up and my stomach felt so nauseous. I again found my breath and repeated, Emily is alive.  

When we finally returned home at 5 in the morning I held her in my arms until she fell asleep. I held her for about 2 hours and then I got up and walked outside my house and just sobbed.  My whole body was shaking. I called my parents who came right down to sit with me. After I calmed down they went to the pharmacy to get Emily her prescriptions of muscle relaxers and pain killers that the doctor had prescribed for her. My best friend came over when they left and sat with me while I cried a little more. I could not believe Emily was alive. I was in disbelief and shock at what just happened. 

Looking back at the accident I am feeling so grateful that Emily is here with me. I also am so grateful for my jeep. This jeep that was my pride and joy served a much greater purpose. It saved Emily's life. This car always made me feel alive and happy. Little did I know when I bought this car in 2020 it would do so much more than that.  I could not be more grateful for a car.

As I think back to the sequence of events that had to happen for Emily to have this jeep instead of her tiny Volkswagen Jetta I shake my head. It was divine intervention. My ex-husband's car died the day before so he had to take the car Emily was using back. When that happened he brought Emily's Volkswagen for repairs because it was not safe to drive. So we were down to one car - my red Jeep Wrangler. That morning I flipped the top back and removed the back windows. This chain of events gave Emily the protection that she needed that night to survive this horrific crash.  The car was smoking so the open windows allowed the smoke to leave the car and the roof being opened gave Emily and her friend a way to leave the vehicle.  

I have always believed in divine intervention and miracles however I am very fortunate to be the recipient of one. Gratitude has taken a new meaning for me. 

The next day I went to the junkyard where they were holding my car. The car was totaled. I went there to say thank you and to gather the rest of my belongings. I sobbed even more seeing the condition of the car and in disbelief that Emily had survived this crash. The other car was going so fast that it took down two telephone poles and it was completely smashed in like an accordion. My jeep actually held up pretty well considering. It kept her safe. I peeled off the Jeep letters from the car to keep a memento for myself.  After leaving the junk yard I went back to the scene of the accident. I saw broken pieces of my car in the street still so I gathered them and moved them to the side. My jeep deserved a little more respect than that. I sat at the scene for quite a while amongst debris and the broken telephone poles and a bent iron gate that the Tahoe destroyed.  

All I could do was breathe. My whole body was shaking and frozen at the same time. It sent shivers down my spine.  I repeated to myself. Emily is alive.  

So now I move forward  with my heart overflowing with gratitude and a newfound belief in the power of miracles,  knowing that each day is a gift and every moment a testament to the magic of life. Emily will also be getting a few more hugs these days whether she likes it or not.