Back in the day, I was driving home from Blackpool and somehow missed my Preston turn-off.
I was on a dual carriageway, now heading for Blackburn, so took the first exit on my left, to call hubs, who has a far better sense of direction than me.
That exit turned out to be the driveway of a church, so I parked up and rang hubs who told me that I needed to turn right and head back to Preston.
So I did.
However, I’d completely forgotten that I was on a dual carriageway, and turned right, straight into the oncoming traffic, on a really tight bend.
A car was doing around 70 mph in the fast lane, and I was on a head-on collision course with it.
I had absolutely nowhere to go, the crash barrier was to my left, and the car was right in front of me, a second away from collision, with one right behind in the slow lane.
I slammed my brakes on, in that long, slow, eternal second, and then just closed my eyes, as I knew I couldn’t possibly survive this, and was convinced that people would die because of my utter stupidity.
My car finally stopped, and all I could smell was rancid, burning rubber. I opened my eyes and saw that the car I had almost written-off was also stationary. We were side-by-side, with our wing mirrors touching.
That car, then backed up and drove into a position that blocked both lanes of the oncoming traffic, on that dangerous bend, on a dual carriageway!
Then a guy got out and walked towards me. I lowered my window and began a stuttering apology, but he just gestured that I should back up….back into the church driveway.
No abuse, no recriminations…..sweet Jesus, I’d almost killed him, and god knows how many others.
Now…..here’s the thing!
The guy was driving a black car, with tinted windows. He was wearing a black suit, black shirt, black tie and sunglasses. Hand on heart! He wasn’t angry, instead he was risking his life for me, by parking his car across two lanes.
The problem was I was frozen, I couldn’t move, I was completely in shock.
Something even stranger happened then. I got a sudden, overpowering scent of my deceased father, all fiery jack and tobacco, and then heard his voice, as clear as a bell inside my head.
Get off the road, you bloody fool, he said, don’t worry about the bullet that misses you.
That got me moving! I reversed my car back into the church driveway, petrified, all the while that there would be a massive pile-up, due to the black car blocking the lanes on the dual carriageway.
The guy merely walked back to his car, maneuvered, and drove off.
I did think, rather fancifully, YEARS later, that it wasn’t my time to go, and that maybe the Angel of Death intervened.
Only tonight, as I write this does, Blackpool and Blackburn resonate. The starting destination and the place I was never meant to be lost in. What on earth was all the black about????
And Finally…….
One of the scariest things that ever happened to me was…
while absently looking through a window late at night, I saw myself looking right back in, I was the same age, but with a different haircut and makeup.That also happened in a camp site, I saw myself sitting outdoors in the exact same position, but with different hair and clothes.
There was also a strong scent of flowers on both occasions. Believe what you will.
Anyone with a strange story to share?
All in black – sunglasses too? Great stories.
Yes, completely in black from head to toe, how weird!!! Thanks Peter.xxx
What an amazing post. I love the header picture…just glorious.
Your story is extraordinary and personally I believe that you had an intervention……how amazing is that! I can just imagine the moment of horror you would have felt when you realised that you were facing oncoming traffic.
Life can be very strange and there is so much that we don’t understand…for which I am eternally grateful. Hope you enjoy a lovely Halloween….Janet xxxx
Thanks Janet, Oh, it was utterly terrifying turning into oncoming traffic, I really didn’t expect to survive, I couldn’t get over how that man helped me after me almost killing him. Yes life is strange and we know very little really. Thanks Janet, we lie low on Halloween, the dogs hate the fireworks.xxx
Wow, Dina. How utterly shocking and frightening. There’s not much doubt in my mind that an angel was sent to save you, although I would call him the angel of life rather than of death! Hope you got home safely xxxx
Ah yes, maybe it was the Angel of Life….it really was strange, that man didn’t so much as frown at me! I was a nervous wreck driving home, it put me of driving for a long while. Thanks Gill.xxx
That’s an unnerving experience! Glad you came back unharmed.
Thanks Jason, it certainly was terrifying, I really expected to die!xxx
Sent a chill down my spine. I have a vivid imagination and saw the whole scene with detail.
It wasn’t your time. Someone was watching over you.
I am going back many years. I was on a beach with my children. They wanted to go out to see the rocks. I cannot swim but decided the large rock which wasn’t far from the beach would be fine. My daughter was six, my son nine. Both could swim.
I was surprised the water was quite deep but we made the rock. We all stood up enjoying the sea view. Out of nowhere came a huge wave and I do mean huge. I started to laugh, as did my son, only to realise my daughter was missing. Forgetting I could not swim I jumped in the water. Fortunately she was the other side of the rock. To this day I do not know how I got around there and manage to get her back on the rock. It is all so vague. At least, thank God, it had a good ending.
I felt like it wasn’t my time, I really should have died that day.
Good grief, what a story!!! Astonishing how you saved your daughter not being able to swim, odd that it’s all vague too!xxx
There are many of them, the people we loved (still love) but gone from the material dimension, looking after us. Your dad, mine as well, both grannies… just name it.
The first book I wrote, when Emanuele Giosuè was around 7 yrs. old and Sara Luna 4, has my daddy as a character. He came to me several times and each time he brought good vibs and confort. I dream of daddy, sometimes, and I love to think that he was much too a good person to have to come back to samsara. He’s my guardian angel, yes, I like to think about him that way.
Shimon is right about the pictures…. but the one with Curly is cute… these vampire’s teeths like lovely Hugs and kisses :-)c
Hi Claudine,
Even if our dad has left samsara forever, they could still come back to this world and be our guardian angel. They can manifest innumerable bodies in innumerable worlds, or so I believe. They are always around the instance we need or think of them. I personally feel it absolutely makes sense to think your dad is one 😀
Ahhh, how lovely that your dad came to you, he sounds wonderful. Curly was having a good old yawn.xxx
I became an immediate fan of your father when I read his advice not to worry about the bullet that misses. I’ve never heard that before — not even a version, that I can remember — and it’s such wisdom.
My own late father appeared to help save my life when I was rear-ended on a freeway by someone the police said had to be going nearly a hundred mph. He clipped me on the left rear, and I started going back and forth across the freeway, until I finally ended up smashed into the concrete divider. A man behind me was astonished that I didn’t spin out, but that’s where my father comes in. The whole time, he was in the seat beside me, telling me exactly what he told me when he taught me to drive on ice a half-century before: “Steer into the skid.” I did, and ended up with a demolished car but no particular injuries.
As Hamlet put it, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophies!
Dad served in the RAF throughout WW2, and he told us, his kids, that, bizarrely, while training, two live bullets did actually miss him, and killed the people next to him…. he also missed two ships while returning from leave, both were sunk. I heard him mention the bullet that misses often in my childhood, that day it certainly got me moving….and it seems we have an experience in common….yours gave me goosebumps, did you see your dad? What a terrifying experience though, my blood ran cold reading about it, but thanks for sharing, although I’d love to know more! Oh, we are just gnats on the varnish compared to what is beyond our reality. Thanks Linda.xxx
Great story Dina, and as my mother always said, it was meant to be!👏👏 we stayed in a B& B near Perth that had a very sad feel to it … although I couldn’t figure out why. Perhaps older houses hold the memories of time gone by..
Thanks Gerrie, that was a favourite saying of my mother too! Oh…I’ve come across places with a sad vibe, even modern builds!xxx
Oh, my goodness; I’m glad he was there and you are here!
Lots and lots of stories, many from hospice and many from my own life…A happy one: I was driving down the highway during a particularly sad time in my life and on a very hard day. I may have been crying.
A huge, old white Cadillac pulled up beside me. The driver was a woman with short permed blonde hair, a pillbox hat and cat-eye glasses (very 1950’s appearance). She turned and gave me a brilliant smile. It felt like light shot from her into my heart.
She pulled just a bit ahead and I could see her license plate was JOY 2 U. I was in the crowded left lane, so my car passed hers. I glanced in the mirror to wave goodbye, and her car was gone.
I LOVE your photos in this post! Just beautiful!
Love you more,
K
I read your comment a while ago, but life has been so hectic I haven’t had chance to reply or even email you, I dreamt about your encounter after your vivid, moving comment….what an astonishing experience, Angel of Joy? WOW! I do wish you’d get another blog going, start with all those unshared stories, people need to hear genuine experiencies….Thanks Kitty, love and hugs to all, prayers that the new girl finds a home SOON! xxxx
Ooh, spooky stories. Curly cat looks pretty scary too, like a vampire cat.
Curly does look very vampyric there, he is a sweetie though, with us, he was yawning! He is utterly feral with anyone he doesn’t know…..xxx
The header picture is so beautiful, that I had to save it… and that explained why it was so slow in loading. You shouldn’t have used such a heavy version of the picture. But I loved it, and now have a copy of it.
The first story went straight to my heart. For a few moments I was with you in the car. And your meeting with the angel of death is something I have experienced too. I haven’t ever written about it, but I related it to my doctor friend. I don’t know if I’ll ever write about it; it was such an awesome experience. I don’t know if I could do it justice. But I thank you for sharing that story, and I hope I never forget it.
I loved the picture of Curly too. So happy to have had the pleasure of getting to know you, my dear Dina. xxx
Oh, I never imagined anyone would ever want to download one of my photos, very honoured that you would! Which one is it? I do hope it’s the dogs rather than the apples, but then the dogs’ picture has been up for a while….some pictures are taken on my canon, others on my mobile.
I really, really hope you do write about your experience, it sounds beautiful, rather than terrifying like mine….I didn’t do justice to what happened to me, but my account is out there and hopefully,one day, someone may read it and assume that they aren’t crazy if something similar happens to them. I would love to know what you experienced!
I love the fact we met….and I have enjoyed getting to know you too, my friend, long may it continue. Love to you and Nechama, always..xxx
Snowbird, you are full of amazing surprises…such fearful-laden events, so many positive intercessions.
Glad you are here to tell the tales.
The pix work well, supported by the skeletal friend. xxx
P.S Programme on BBC Radio 4 this afternoon about the carnival of the Giants you wrote of in your last post.
Thanks Menhir, I wish I wasn’t full of surprises at times! I too am glad I am here to tell the tale! Oh, wish I’d heard that, I’ll go check it out.xxx
Wow!
Can’t say I have any spooky stories …
But I will come back and have a look at any others that may be shared here.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan, some wonderful stories here!xxx
Most fascinating…..tales so well told…..As it is, you survived to tell the tale. Super!🎃🎃🎃🎃🤷🤷
I certainly did survive, most unexpectedly! Thanks Bushka.xxx
We Buddhists believe in karma. I’m not at all surprised if the Angel of Death had intervened and had you freed from injuries and your life, prolonged – given you are a vegan, having freed so many lives, done so many good deeds and having a kind heart.
I have not come across any myself but have heard a lot of other’s true stories. And I believe in them all.
I believe nice, pleasant scents have to do with heavenly beings. Your father could be one now.😀
Dear Jade, you’re absolutely right!!!! and Dina knows it for sure…. :-)claudine
xxx You are far TOO kind! You should see me on a bad day!xxx
I believe in Karma too, it seems pretty fair to me. I’m no angel though, just a regular guy, warts and all! That was a strange event though, and is as vivid today as it was then. I have no doubt that I should have died, and killed others…..there is far more to life than we can possibly imagine. Thanks Jade.xxx
Interesting post, and pictures, which I’m sure that we can all relate to in one way or another. xx
Thanks Flighty, I’m sure all of us have come across something or other that we can’t explain.xxx
Once when we were staying in an old cottage in inner city Adelaide ( Australia) I was awoken during the night by something opening and shutting a cupboard door. It was up the other end of the house but the noise was pretty loud and I couldn’t get back to sleep. It seemed to go on for ages so I eventually I woke my husband as I was too scared to investigate myself.
I wish this story had an interesting ending but would you believe it, the noise immediately ceased when the light was switched on!!
I still can’t figure out who or what made the noise.
Isn’t that always the way, the minute you turn on a light or turn off the sound or really pay attention everything stops!!! That is really spooky!!! Thanks Judy, hope all is well with you and yours.xxx
Glad things turned out OK. Our strangest happening was when we stayed in a cottage in Cumbria. Strange things hapened throughout the week, the scariest being the sound of footsteps wallking up the stairs and then banging on the bedroom door and another time the sensation of a hand on my shoulder when I was reading. The owners daughter came saying her mother who was on holiday insisted she came to check that we were Ok. All could have been our imagination I suppose but when we looked in the visitors’ book at the end of our stay lots of people described strange incidents happening to them. Martyn was very sceptical when it came to supernatural events but even he changed his mind after that holiday.
Goodness, how very strange!!! Especially that the daughter came to check on you and all those comments…..hubs is similar to Martin, but even he has had to acknowledge some peculiar happenings….thanks Sue.xxx
How strange. I love hearing about other people’s spooky experiences as I don’t have any of my own. What a great photo of Curly.
Thanks Jo, I love interesting stories too…not sure I like spooky stuff happening to me though! I caught Curly Cat having a yawn, my antics with the camera obviously bore him!xxx
I love spooky stories and these are a couple of doozies! No stories to share here, but I shall be back to read other people’s comments in case they have. Have a wonderful Hallowe’en. xx
Thanks Veggiemummy, hope you came back to read some of these fascinating stories.xxx