Thrust in the air and thrown 50 feet, Manny laid on the road as sirens blared in the background and people gathered around him.
Then oddly, he rose into the air, yet he could see his body still lying on the road, and he watched paramedics starting to work on him.
"Is my life over," Manny asked the Angel next to him, both of them in the air about 20 feet over the scene.
"We'll see," replied the Angel.
"You know my life never amounted to much," said Manny. "No-one's going to miss me."
"I was never close to my family or my friends, and at work, nobody liked me and I was always afraid I'd get fired."
"You know what," said Manny, "I want to die. I'm glad my life is over."
"We'll see if your life is over," answered the Angel. "But first we're going to take a journey."
"The first stop on our journey is to your home, three hours from now. Your wife and children and your family and friends have gathered after receiving the news of your death."
As they watched the scene, Manny saw everyone crying, as they tried to comfort each other, their loss and their pain almost unbearable.
"I didn't realize my role in their lives was so important," Manny said softly as tears began to fill his eyes. "It's strange how we take family and friends for granted."
"You're right Manny," replied the Angel, while putting her arm around him. "But it's time to move on."
"The next stop on our journey is to your job tomorrow at 10 am," said the Angel. "Word of your death has spread around the company and everyone has gathered in the cafeteria to share their grief."
As they listened to people, Manny realized he'd been a mentor to many of those people and the guy they relied on for help. Tears and quivering chins were all over the room.
"I never knew I meant so much to them," Manny struggled to say as his chin quivered. "It's strange how we take these things too for granted."
"Just like you Manny," the Angel replied, "Most people are so busy at work that they don't notice the effect they have on others."
"The final stop on our journey," said the Angel. "Is to the little old lady you visited each week to keep her company so she wouldn't feel alone in the world."
"It's 5:30 pm tomorrow, a half hour after the time you always arrive, but there she is sitting alone as she does each day."
"But now she's looking at the clock every two minutes, worried about what might have happened to you. Nobody told her."
"If I don't come, other than caregivers, she has no visitors," said Manny, his heart breaking as he looked at this wonderful woman the world has forgotten.
"Well Manny, what is your decision," the Angel asked. "Do you still think your life hasn't amounted to much? Do you still want to die? The choice is yours."
"If you choose to live," the Angel added, "The accident and your death will never have happened and everything we witnessed on our journey will be erased from everyone's minds."
"My dear Angel, I want to live," Manny joyously shouted.
"Now that I know how important I am in the lives of others, I'm going to do even more for them and I'm going to tell them I love them."
"I don't know why it took a near-death experience to enlighten me but I'm going to live each day in gratitude for the precious gift life is, and I will appreciate all that I have."
Dick
This story was in part inspired by "It's a Wonderful Life," (1946) To learn more about this wonderful movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life
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