We have all experienced death,

One way or another,

I have had my fair share, too:

Watching my grandfather on his hospital bed,

Seeing my great-grandmother for the very last time,

Another grandfather I have never met,

Taking my dog, when I was eleven, to be put down at the vet.

Did these souls suffer?

Did they sense their end was near?

Are they now at peace?

But, I never truly understood death until I was fourteen.

October 18th, 2016,

I remember the day vividly.

My mom was driving me, and I was in the passenger seat.

As she was making a turn, something felt off.

Looking to my right, a car was blowing their red light and headed straight towards us.

My vision turned to slow motion, but the car only drove faster and faster.

I yelled “Mom!” at the top of my lungs, but nothing could be done.

She pulled over as much as she could as I braced myself.

The cliche that your whole life flashes before your eyes remains a cliche.

For me, only my passed loved ones made an appearance.

I saw my grandfather playing checkers with me,

Watching television with my great-grandmother,

Pictures of my relatives who I never met,

And holding my dog in my arms as she went limp.

And in that moment, that moment death was closer to me than ever before,

I felt at peace.

As my car collided with another, strangely, I felt my whole body relax,

All my loved ones were preparing me for my next adventure.

But on this strange fall day, I escaped death.

Despite the 50 mph car, and being on the side of impact,

I was left with nothing but a bruised shoulder.

My mom was only bruised, too.

And as my car was engulfed in smoke, I asked myself,

“Why me? I am only fourteen, my whole life is ahead of me!”

I stumbled out of my car, gasping for fresh air.

My destroyed car made my legs tremble as I ran to safety.

As I stood on the sidewalk, my questions were now answered.

You are never too young to face death,

it is unpredictable,

No one is immune, so don’t be fooled.

But I was spared, this one and only time,

through the energy of my loved ones watching over me.

But I was only fourteen, and it wouldn’t be fair, for me to have lost my life,

So this accident’s meaning was to show me reality, my needed perspective:

As strange as it seems, when my time comes, I know I will be alright.

And for all of my loved ones who have passed,

They have shown me they are at peace,

Freeing me of my guilt.

So as scary as death is, and sudden it may be, real death is nothing to fear,

For my loved ones are at Heaven's gate, waiting for my time to arrive.

And when I cannot escape death any longer like I did when I was fourteen,

I know they will be there to greet me on the other side.