A Thanksgiving Miracle

Part Two

As my car plunged into the water, I started to panic. I grabbed my cell phone and called 911. When the dispatcher came on the line, I remember shouting, “ This is Margaret Keating, I am on Camp Lejeune, and my car is going into the water.”

She asked, “Where are you on Camp Lejeune?”

I replied, “I don’t know, but I have to get out of the car, now!”

A sudden calmness came over me. It felt as if time were suspended.

I tried the doors, but they were jammed. Next, I pressed the driver's side window control and the window slid down. I managed  to get myself out from behind the steering wheel, which was rather difficult since I am of short stature, and my seat was pulled up rather close to the wheel.  By this time, the water was swiftly rising through the floorboards and was pouring through the window. I went out the window feet first, righted myself, and pushed myself upward. I got a mouthful of dirty salty water and thought to myself, “I am not going to die in this muck.”  I must pause at this point to inform you that I am deathly afraid of deep water and one cannot call me a swimmer by any means. That being said, I  could float on my back. I gently flipped myself over and began floating. I believe that I accomplished all of this in a very short amount of time. I spoke to God and told Him I had done everything I could to save myself, and the rest was up to Him.

My Conversation with God

I can say with certitude that my life did not flash before my eyes as is sometimes reported.

I am a deeply spiritual person. It is common for me to take my difficult and perplexing problems to God .

The tide was high, the current was swift, and cold. As I was drifting along, the first thought that came into my mind was the effect my death would have on my grandson, who was waiting for me, and my family. If I didn’t survive, they would never know what happened to me and that would be a horrific burden for them to carry. I thought of my children and their spouses, my grandchildren, family, and friends. I was not ready to leave this earth.

Suddenly, my head bumped into a post. I grabbed it and held on for dear life. I was still calm but cold, oh so cold. I heard the shrill call of a seabird. I know it wasn’t kind, but I shouted, “Shut up. Can’t you see I’m in trouble?” When telling this part of my story to several friends, each said approximately the same thing. “Birds nest at night. What you heard was your mom urging you to hold on and don’t be afraid.” Mama always did look after us, no matter how old we got.

So there I was, hanging onto a pole, unable to see because of total darkness, praying that I would be found.

To Be Continued

Live simply.

Speak gently.

Love unconditionally.