The gift God chose to give my mother on this special day (we celebrate Mother’s day on the 10th here) was my life. I don’t think I can fully express how I feel at the moment, somewhere between in a daze and at the same time never more alive. Today sometime between 12 and 1 pm. I came face to face with death in the form of a speeding semi-truck.

I was at the abastos pulling a “diablito” along going down a a street flanked with parked trucks when I heard a speeding truck approaching, upon looking up I realized that I had no time or space to dive in between the trucks, all I could do was move over as far as possible and pray he would stop. Next thing I knew, the truck caught my diablito and wrenched it from my hands (the metal handles sliced me) pulling it back and to the left, the right handle dug into my back and pushed me into the truck. I still can explain how I wasn’t pulled beneath the tires to share the fate of the crushed diablito as the force of the impact spun me to my left and sent me flying… it’s as if something held me back just long enough for the truck to speed by, it was so close that it knocked off the cap I was wearing. I was literally inches from my grave.

It’s true, time slows down and your life does flash before you. Oddly enough all I could think about was how I hadn’t called my Mom that morning (I left home early) and that I didn’t want to go without her knowing just how much she meant to me. I was finally able to get through tonight. I was never more happy to hear her voice. I cried.

Even now I don’t think it has fully set in how inexplicable it is that I am here. It scares me to think of just how different my world and that of my loved ones could be had things been different… I don’t understand why but I am thankful. I just want to take a moment to say that… those of you who matter. I love you. You mean more to me than you think. I don’t take you for granted and thank you for your prayers, I know they are the reason I am still here.

At moments like these your perspective is aligned, your focus is clear and you are able to see like never before what it is that truly matters.

If there is a moral to this story it would have to be; life is fragile, cherish the time you have and use it to tell those you hold dear how much you love them, take nothing for granted and lastly forget your pride and stupid reasons for putting off until tomorrow what you may regret having not said or done.

I miss you all.