I often find myself contemplating the existence of a higher power, wondering if there is a God and, if so, how one might truly know. While I don't consider myself particularly religious, there is a specific moment that stands out to me when pondering the concept of God's presence. It's a moment that, although a part of me considers it a coincidence, doesn't entirely feel like one.
During a summer vacation to celebrate my high school graduation, I was with my mother, brother, and boyfriend. We were staying at a beach in my hometown, which, despite its familiarity, still qualified as a vacation. One day, my mother was monitoring some security cameras she had installed at my grandmother's home. My 93-year-old grandmother had recently suffered a collapse and was unable to reach her phone for help. At the time, my aunt, who lived with my grandmother, was not present either. My grandmother, being too proud to wear a life-alert necklace, prompted my mother to install these cameras as a precaution. These cameras would send notifications to my mother's phone when they detected activity, and an hour or so had passed before she decided to check the camera feeds. To her surprise, she saw a brief clip of my grandmother exiting the house without her cane. This raised concerns since my grandmother was not supposed to be driving at that time due to a recent concussion, and my aunt was not at home. Naturally, my mother started to panic and repeatedly called my grandmother, only to find out that she had left her phone at home. My mother then contacted my aunt, who embarked on a drive to search for my grandmother in the neighborhood. It turned out that my grandmother was simply getting her nails done at a nearby strip mall. My aunt followed her home, passing by a McDonald's drive-through along the way. We all found this incident both amusing and relieving, as the most important thing was that my grandmother was safe.
The following evening, my mother received a call from my aunt while my older brother, my boyfriend, and I were dining at a nearby bar. The call informed her that my grandmother had fallen and had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance. My mother assured us that everything was fine before leaving my brother and me at the bar/restaurant while she drove to the hospital in her car. She instructed us to have a good time and promised to call if there were any major developments. However, a little over an hour later, my mother called us in distress. It was evident that something serious had occurred. My brother had to sprint from the restaurant to our condo to retrieve his pickup truck since we knew it was urgent. My boyfriend and I did our best to keep up as he ran barefoot for over a mile. Eventually, he reached his truck and picked us up along the way. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the hospital, it was too late.
The next day, my mother felt compelled to review the security camera footage of the incident since she hadn't received any motion alerts throughout the previous night. She searched extensively but could not locate any video capturing my grandmother's fall, the arrival of emergency personnel, my aunt's actions, or any other events related to the incident. This left us utterly astonished, especially considering that the kitchen camera had captured my grandmother's collapse.
To this day, this event remains a miracle to my family and me. My grandmother was able to enjoy a day that included getting her nails done and savoring a cheeseburger, just one day before she passed away. We spent the day reminiscing about what we loved most about her, unaware that we would never see her again. In a way, I find solace in thinking that God protected us that night and spared us from witnessing something too painful to bear. He granted her a day to do as she pleased and allowed us to share our memories of her and the profound impact she had on our lives. Yet, I can't help but consider the possibility that it was all a mere coincidence.