When I was in high school, I did the whole confirmation thing to a catholic church my parents went to.  They really wanted me to be sure in my faith, but it's also just something you "do"in your journey of life.  I was brought up in a catholic household, so my understanding of god and acceptance of a higher power was adapted at a young age.

During high school I went thru the  freedom of choice stage and decided that going to church wasn't my cup of tea.  I slowly started ignoring my parents whenever the call or wake up would come sunday mornings and eventually just fell off and lost my religious views.  God was a god, and my opinion turned from my god, to a god and eventually went to kind of a blah understanding.

My junior year I was loving everything I had going on - girlfriend, my sweet integra, grades were okay, but all I cared about was going out and racing my sports car and being the fastest car anywhere.  I remember the"course" we had -some back roads we barely saw anyone driving on with lots of hills, dips, and curves.  June 1st, 2005 on that road was the first day of the rest of my life.

Stock cars make horrible race cars.- but when you're 16, my little red 1993 acura integra was a rocket on rails.   Pushing the car past what it is possible to do, trying to impress the girl I had been with.. Testosterone usually wins over common sense, and in this case my lead foot ignored all the warning signs leading up to an ultimate life changer.  If it wasnt my girlfriend asking, then begging me to slow down. Or the speed limit sign suggesting I go a fraction of the speed I was. Or maybe even the misplaced, unleashed dog in the middle of the road.  As much as I'd love to say I can tell you exactly what happened...  I only remember a few brief seconds of panic, which turned to black.

In the heat of the moment, I kind of lost my sense of security and mis-judged the road.  95 in a suggested 35 turn isn't going to end up the way any of us would hope (unless you're a NASCAR fan), and the dog placed in the middle of the road helped even more with a hormone filled teen loosing control of his prized steed. There were 2 things I remember from that night: first, hitting the ditch and thinking "oh man my front bumper is going to be messed up, god, please. I hope my parents don't kill me".  then the next thing I remember was waking up on the ground looking up between the tree's to a red blinking light.   No idea where I am, what happened, and an EMT asking me questions about what happened? where were you heading? What were you doing?   I never actually realized what was going on - someone had to tell me that I was in a car accident and that I had a concussion.

what happened?  where's my car?  I understand I was in a car accident... but where's the cars?   did we hit something? did I break anything?   was my girlfriend okay?

they did a brief inspection of me at the site, but then I took an ambulance ride into town to get a cat scan and a more tests to see if I was hurt.  Oddly enough, the only thing I had was a bleeding pinky and a sore shoulder.  Doctors told my parents that if I wasnt wearing a seat belt, I positively would have died, and that even surviving the way that I did was luck in that alone.   later talking about it with my passenger I realized that someone had "intervened".  going out and looking at the crash site, seeing the tire marks, pieces of glass, where the car went.   not only were we lucky to have lived the fall, but the car managed to free fall between a giant Oak tree and a telephone pole spaced maybe 10 feet apart, missing either on both sides, tumbling down a 50 foot ravine, and landing 3 feet from a swamp.   just hearing about the crash part makes me feel lucky that we missed everything, but how?   how does something like that getting rocketed thru the air miss everything in its path to land gently and leaving it's passenger's unhurt?  talking with Andrea after brought up something more then just the "luck" everyone was talking about.

a few months prior, a good friend of the family died in a car accident under similar conditions.  she wasn't going for the street racing, and she wasn't driving reckless, but it was a wintery night on a road that was pretty slick.   The car slid, and flipped off the road causing lots of internal issues for her. Kahla was one of my mom's long term friend's daughter's, and a dance partner for my girlfriend in high school.  But in our conversation about my accident, Andrea was holding something that she really wanted to get off her chest on where someone, or something, had intervened and reassured her that we would be alright.  very interested and almost lost at the actual feeling of divine intervention, I prodded her for more. During the crash, i was clearly unconscious, but within a few brief seconds Andrea had managed to find my hand, and pull me down to safety.  What gives someone the urge, or know how to survive an experience not many have had the opportunity, or even ability to survive?  She told me that basically time waited, and when the car went airborne someone (kahla's voice) had told her to grab me, bend over and that "everything would be alright".  the voice said it a couple times "everything will be alright".

It's weird to think that something like this can actually happen - since the crash I've realized that god has a greater plan for Andrea and myself, and tho we are no longer dating we have a very strong platonic relationship for surviving an event like that.  I'm currently dating the woman of my life, who has greatly helped in what I feel god has/had planned for me all along.   we're excelling in our company in the mid-west expansion doing more and more.  My team Coordinator actually introduced me do a church that we attend regularly now that really helps make the feeling real.   5 years ago I wouldn't have dubbed myself a christian by choice, only by my parents wish. But the up-bringing they gave me, along with the free will to understand and accept things that happen around you for what they are instead of just fluke really helps you understand what you have at stake.

I should have died June 1st, 2005.  But thru divine intervention, and a bit of faith you can start to see and understand that there actually is a higher power and someone who understand what you're going thru, and will be there for you.  Since I've been involved with  my business, my relationship with god has evolved 10x what it originally was.   I feel like we have a friendship and a connection.   there are too many instances where things couldn't have just happened for no reason at all, and I believe that He has a plan for myself far greater then anything I could come up with in my own head.

This is why I'm a christian, and this is why I know my god is real.