I'm starting to believe there are angels watching over me

I had a crazy week which included a couple of close calls. And even though things got pretty scary several times, things turned out OK. Actually, they turned out just fine. And now I enter the weekend feeling very thankful and somewhat relieved.

And I'm starting to believe there may be angels watching over me...

My week included flying from D.C. to Phoenix after a weeklong business trip. I worked a full day on Tuesday. I then put in another 5 1/2 hours covering the election. I volunteered to help edit stories and post blogs in the Cronkite News Service newsroom at Arizona State University. You can just about see me sitting near the far wall in the photo on the left above.

Angels start waking up, stretching... On Wednesday, after a very quick turnaround, I got to a 7:30 a.m. appointment to have a sonogram on my right breast. One of the two imaging machines in the office were broken, but I was patient No. 1. Out in 20 minutes. Determined not to worry about it until the results were in. Take one step at a time.

After another long day which included attending a large award luncheon, helping to run the 90-minute Twitter conversation #wjchat, and plenty of catching up, I headed home around 7 p.m.

That's when the angels really spread their wings...

My battery light was on as I drove the 15 miles home. As I got off the highway about 3 miles from home, my radio went out. Then other warning lights on the dash began flashing. I turned right hoping to make it another mile to a mechanic. I was about to turn left from one very busy street onto a side road when my car stopped altogether. It wouldn't start again. I had only enough power to run the emergency flashers.

I hopped out of the car to wave people around me and started looking for a phone number to the mechanic. Yet I was pretty sure they'd just closed. Cars were whizzing by on both sides of me. I don't have AAA.

I was thinking, 'How big of an emergency is this?'

Cars were whizzing by. People seemed really irritated that I was slowing them down. Irritated that I was having a personal emergency.

I called 9-1-1 - 'Car died. In the intersection. On Rural.' A very nice dispatcher said to stay in a safe place and a patrol car would be right there.

Angels are flying down low to start directing traffic...

A guy in a really big pickup pulled up and offered to push me through my left turn to get me through the intersection and onto the side street. At that point, the road was free. We could go. But my car was dead weight and he was slow getting me up to speed.

The angels gasped, averted their eyes but shot some juice to my car horn..

By the time I was coasting through the intersection, somewhere a light had changed and three lanes of cars were heading right toward me. They kept coming, weaving around me. I leaned on the horn, which worked. They honked back and I'm sure were swearing as they swerved around me, narrowly missing my car. I was coasting and braking and honking. And praying like only an atheist can. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

I rolled alongside the curb, out of harm's way. An officer pulled up behind me, turned on his lights and hopped out. Oh, man, I should have waited for you.

The angels started checking in to base camp to see if anyone else was in need...

My officer called for a tow truck. A second officer said she'd stay with me if I felt unsafe. I felt super-safe now. And within minutes a very helpful tow truck driver tried to see if he could diagnose my car's problem before he put it on his truck for a 3-block drive to my mechanic.

And before the final angel moved on...

My doctor had called to give me the all clear. No problems spotted on that morning's sonogram.

Robin, Tempe

7 turned out to be God's perfect number

As a parent, I give thanks every day that I'm able to share this story, with this ending. It doesn't get any more perfect than this....

Last Sunday, the pastor at my church got up and spoke to the congregation. He started with, "You know how at the end of every service I pray that the angels watch over you as you travel the highways, railways and airways and that when we return here, we will be so mindful as to give you all the praise and glory....."

He proceeded to tell the story about Friday night, when seven young ladies (daughters of the church) were going down the 60 freeway. They were following behind a car and the car in front of them swerved. The driver wondered why the car swerved and then she saw what she thought was a grocery cart in the middle of the lane.

It turned out to be a metal framed futon. She swerved to avoid it and lost control of the SUV. It spun, and spun and she said that she could no longer hold on to the wheel and she said a prayer and put it in God's hands - whatever His plan was for them.

Well the SUV continued to spin and then it flipped over and hit the center divider. The girls were left hanging by their seat belts upside down. The guy that was in front of them, jumped out of his car and with a flashlight, he waved the other cars down so that no one would hit them because they were now facing oncoming traffic.

The girls started talking to each other and realized everyone was still alive. Miraculously, they all were able to get out of the car. Later when they were talking to one of the officers on the scene, he said from the condition of the car, there was no way they should have walked away from that alive. The girls ended up with some scratches, bruises and a sprained wrist.

The driver is about 26 and the rest are all college age. Two of them are my daughter Brittani's best friends and they do everything together. Brittani was supposed to go with them, but she was late getting back so they left her.

If Brittani had gone, there would have been eight of them in the car and there were only 7 seat belts and one of them wouldn't have had one. (As the pastor said, 7 is God's perfect number.)

Needless to say, it was a very emotional service last Sunday and such a testimony of God's presence in our lives. The guardian angels were definitely working overtime and I am so grateful.

Debra D., Riverside, Calif.