Our neighborhood looks like a winter wonderland, but earlier tonight that winter wonderland was anything but inviting. As I do every Monday, I took the children to their Catechism classes tonight. After sitting in the parking lot for about 30 minutes with my two youngest sleeping, I heard my phone playing a tune. I answered the phone and my husband told me that it was snowing (it was not snowing at our parish). He advised me I should get the children and start heading home. I dutifully, did so. Before leaving, a mom stopped me and said, “Don’t be scared. You will make it home. I will pray for you.” Since I wasn’t really feeling scared, I responded politely and placed Jane’s comment aside. Little did I know that I needed her prayers and I would soon be terrified.

As I pulled out of the church parking lot, it started to snow. I drove approximately 40 miles an hour on I-5, due to the ice. I felt quite comfortable, until I got off the freeway and started towards my house. Everyone on the main street going towards our house, including me, was driving between 5 and 10 miles an hour. Even though we were all driving carefully, a Safeway truck started to slide, followed by a jeep, followed by me. Thankfully, we had adequate spacing between us. From that point on, my drive towards home was terrifying. Everytime the van drove on a patch of ice, it started to slide. At times, after a slide, it was virtually impossible for me to get the van to drive, let alone drive straight. Most, if not all, of the other big vehicles on the road were sliding like me and we were all leaving plenty of space between each other.

Catherine was on the cell phone to her dad as soon as we saw the Safeway truck sliding, providing him with a blow by blow of what was happening and where we were, while at the same time she prayed in her head. I asked all of the children to pray and I was thankful to hear Bernadette and Brendan doing so (Theresa and Patrick were sleeping). I finally turned into our neighborhood and slowly drove towards our house, where my knight in shining armor was coming out the front door. Parking in our driveway proved impossible to both my husband and me, due to a big patch of ice.

Thank you, God and our guardian angels, for getting us home safely. Please help everyone else to get home safely tonight.