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A Columbia County Boy's Recollections and Memories of Columbia County Florida (2012) Lenvil H. Dicks

ARE THERE REALLY ANGELS?

As we go through our lives, we hear about angels, and the Bible is full of accounts concerning the
existence of angels. Some people cannot bring themselves to believe that angels are around us, but I am
not one of those. I know that there are angels and that there is al least one who must stay with me
constantly.

1 have stared death in the face on two or three occasions during my life, and I am still around to tell
about it. I believe sincerely that this is because my guardian angel took over the situation and saved my
life.

My first cousin, Bob Dicks, who is the only son of my Uncle Press, and I were very close as we were
growing up.

It must have been sometime about 1944, during World War II, when gasoline was strictly rationed, and
you could not buy a new tire anywhere at any price. Some people resorted to filling worn out tires with
heavily packed moss off of the trees, and running their car on tires filled with moss rather than air.

Uncle Press had a black 1940 Ford Sedan, and those reading this book who are old enough to remember
those days will recall that the 1940 Ford was one of the best automobiles ever made, and would run like
a scalded dog.

One Sunday afternoon Bob was able to talk Uncle Press into letting him and me have the car for awhile
just to go ride around, and we started out just going from here to there, where ever the spirit led, and we
finally found ourselves in the little village of Providence, which is about 6 miles south of where Uncle
Press lived, and is on Hwy 238 between Ellisville and Lake Butler. We decided we would take Hwy 238
westward over to Hwy 41 and then go back home, using that route. When we got on Hwy 238, Bob
decided since that was a good straight Highway that he would simply see how fast that the old 1940
Ford would run, and he floor-boarded it. There is a high hill top about 1 mile east of US 41, and when
we topped that hill the speedometer needle was bouncing on and off 100 miles per hour, and Bob began
to slow it down since he knew there was a stop sign at Hwy 41. We drove up to that stop sign and
stopped, and made a right turn on 41 to head back toward home. When we had gone not more than 100
yards, one of the front tires blew out, while we were still at a speed of about 20 miles per hour. I am
convinced that our guardian angels had their hands on the front tires of that 1940 Ford, and did not take
their hand off until after we had slowed down and turned onto another highway. If that tire had blown
about the time we topped that hill, you would probably not been able to find all of the pieces of that
1940 Ford, nor all the pieces of Bob and me. I recall being very, very thankful to the Lord that he had
spared us. I completely realized what had just happened.

Another time that I’m sure my guardian angel took over was one day when 1 was driving back to Lake
City from Live Oak, and I started around a big curve near what is now Haven Flospice, on US 90. This
is a fairly steep curve, and extends for more than one quarter mile.

As I was heading toward Lake City and coming around this curve, just as I entered the curve my car got
off on the grass on the right side of the highway and rather than try to jerk the car back on the road
(which can lead to disaster) I tried to ease it back on to the pavement off the grass, but the more I tried to
turn the car to the left it seemed further to the right it wanted to go, further off the pavement and onto the
grass. I was about to become exasperated when I looked up and right there almost in my very face was a
semi headed west, going at least 80 miles an hour and at least half way over in my lane. He was right

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