My Unknown Angel

It was such a great feeling; yet, I had no “feeling” at all. It was more of a spectacular vision, the likes of which I’d never seen before. I did a lot more than just see it – I experienced it – I was inside it – I was a part of it - and it, was part of me. It was wonderfully awesome. It was dead quiet.


A billion bright and shining stars illuminated the darkness of space. The entire universe was slowly rotating counter-clockwise, or, was it me that was rotating slowly clockwise? I wasn’t quite sure. I saw my baby daughter’s face; she was barely one month old. Seeing her jolted things into perspective if only for a very brief moment. “No! Please God! I’m not ready to die just yet! My little daughter will need me. Let me go back.”

The deafening screams of sirens, the metallic wailing of loud bullhorns and the general pandemonium of halted traffic shattered the peace and tranquillity of the silence. The excruciating pain in my gut made it impossible for me to breathe. I tried to release my seat belt but I couldn’t find the buckle. I didn’t know that I was hanging upside down, suspended only by my seat belt in an overturned car that had just taken out a bus shelter.

I was freezing cold, especially my back. I was lying on the ground in the snow with my head cradled in a woman’s lap. I couldn’t make out what she was saying to me but her tone was comforting. She was trying to keep me warm. She was my angel. Whenever I think of angels now, I don’t see pretty maidens in white frocks sprouting golden wings from their backs and wearing halos. I think of that wonderful faceless lady. I never found out who she was.

There are things to this day that I still don’t know and I will never know. You just have to learn to accept these kinds of things. For example, the driver of the car whom I thought was a friend of mine, never visited me in hospital, never apologised, and never even bothered to explain why he stopped, and then made a left turn directly in front of an oncoming car. Neither he, nor I, had been drinking that night, so the question remains unanswered. It still haunts me from time to time. He walked away from the accident, shaken, but otherwise unhurt.

But, there are things I do know. Firstly, I know that God listened to my plea. Secondly, I know that I am blessed by Him because despite twelve badly broken ribs at my spine, I recovered fully after six weeks off work. And thirdly, I have never had back problems or suffered a back pain since that near fatal accident.

Writing this essay is the very first time I’ve recorded this event with pencil and paper. Until now, I didn’t think it was a good idea. I was wrong.