Guardian Angels

I've seen a few posters like this and they always bring a smile to my face as I think, yep - they probably do  ;) 
I know my Guardian Angels have been very busy. I wonder if they knew what they were signing up for?

I've had quite a few close calls in my life where I know, without a doubt, that my Angels stepped in to protect me. The time I had my headphones on and stopped walking for no reason at a corner (that's always dead) just in time as a car came careening around that corner. Or, the time, without thinking, I threw myself across the back seat of a taxi, basically lying in my friends laps, as an oncoming car crashed into my door. There was the day they got my attention when I came home and happened to see wisps of smoke - birds had built a nest in a porch light and it was catching on fire. There was the time I was on a racing yacht and had been standing under the boom for quite a while when all of a sudden I felt the need to go sit down - seconds later the boom came crashing down. I'm certain it would have split my skull had I still been standing there. That same night, I was exhausted and still a bit shaken about the boat incident when 'something' made me look above my bed and lo and behold - a poisonous spider (R.I.P.). I've been in some pretty precarious situations where I would come out shaken, but unscathed. 

I have to say, out of everything I've experienced, the volcano incident is what sticks with me the most. I was climbing an active volcano in Chile that's at a high altitude and covered in snow (see photo above). We were given pick axes to help with the climb. On the way down, there were runs (think bobsleds without the bobsled) that we could slide down. The first two were a no-go for me. I didn't have a lot of meat on my bones and I couldn't really get moving, so one of my guides took one end of my pick ax and ran me down the side of the volcano until the third run. There, he assured me, I would be able to slide down this last run. He reminded me to use my pick ax if I was going too fast. I doubted that would even be an issue. I started to slide and was really happy that I could finally do it. It occurred to me a little too late that I was picking up too much speed. As I went around a corner, I actually shot out of the run. Next thing I knew, I was sliding down the side of the volcano completely out of control. I was going down head first, feet first, head again, feet again. And let me tell you - I was LOVING it! I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie and I was getting quite the rush. Then, I heard a voice in my head - clear as day say, "You need to slow down now." At first my mind was like, 'but I'm having fun.' Then, it was 'I'd better listen.' Actually, slowing down was not so easy. I flipped myself onto my stomach and tried to dig my pick ax into the snow (how I held onto that thing the whole time and didn't get jabbed by it is a miracle in and of itself). I didn't have much luck. I couldn't dig it in to stop myself, but it did slow me down somewhat. I noticed that at the end of my ride was a very jagged - rip you to shreds - sharp - kind of rock ledge. I remember thinking, 'oh, this isn't good.' As I was bracing myself for the inevitable, someone suddenly grabbed my climbing suit and somehow pulled me to a stop - just short of the ledge. He was a guide from another group, but I also knew he was my Angel. I have no idea, how he was able to stop me, I just remember I was laughing (I was still on my adrenaline high). I thanked him, got up and continued down to the base. It wasn't until later that day that I realized the enormity and possible severity of my predicament. 

As many people can attest, our Guardian Angels do come to our aid and can do so in many different ways. It's always a good idea to send them some love and thank them for watching over you. Definitely take a moment to give them gratitude when they do step in and help out.