Four a.m. came early. Between the wind pounding all night against the screen of the windows and the anticipation of the alarm clock ring to go off any minute, I probably logged a totally of three hours of sleep. We had no time to waste for the storm was rolling in and we only had one window of opportunity before we would be snowed in for three days. When the ring did finally go off, it was time to hit the road to good ole’ Colorado. The car was packed the night before with bags piled high in the bed of the truck and hunkered down to endure any obstacles we might encounter. My sister and I created our nest in the back seats with pillows, blankets, and any other essentials we might want on the way up.

It was the day after Christmas so we said our goodbyes to all the family that wasn’t going to make it up to Colorado, and said see you soon to the family members who were setting off a couple hours after us. Once my dad, his friend, my sister and I were all ready to go, our journey to the mountains was ready to begin.

I lied my feet across the middle console with bags packed under my feet and my head being supported by the window. The car moved at a soothing pace and the motion of the car tired my eyes causing me to fall in and out of sleep. My sister never likes to sleep during car rides, so whenever I looked over at her she was jamming to her music with headphones on and watching the scenery go by outside her window. We traveled along the back roads to disregard any heavy traffic and with the beautiful countryside to have as a view, who wouldn’t want to go that way?

Everyone was quiet. We were all preoccupied with either sleeping or focusing on the road. The storm was coming and you could feel the wind becoming stronger as the morning longed on. The sun had not yet begun to rise and we were engulfed by haze that restricted our site to only the visibility of headlights provided. I could feel the car sway around each bend we encountered. I was still in the same position from which I had started the journey and was in a light sleep for most of the time, until I heard the perturbation in my dad’s tone…

I was unaware of what was going on and could not completely comprehend the entirety of the situation, but one thing I knew for sure was that we were swerving out of control! I opened my eyes to the sight of my dad gripping the steering wheel with both hands trying to correct the turn of the wheels. It was too late. The car had gone air born and the fate of this vehicle was out of my dads control now. I closed my eyes thinking it was a dream, but the pain that rushed through every part of my body told me otherwise. I opened my eyes again to see my dad in the drivers seat, I didn’t know if it would be my last time as I, was ready to let go. The truck tumbled repeatedly, like a ride at a carnival spinning you over and over again. Everything was such a blur and I just kept seeing the grey interior of the truck that surrounded me.

My limbs became noodles and I had no control over where my body was being thrown. I gave up. The last thing I saw was a glimmer of light and I closed my eyes and accepted whatever fate of mine was next. I can’t explain the feeling except that, as I was being thrown from one position to next, I was also being held in the comfort of my guardian angel and  trust in faith. Acceptance of the unknown is the scariest thing to do, but at the moment I accepted I was going to die. I completely let go of every ounce of tension in my body in order to melt away the pain. Suddenly the movement stopped. What felt like a never-ending cycle of a dryer, had finally stopped.

I lied across the center, not leaning up against the window anymore, with my eyes sealed shut until I felt the comfort of my sister’s hand touch my head. I looked up to see the petrified look in her eyes ease away when she was reassured I was conscious. I had no energy left in my body to spare, so I lied there trying to analyze the facts of what had just occurred. I was disconnected from the chaos happening around me from my sister trying to collect the bags and thrown items to my dad trying to flag anyone down that would be willing to help us. I felt as if everything was in slow motion when I sat up and the adrenaline, which possessed my body at the moment, would not let me feel the excessive pain for which was yet to come. I looked out the window where I was originally laying and stuck my hand through it. I waved my hand in every direction of the window not yet comprehending it was gone. The glass had been shattered, along with an indention of the roof along the whole right side of the truck. From what seemed like a mere nightmare, suddenly struck me back into reality. I watched hopelessly at the cars neglecting to stop and began to cry. The tears began to fog up my vision and I sat there with my legs tucked up underneath my chin crying as the accident played back in my head.

I began to be relieved when I caught sight of the red and blue ambulance lights that approached. I sat and watched like it was a silent movie as my dad was telling them what happened, the two firefighters cutting of my door, and my dad’s friend getting cut out from the passenger seat. I remember the calm voice of the fireman that was talking to me; he put a neck brace on me and helped me walk to the ambulance. My legs felt as if they were going to give way from underneath me as I was walking and I couldn’t tell if my eye hurt because I was so tired or because I had just cried out half my bodies water.

As I sat in the back of the ambulance I watched my sister scramble, along with my dad, to pick up anything salvageable. She ran quickly to me and passed me my pillow pet for comfort. Before they could close the door I took one last look at the accident scene where we had lied one mile of the road, four wheels on the ground, and a whole lot of busted luggage scattered from one end of the field to the other. We began to drive away towards the hospital and I shut my eyes and began to cry again. I had survived with what I thought would be my end. Who is to know why my life was spared that day, but my angles were with me and for that I am grateful.

The bumps and turns we endeavor in this word are not ours to choose, but how we handle them reflects upon where we go next. I do not dwell on the tragic accident for which I was in, but take is an opportunity to be more thankful of my life and appreciate everyday. Big Blue saved four lives that day. Thank you god, for it was not our time to go.