A Treasury of Christmas Miracles by Karen Kingsbury Page A

about
     divine intervention in the life of our little Austin. Thank you for hearing our prayers and bringing him home safely. And,
     God—” Burt paused, his voice choked with emotion. “Thank you for the simple faith of our children. And thank you for your
     Christmas angels.”

The Holy
Hand of God
    I t was Christmas, and the Kramer family had shared a wonderful holiday together at their home in central New Mexico. In addition
     to their presents, the family felt thankful for things that could not be wrapped and placed under a tree. Brian was very happy
     in his job as a local resort manager, and Ann was four months pregnant with their third child. Their first two, Kari, five,
     and Kiley, four, were healthy and happy and the source of much joy. In fact, the Kramer family couldn’t have been happier.
    After celebrating Christmas at home that year, the family climbed into their Chevy Suburban and headed for a small town about
     twenty minutes north of Santa Fe. Since Brian’s parents lived in Santa Fe, he knew the roads well and enjoyed the scenic drive.
    “It never gets old, does it?” Brian asked his wife, reaching over to hold her hand as they climbed the mountains outside of
     Santa Fe. “God sure knows how to make things beautiful.”
    Ann smiled and placed his hand on her pregnant abdomen. “He sure does.”
    The visit with Brian’s parents was fun filled and full of the laughter of Kari and Kiley, but after two days it was time to
     return home. A light snow was falling as they packed up the Suburban and said their good-byes.
    “I hate to drive in snow,” Ann said as they climbed in and buckled their seat belts.
    “I know,” Brian said calmly. “But you’re not driving. I am. And I’m perfectly fine with it. Just say a prayer that we get
     home safely.”
    Ann nodded and silently asked God to guard their car as they drove home. That done, she did her best not to worry. She stared
     out her window and admitted that the snow was certainly beautiful. It fell gently and looked like freshly sifted powdered
     sugar on the ground.
    The highway that led from Santa Fe toward the Kramers’ home was a two-lane road with an occasional passing lane. From Brian’s
     parents’ house the highway climbed slightly until it reached two small towns and then it continued downhill for nearly forty
     minutes until leveling out in the valley.
    Although traffic was light that morning, Brian drove slowly and carefully, aware that there were patches of ice under the
     snow-covered road. Most of the cars on the road had snow chains on their tires and though the Kramers did not, they felt secure
     in their Surburban with four-wheel drive and heavy-duty snow tires.
    Still, Brian sensed his wife’s fears as they began the section of highway that was nearly straight downhill. He glanced at
     his wife and smiled warmly. “Honey, it’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”
    “I know, I know,” Ann said. “I just wish we were home, that’s all.”
    “We’ll be home soon. Try to relax.”
    Ann nodded, but she could feel a tension throughout her body. The road seemed especially slippery, despite the fact that Brian
     was driving in a low gear.
    Just as the highway became steep, Brian shifted into yet a lower gear just to be sure they wouldn’t lose traction. Suddenly
     the back of the Suburban began fishtailing across the road, swinging from one side of the highway to the other. Brian struggled
     to correct the truck’s steering, but as he turned the wheel, he could feel that it was having no effect on the tires. Suddenly
     he knew what had happened. The vehicle was in a slide with the tires completely detached from the road.
    At that instant the Suburban swung sharply toward oncoming traffic, sending the vehicle spinning in a complete circle.
    “Oh, God!” Ann screamed, grabbing on to the dashboard. “In the name of God, please stop!”
    The Suburban stopped spinning and began a fast sideways slide toward the cliff that