I’m planning a trip to my favorite greenhouse for Christmas plants. Time has been good to me and for that I am very grateful. The chilly air brings me back to another holiday plant trip and the miracle that I was fortunate enough to experience.

My dad was a wonderful burly guy who loved his family. Every winter evening after work, he would sit in his recliner and read the newspaper. That last puff of cigar smoke would always linger in the air until morning. It was late November, the time of year he loved most, when he passed away.

Snow had come early that first year without him. I wanted to do something special for my children. I had hoped that some fresh plants from the greenhouse would bring a little bit of cheer to my father’s grieving family.

There was a chill in the air that day. I pulled the hood up on my coat and tied it tightly around my neck. Time was fading and I was in a hurry to make the trip before school ended.

As I drove, my mind began to fill with memories of my dad and all of the wonderful Christmas holidays that we had as a family. Before long the tears were welling in my eyes as I wondered if I could give my kids the same kind of memories that my dad had gifted me with. Caught up in the moment, I was driving faster than I should have been; I was carelessly mixing speed with my emotions when I thought that I caught a whiff of cigar smoke. Overwhelmed with the sudden rush of emotions, I put my foot down hard on the breaks. I glanced down at the speedometer, catching sight of my rapidly decreasing speed. From the corner of my eye I saw him. A large deer was now leaping over the guardrail and heading toward the windshield of my car. All I could see in that instant was the dark brown coloring of those hooves as they headed right toward my face. I pressed my foot down harder on the breaks bringing the car to a sudden stop. The crashing sound of glass filled my world as I felt a warm moist feeling on my face. Too afraid to move and even more afraid to open my eyes, I sat in silence until I heard the familiar sound of sirens in the distance. A calming voice in my mind told me not to be afraid. Moments passed and I listened to the comforting sounds of rescuers helping to clean up my face. I finally opened my eyes. To my horror, tons of broken shards of glass had cut up my jacket hood that I had secured earlier that day. My face had not a scratch. The deer was sprawled along side of my car.

“I don’t know how he managed to fall back out after he hit your seat,” said the police officer at the scene. “You are one lucky lady. If you were going faster, you would be gone.”

Not luck, I thought to myself. Just dad’s holiday gift to my kids: their mommy in one piece, and all of the Christmas memories yet to come.