On July 22nd I was enroute to Washington, DC for a business trip. It was ordinary, until we landed in Denver to change planes.As I got my things, an announcement for me to see Customer Service immediately. I thought nothing of it until I was exiting the plane, & heard a man asking every man if he was me. I knew something was wrong & my heart sunk. When I got off a solemn-faced young man came toward me & said, "There's an emergency at your home. I don't know what it is, but I'll take you to the phone so you can call the hospital."

My heart was now pounding, but the will to be calm took over. Woodenly, I followed this stranger to the distant phone & called the # he gave me for the Mission Hospital. My call was-transferred to the trauma center where I learned my 3-year-old son was trapped beneath the automatic garage door for several minutes, & when my wife found him he was dead.

CPR was performed by a neighbor, who's a dr., & the paramedics continued treatment while in route to the hospital. By the time I called, Brian was revived & they felt he'd live, but- they didn't know if he had brain or heart damage. They explained that the door completely closed on his little sternum right over his heart. He was severely crushed. After speaking with the medical staff, my wife sounded worried but not hysterical, & I took comfort in her calmness. The return flight seemed to last forever.

Finally I arrived at the hospital six hours after the garage door came down. When I walked into the i.c.u. nothing could have prepared me to see my little son lying so still on a huge bed with tubes & monitors everywhere. He was on a respirator. I glanced at my wife who tried to give me a reassuring smile. It all seemed like a nightmare. I was filled-in & given a guarded prognosis. He’d live. The preliminary tests indicated that his heart was OK, two miracles in & of themselves. But only time would tell if his brain was damaged. Throughout the seemingly endless hours, my wife was calm. She felt that Brian would eventually be o.k. I hung on to her words & faith like a lifeline. All that night & the next day Brian remained unconscious. It seemed like forever since I left for my business trip the day before. Finally at two PM, he awoke, sat up & uttered the most beautiful words I ever heard spoken: "Daddy, hold me" & he reached for me with his little arms. [TEAR BREAK...smile] By the next day he was pronounced as having no neurological or physical deficits, & the story of his miraculous survival spread throughout the hospital. We took Brian home. And felt a unique reverence for the life & love of our Heavenly Father that comes to those who brush death so closely. In days ahead there was a special spirit about our home. Our 2 older kids were much closer to him. My wife & I were much closer to each other, & we were all a very close family. Life became less stressful pace. Perspective seemed to be more focused, & balance much easier to gain & maintain. We felt deeply blessed. Our gratitude was truly profound.

The story is not over (smile)! Almost a month later to the day, Brian awoke from his afternoon nap & said, "Sit down Mommy. I have something to tell you." He usually spoke in small phrases. So the large sentence surprised my wife. She sat with him & he began a scary & remarkable story. "Do you remember when I got stuck under the garage door? Well, it was so heavy & it hurt really bad. I called to you, but you couldn't hear me. I started to cry, but then it hurt too bad. And then the 'birdies' came." "The birdies?" my wife asked puzzled. "Yes," he replied. "The birdies made a whooshing sound & flew into the garage. They took care of me." "They did?" "Yes," he said. "One of them came & got you. She came to tell you I got stuck under the door." A sweet reverent feeling filled the room. The spirit was so strong & yet lighter than air. My wife realized that a three-year-old had no concept of death & spirits. So he was referring to the beings who came to him from beyond as "birdies" because they were up in the air like birds that fly. "What did the birdies look like?" she asked. Brian answered, "They were so beautiful. They were dressed in white, all white. Some of them had green and white.But some of them had on just white." "Did they say anything?" "Yes," he answered. "They told me the baby would be all right." "The baby?" my wife asked confused. Brian answered. "The baby- laying on the garage floor." He went on, "You came out & opened the garage door & ran to the baby. You told the baby to stay & not leave." My wife nearly collapsed upon hearing this because she knelt beside Brian's body, saw his crushed chest & whispered, "Don't leave us Brian, please- stay if you can." As she listened to Brian telling her the words she spoke, she realized his spirit left his body & was looking down from above on this little lifeless form. "Then what happened?" she asked… "We went on a trip." he said, "Far, far away." He grew agitated trying to say the things he didn't seem to have the words for. My wife tried to calm & comfort him, & let him know it’d be okay. He struggled with wanting to tell something that obviously was very important to him, but finding the words was hard. "We flew so fast up in the air. They're so pretty, Mommy," he added. "And there are lots & lots of birdies."

My wife was stunned. Into her mind the sweet comforting spirit enveloped her more soundly, but with an- urgency she never knew before. Brian also said the "birdies" told him that he had to come- back & tell everyone about the "birdies." He said they brought him back to the house & a big fire truck, & an ambulance were there. A man was bringing the baby out on a white bed & she tried to tell the man that the baby would be okay, but the man couldn't hear him. He said the birdies told him he had to go with the ambulance, but they would be near him. He said they were so pretty & peaceful he didn't want to come back. Then the bright light came. He said it was so bright & warm. He loved it so much. Someone was in the bright light & put their arms around him, & said, "I love u but you have to go back. You have to play baseball, & tell everyone about the birdies. "Then the person in the bright light kissed him & waved bye-bye. Then whoosh, the big sound came & they went into the clouds. The story went on for an hour. He taught us that "birdies" were always with us, but we don't see them because we look with our eyes & we don't hear them because we listen with our ears. But they’re always there, you can only see them in here (he put his hand over his heart). They whisper the things to help us to do what’s right because they love us so. Brian continued, stating, "I have a plan, Mommy. You have a plan. Daddy has a plan. Everyone has a plan. We must all live our plan & keep our promises. The birdies help us do that cause they love us so much." In the following weeks he often came to us & told all, or part of it, again & again. It was always the same. The details were never changed or out of order. A few times he added bits of info & clarified the prior message. It never ceased to amaze us how he could tell such detail & speak beyond his ability when he talked about his birdies. Everywhere he went, he told strangers about the "birdies."Surprisingly, no one ever looked at him strangely when he did this. Rather, they always got a softened look on their face & smiled. Needless to say, we've not been the same ever since then & I pray we never will be. An Angel to Watch over You. Some people come & go quickly into our lives. Some become friends and stay a while...leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts...& we are never quite the same because we made a good friend!! Yesterday is history... Tomorrow a mystery... Today is a gift… That's why it's called the present! Live and savor every moment.....this is not a dress rehearsal!