Just about every day, I pray for safety for my family, for myself, for loved ones, etc. My children even say it in their prayers. I will admit that sometimes I say it out of habit, taking for granted what I am really asking for. Not always stopping to ponder the fact that - hey, He really has answered that request - over and over again.
Yesterday afternoon, Chris was outside mowing the grass and trimming bushes in the front yard. Zach was playing back and forth between our house and a friends. With Parker in tow, I took Chloe out to hang out with Chris while he worked in the yard, which she loves to do. I stayed out for just a bit and then headed inside with Parker.
After about 20 minutes or so, I headed back out - for no reason at all, really. It was a nice day and I was going to just go see what was going on. Chris had moved up to a different section of the front yard. Chloe had gone with him. As I came out the front door, I immediately heard a huge crashing noise, and realized that it sounded like a car. As I walked up around the garage which blocks my view from that part of the yard, I saw where the noise came from.
Our 17 or 18 year old neighbor boy had been driving down the road on his way to take some powdered sugar to his aunt. The sugar started to spill, and as he reached for it, he accidentally swerved and crashed into the neighbors car that was parked on the street. The poor kid - just trying to be helpful and totally mashed 2 cars. I was sad for him. (yes, he was fine. The cars, not so fine.) The crazy thing was - the neighbors car was .... ended up in my front yard! Yes, the very yard Chris, Chloe, Parker and myself were just in.
Had the accident happened 20 minutes earlier, Chris and Chloe most likely would have been hit. So scary to even think about that reality. Had the accident happened not even an hour later, it is very possible that many little trick-or-treaters would have been in harms way.
Now it is very easy to say that this is just a coincidence and blow it off as "whew! Glad we weren't in that part of the yard!" But I choose to believe otherwise. This is yet another example and testament to me that my prayers - small, simple and often taken for granted - are heard. This was NOT a coincidence that everyone was out of harms way. This was another example to me that I have a Father in Heaven that loves my family and I. This was another example to me that He cares. He really cared about my simple request of keeping us safe yesterday. I will always choose to believe that this was not coincidence, but yet the Hand of God gently reaching out to my family and keeping us safe. I am deeply touched and so grateful to Him. 
