Years ago, when our children were "tweens," my
husband and our family along with his Brother, Sister-in-Law and their family
were sightseeing in the Rocky Mountains near Estes park.
The cliffs along the road sparkled like diamonds. We were in awe so we pulled to the side of
the road to look at the bright rocks of
the steep hillside.
The kids decided to climb the side of the hill.
Our middle daughter had climbed quite a ways up when the
unthinkable happened. She reached out to
grab part of the cliff when a huge piece of the cliff came loose on top of
her. Later she said, “I tried to push it to one side with my hands
so it wouldn’t hit my cousins, but it was too heavy.” Everything went into in slow motion as I
watched the boulder land on my nephew, then bounce back onto my daughter.
The giant rock hit both her shins and she flew backwards off
the cliff, landing on her back in a cupped area of sharp rocks below.
The huge rock bounced down to land on my young niece,
hitting her hard on the thigh as she slid down the cliff on her feet. My daughter said at that moment she felt
herself blacking out--but she was so worried about her cousins, she wouldn’t
let herself go into the darkness.
As she lay there, she was afraid to move because she hurt so
badly.
I don’t remember how I got to her side, but suddenly I was
there, my husband close behind, checking her legs, her back while my
brother-in-law, once he knew his son was alright, carried his daughter to the
edge of the road.
Miraculously the kids only sustained scrapes and cuts—there
were no broken bones, no lasting consequences.
They insisted on going on to Estes
Park.
On our way back, we pulled over to the spot where our
children had so narrowly escaped harm.
There was the rock which had fallen onto the children--it was so big and
heavy my husband and his brother together couldn’t lift it. It was a miracle no one was seriously
hurt. We knew God’s angels had hefted
that great boulder aside. There was no
other explanation.
Then the kids decided to climb the hill again. It looked safe and they were determined to
go. After examining the hillside, we as
parents felt this was the best thing to do.
After climbing to the top and back our daughter confided,
“Best of all I conquered my fear and climbed that same cliff--all the way to
the top.”
Later we went back and got that big rock—it rests my
brother-in-law’s Garden—a reminder of God’s incredible mercy and grace, and the
strength and loving protection of those Rocky Mountain Angels.
For more heart art, photography, and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!
For more heart art, photography, and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!
