Have you ever had one of those phone calls in the middle of the night that for a moment seemed to bring your whole world to a screeching stop? I received one recently that reminded me once again how fragile life is.

After an absolutely wonderful Christmas day, I drifted off to sleep with my thoughts bouncing between sweet reflection of the day and the dread of returning to work the next morning. In what seemed like a few minutes but was in actuality a few hours, the shrill tones of my cell phone pierced the silence and broke my slumber.

As I listened, the voice on the other end of the phone told me that my mother had been rushed to the hospital, was on life support and that if I wanted to say goodbye I needed to hurry. The voice told me that my mother’s heart had stopped and for a brief moment….so did mine.

The next few hours passed in a blur, like a really bad dream that try as I might I could not wake myself from. I don’t remember much of the two hour drive to the hospital or even walking to my mother’s room. But I will never forget the sight of my mother lying in that hospital bed, completely unresponsive, kept alive by a machine. I will also never forget the sound of the doctor’s voice as he told us that test results indicated that she would not survive.

My family and I struggled to come to terms with this news and prepared to say goodbye to my mother. We listened intently and tried to make sense of the doctor’s words as he explained in cold, clinical terms how my mother’s life here on earth would come to an end.

Fortunately, Heavenly Father had other plans….

As soon as the machines stopped, my mother began to breathe again for herself. From that point on, she began to slowly recover. Everyone at the hospital began calling her their Christmas miracle.

I don’t know why my mother almost left us this Christmas. I don’t know why Heavenly Father decided to keep her with us for a while longer and make her a Christmas miracle. What I do know, is that no matter what doctors say or test results read, He is in control.

So, this year, I am going to hug my mother a little tighter and a little more. I am going to try harder to show all of the people that bless my life how important they are to me. And, I am going to trust more fully in my Heavenly Father and remember that He is always watching over us.