As I viewed a news segment on the plethora of electric scooters throughout many cities, I possessed a warmhearted reminiscence of a moped scooter years ago. I was going on a late summer retreat with the two favorite men in my life; my then husband, Charles and son, Christopher.  Chris would be leaving home for college in a matter of days and we wanted one last “get away” as a memory of our time with him.

There would be great dining, golf and an outing to Eureka Springs with its’ rolling and picturesque terrain, but paramount was the time we would spend together. Shortly after our arrival to Eureka Springs, we spotted an opportunity to rent mopeds and enjoy the challenge of the numerous, hilly streets. All three of us thought, “why not?” It sounded like fun. Certainly, this would be a new adventure.

As we topped a hill and headed down an arduous  decline, the brakes on my scooter failed. I was racing out of control and literally heading toward a steep embankment which could have resulted in a fatal or very serious accident. God was with me. His loving hands were with a family driving a van up the same precipitous hill, as I was racing down. The driver saw me falling headfirst over the scooter, while it careened out of control down the embankment.

Charles and Chris were bolting behind me, but the van driver squandered no time in stopping his van and running to my aid. I argued with him that I would be fine, unaware of the seriousness of my injuries.  As Charles and Chris arrived at the van, the driver cited he was rushing me to the hospital and he would meet them there.

What an angel that driver was!  Enroute to the hospital with him, his wife and their two young children, I learned the family had recently moved to the area and one of the first things he had done was sell his large, rugged Harley Davidson due to the fact the treacherous hills were unsafe.  He cited his frustration with the moped rental shop, as he realized most of the renters were identical to our family; inexperienced riders on dangerous thoroughfares.

Not only was that man whose name I forgot years ago, the angel that rescued me and drove me to the hospital, but returned to the moped shop with Charles to plead our case for damages to the scooter which was lying at the bottom of an embankment, absent it’s passenger. If not for God, had I not been thrown off the scooter, I would have been alongside it as its’ partner.

As both the “angel” and Charles proclaimed to the shop owner when he was charging us for destruction of his scooter, next time it might be much worse than a hospital visit, especially given the fact the brakes had failed. No charges were brought against any of the parties. A realization of what “could have been” sufficed for the shop owner, as well as our little family.

TO BE CONTINUED:  I Thess. 5:18 NKJ “ In everything give thanks…”I certainly was grateful then God had spared my life.