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It was the first winter storm of the year, here in South Dakota, and I had just missed it, or so I thought. As I was returning home from Sioux Falls the road appeared clear of snow and ice and the weather looked good, but in a moment’s notice things drastically changed. The wind picked up with such strength; a force not to be reckoned with. The snow from the farms flew onto the highway and caused a blanket of white to scatter in front of me.

I couldn’t see the car ahead of me so I dropped down from 75 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour and considered lowering my speed even more when the blanket of snow lifted—just as fast as it came.

Then another bout of wind crossed the freeway, only this time it appeared to pick up my car and toss it to and fro. The car swerved left and right and left and right as I frantically tried to hold onto the steering wheel. It was as if someone was slapping a toy car around.

I tapped on the breaks but that only made matters worse, the car did a bit of a spin and I thought for sure I was headed for the ditch below. In a state of panic, I cried out to God. "Oh God, Oh God, Please help me! Please help me Lord!"

Suddenly, the car came to a complete stop—just seconds from going over the embankment.

I looked to my right and saw cars coming towards me. Am I out of the way? I thought to myself? I must be, but I can’t tell. What do I do?

I tried to back the car up but it was stuck in the snow. I tried to turn the wheels and back up again. This time the car moved slightly backwards—just enough to turn the steering wheel to the right and edge my way around until I faced the oncoming traffic.

About this time, I pulled out the prepaid cell phone my husband had placed in my purse and dialed 9-1-1. I felt like a fool calling 9-1-1 as my car was in one piece and so was I, but the wind had picked up again and a blanket of snow once again covered the freeway. I couldn’t tell if I was in the way of traffic or off to the side and I didn’t know if I could turn the car around without causing an accident.

The dispatcher calmed me down, assessed the facts based on my words, and sent someone to stop traffic so I could turn around. As I waited for the police to arrive, I saw another driver lose control of her car. Thankfully, she didn’t spin out of control, instead her car slid down the embankment into the ditch with ease. Had she been praying, too? I wondered.

She tried to drive her car out of the ditch, but it was too steep and there was too much snow. I still remember the expression she gave as she slid past me. She shrugged her shoulders, threw her hands up in the air, and smiled, as if to say, “What are you going to do but put your faith in God?” She sure is braver than me, I thought. Here I am crying and shaking and she has such calmness about her.

Just then a snow sweeper stopped in front of me. He got out of his vehicle, checked to make sure I was okay, and informed me that I was smart to put the hazard lights on. I told him I called 9-1-1 and someone was on the way to help me turn around. He helped calm me down some more, and then helped me turn the car around so that I could drive home.

I called 9-1-1 back and explained that I was okay and the snow sweeper helped me turn the car around but there was a lady in the ditch who needed help because there was no way she was getting out. The dispatcher thanked me for the update and with shaking hands and a thankful heart, I went on my way—driving 40 miles per hour (per the minimum mph road sign), with my hazard lights on.

When I arrived home, I told my husband what had happened. He could see the panic still in my eyes and hear it in my voice. He walked over to me and just held me as I cried a sigh of relief. That night I kept picturing my car being slapped around the freeway like it was nothing more than a toy car. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The more I rehearsed that experience in my mind’s eye, the more I realized there was nothing I could’ve done to prevent it.

Life is like that some times. You do the best you can, you follow all the rules, and it still throws you curve balls you can’t handle without God’s saving grace. Though I was freaked out by the incident, I was jumping for joy that my plea for help did not end up on deaf ears. And grateful that my husband had the foresight to lend me his cell phone!

I was lucky. I didn't need an ambulance or a tow truck. But what if I had? What would I have done if I was conscious and didn't have a cell phone? What would I have done if the snow sweeper didn't show up when he did? (The freeways in South Dakota don’t have emergency call boxes and no one stopped to make sure I was okay.) Definitely food for thought....

Next stop...off to purchase a prepaid cell phone of my own!