Charlene Leslie Chaden, Trinidad, CO, USA

We live on our 35 acre mini-ranch in the foothills of the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Southern Colorado, very close to the New Mexico state border. On my way home from town one day in 1991, while my husband, Syd, was working in California, it suddenly began to hail as I entered the  development we live in. I drove along as quickly and carefully as I could, because in those days when the clay roads got wet they turned into slick, soupy type mud. It was nearly five miles from the entrance to our home and I wanted to arrive home before the hail turned the roads to slime. I made it to the pass and was heading down the hill above and behind our home when I noticed a large buildup of hail on the road in front of me. 

The winding road was already slippery and I had previously slowed down as much as I could, but it was to no avail, as the road was now going downhill. The hail acted like ball bearings and simply rolled my big Mercury Grand Marquis Station Wagon right over the side of the mountain. Amazingly, the car suddenly came to a stop, with its nose pointing almost straight down. I sat there in shock for awhile, wondering why the car had stopped so suddenly, when there was nothing in front of it to stop it. As I recovered my senses, I found that I was covered with mail and groceries that had flown forward from the back of my station wagon as the car went over the side. 

A sense of great peace came over me and I knew Sai Baba was with me. I heard Him say, "Wait until it stops hailing and then crawl out of the passenger door and walk home." I looked at the passenger door which was almost over my head and wondered how I could crawl out of it without jiggling the car enough to send it the rest of the way down the mountain. At that point, I was sitting very still and breathing very carefully to keep from giving the car any reason to start moving again. There were no trees or large bushes in front of the car holding it back. In fact there didn't seem to be anything preventing the car from continuing its journey downward. Nevertheless, I waited as Baba had instructed me. 

The nickel sized hail was making a lot of noise on the roof of the car and I wondered if it would crack the windshield or dent the car. When the hail finally stopped, I sucked in my breath and very slowly and carefully moved up into the passenger seat. Then after several attempts, I was eventually able to get the passenger door open and crawl out, landing on my hands and knees in the mud below. I trudged home through the slimy mud, which was about a mile in distance. As soon as I reached the front door, it started hailing again. 

I was covered with mud and soaking wet and was shaking by the time I reached the front door. After I cleaned myself off I called Syd in California. As soon as I heard his comforting voice, I broke down and sobbed hysterically. The realization of my very close call hit me as I tried to describe it to him, and I could not stop the flood of emotion. Syd said he would catch the next plane home if I wanted, but I told him not to come, I could handle it. When I calmed down, he told me to call the AAA towing company and then let him know what happened from there. 

The tow truck pulled up in front of our home several hours later. The hail had melted and the roads, although very muddy, were passable with care. I got in the truck with him and his wife, and we slowly drove back to where my car was. As he drove, he said, "I saw the ruts where your car went over the side and crawled down the hill to see what was holding your car there, but I couldn't find anything. No trees, no bushes, no boulders. I could not see anything that is keeping your car from going on down the hill." I said, "God is holding it!" Neither he nor his wife said another word. 

As we rounded the bend, you could just see one of the rear tail lights from the road. If it were not for the very prominent and deep tire ruts, one would easily pass by without noticing my car there. It took the tow truck driver nearly an hour to extricate my car. After my car was pulled out I signed the claim form, got in my car and very slowly drove it home. We carry large heavy sandbags in the back of our cars to provide ballast so we can better navigate the roads when they are muddy, but this did not help me while driving on the piled up hailstones. 

Later, the manager of the development called and said: "Mrs. Chaden, are you all right? I was driving by and saw the tire tracks where your car went over the side of the mountain. I crawled down to see if you were all right, and took a good look around, but I couldn't see what was holding your car there." I gave him the same answer. "God was holding it! And He held it there until the AAA tow truck came and towed me out, and it is home now. Thank you!" And Thank You Baba! There was no physical or rational explanation as to why my car didn't keep going. Only the Grace of my Lord. 

"My Grace is proportional to your effort. Try to win My grace by reforming your habits, reducing your desires and refining your higher nature." One step makes the next step easier; that is the excellence of spiritual journey. With each step, your strength and confidence increase and you get bigger and bigger installments of grace."Grace is showered on those who seek." Knock and the door shall be opened to you; ask and food will be served; search and the treasure will be yours. The Grace of God cannot be won through the gymnasium of reason, the contortions of Yoga or denials of asceticism. Love alone can win it, Love that needs no requital, Love that knows no bargaining, Love that is unwavering, Love alone can overcome obstacles, however many and mighty. 

"My grace is ever with you; it is not something that is given or taken; it is given always. But it is accepted only when the consciousness is aware of its significance. Win the grace of your own sub-conscious, so that it may accept the grace of God, which is ever available." Golden Age, P.  228. 

(From Sai Messenger, July 99) 

Published in Canadian Sathya Sai Newsletter, Birthday Issue, November 1999, Vol. 12, No. 3