Those of us who have worked
through our grief and found
there is a future, are the ones
who must meet others
in the valley of darkness and
bring them to the light.

Reverend Simon E. Stephens
Founder of The Compassionate
Friends
 A tear in the eye

Barbara was driving her six-year-old son,
Benjamin, to his piano lesson.

They were late, and Barbara was beginning to
think she should have cancelled it. There was
always so much to do, and Barbara, a night-duty
nurse at the local hospital, had recently worked
extra shifts.

She was tired. The sleet storm and icy roads
added to her tension. Maybe she should turn the
car around.

'Mom!' Ben cried. 'Look!' Just ahead, a car had
lost control on a patch of ice. As Barbara tapped
the brakes, the other car spun wildly rolled over,
then crashed sideways into a telephone pole.

Barbara pulled over, skidded to a stop and threw
open her door. Thank goodness she was a
nurse - she might be able to help these
unfortunate passengers.

Then she paused. What about Ben? She couldn't
take him with her. Little boys shouldn't see
scenes like the one she anticipated. But was it
safe to leave him alone? What if their car were hit
from behind?

For a brief moment Barbara considered going on
her way. Someone else was sure to come along.
No! 'Ben, honey, promise me you'll stay in the
car!'

'I will, Mommy,' he said as she ran, slipping and
sliding toward the crash site. It was worse than
she'd feared. Two girls of high school age are in
the car. One, the blonde on the passenger side,
was dead, killed on impact.

The driver, however was still breathing. She was
unconscious and pinned in the wreckage. Barbara
quickly applied pressure to the wound in the
teenager's head while her practiced eye catalogued
the other injuries. A broken leg, maybe two, along
with probable internal bleeding. But if help came
soon, the girl would live.
A trucker had pulled up and was calling for help on
his cellular phone. Soon Barbara heard the
ambulance sirens. A few moments later she
surrendered her lonely post to rescue workers.

'Good job,' one said as he examined the driver's
wounds. 'You probably saved her life, ma'am.'
Perhaps.

But as Barbara walked back to her car a feeling of
sadness overwhelmed her, especially for the family
of the girl who had died. Their lives would never be
the same. Oh God, why do such things have to
happen?

Slowly Barbara opened her car door. What should
she tell Benjamin? He was staring at the crash site,
his blue eyes huge. 'Mom,' he whispered, 'did you
see it?'

'See what, Honey?' she asked.

'The angel, Mom! He came down from the sky while
you were running to the car. And he opened the
door, and he took that girl out.'

Barbara's eyes filled with tears. 'Which door, Ben?'

'The passenger side. He took the girl's hand, and
they floated up to Heaven together'

'What about the driver?'

Ben shrugged. 'I didn't see anyone else.'

Later, Barbara was able to meet the families of the
victims. They expressed their gratitude for the help
she had provided. Barbara was able to give them
something more - Ben's vision.

There was no way he could have known what
happened to either of the passengers. Nor could
the passenger door have been opened; Barbara
had seen its tangle of immovable steel herself. Yet
Ben's account brought consolation to a grieving
family. Their daughter was safe in Heaven. And they
would see her again.

By  Joan Wester Anderson.  Wrote this story
originally for Angels on Earth.
grief therapy, after death
communication, angels, mediums