How did gratitude accidentally save my life?

Let me explain.

My life was going fine -- my son was healthy, my husband was doing well at his job, and I was finally moving ahead with my personal projects.

But despite all of that, I could tell that I was getting a shorter and shorter fuse.  My temper was getting the best of me.

And on this specific night, it could have killed me.

It was a Tuesday around 6 p.m. and I'd just dropped my son Jason off at soccer practice, cheerfully waving to the other moms out my SUV window.

"Be safe tonight," I told Jason.  He nodded at me distractedly before running off towards his friends.

He was always a little distracted, so I didn't think much of it.

Next I headed toward the grocery store to grab something hot for dinner.  I usually played the car radio and sang along, and tonight I had the volume up a little louder than usual.

I got to a red light and put my foot on the break.  I glanced toward my phone and saw my husband had texted me, so I reached down and opened the message.

"Jason forgot this month's payment on the table," it said, referring to the soccer practice fee due tonight.

I groaned internally, lowering the music to nearly nothing.  That meant I had to drive all the way home before picking him up, so I didn't have much time (if any) to stop at the store.

For some reason I was more frustrated than usual.

It really got under my skin, because I'd reminded Jason at least three times to remember that envelope.

All I could think about was his less-than-amazing qualities, and how my husband and I were probably responsible for them.

And then I heard it.

The loudest car horns in history, yelling at me that the light had turned green.

"Alright, alright!" I said to myself, stepping back on the gas pedal and heading straight down the street.

At this point I wasn't sure where I was, because I usually took a left at that light to get to the store.

I tried to remember the breathing exercises I'd read about recently, and how the Universe works in mysterious ways.  Maybe there was a reason I was taking a detour.  But in that moment, I wished there was a way to know -- without a doubt -- that the Universe was taking care of me.

Lately I'd been trying to use the Law of Attraction to help bring some clarity into my life.  But clearly, I was struggling.  And tonight was my tipping point.

I knew I had to pull over and activate my GPS, so I found an empty spot on a side road and opened my phone again.

There were two missed calls from my husband.

I was groaning again, wishing he would just deliver the envelope himself.  He knew I was in a time crunch, didn't he?

I felt anger in my chest.  I was upset, a bit lost, and I couldn't see that well without my glasses.

Plus, it was getting dark.  Fast.

And then, for the second time that night, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

A small fist was banging on my passenger window.

I tried my best to make out the figure.  It was definitely a short, small, and impatient person.

Lowering my window, I called out, "Excuse me?"

A young boy -- no more than seven years old -- was shivering, looking at me with wide, anxious eyes.

"Sorry, I...I forgot my key, and my parents don't get back for another hour.  I don't know what to do."

I looked up toward his house.  He must have been sitting on his stoop since he got back from school.

"What about your neighbors?  Maybe they have a key for emergencies," I said, trying to smile reassuringly.

He almost started crying.

"I already knocked on their doors...no one's home, I guess," he whimpered.

I started to weigh my options.

Clearly, inviting a young child I didn't know into my car was not okay, and leaving him alone for another hour (in this town) wasn't the safest bet.

He was also WAY too comfortable around people he didn't know.  Thank goodness he ran into me, and not some creep.

I sighed, grabbing my car key and getting out.  I walked around to meet him.

He looked similar to Jason a few years ago, before he'd matured a bit.

This boy's smile was fragile, his hands trying to warm themselves up in his arm pits.

"I'll sit on your stoop with you," I said, without thinking.  I felt my eyes widen, surprised at my words.  It felt as if a voice in my head had told me to say them.

He instantly looked calmer.

"Really?  Thank you, thank you!  You look just like my mom, and she said to trust other moms," he told me, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward his house.

"You should really be more careful talking to strangers," I said, sounding like when I reprimand Jason.

The boy didn't seem to mind, sitting down happily on the hard step.

I followed suit, slowly lowering myself onto the cold cement.

To my surprise, all of my anger toward Jason had disappeared.

I was just happy my son was safe, and that he wasn't left alone like this boy was.  I was...grateful.

Breathing calmly, I no longer worried about getting to the store that night.

I felt gratitude rush through my veins.  I was grateful that my son was safe and at soccer practice.  I was even grateful that I made this detour to help this young kid, and that I'd decided to help him out rather than rush to buy dinner.

If I hadn't been so grateful for my life in that moment, I probably would have let my frustration get to me.  I would have stayed for five, maybe ten minutes, and then told the young boy that his parents would be back soon.

But my heart told me not to leave.

The boy started talking about school, chatting more to himself than to me.  He must have been alone for a long time before this.

I nodded to his stories, opening my phone and texting my husband that I'd drop off the payment tomorrow.

Nothing seemed to bother me anymore.  All I could think about was that this child was alone, cold, and without his parents.

An hour went by pretty fast and the next thing I knew, one of his parents had pulled up in the driveway.

I waved with a smile, the boy running happily toward the car and telling his mom that "a nice lady sat with me because I forgot my key."  I was relieved he told her right away.

After meeting his mom (who did look a bit like me), I told them I had to go pick up my son (and that they should leave a spare key under the mat!)

The boy smiled at me, giving me a quick hug and then rushing into his house.  The mother was very grateful and we even exchanged phone numbers.

Once back in my SUV, I got my GPS to work and made it back to the soccer field just in time for pickup.

Jason was still collecting his things so I rolled down my window and waited for him.

One of the fathers was standing nearby, recognizing me and sprinting to my car door.

"Oh, I'm so relieved you're okay!"  He said, face flushed.

I looked at him like he had two heads.

"Oh my gosh, what happened?" I asked, my attention now laser focused.  I felt my heartbeat speed up.

"You know how we always see each other at that grocery store on the corner?  Thank goodness neither of us went there tonight during practice.  I just heard there was a major accident -- just fifteen minutes ago -- and it doesn't look good for the people in it."

My jaw dropped.

My stomach was doing flips.

I'd almost gone to that store.  I would have been there if it weren't for tonight's wacky events:

My son forgetting the envelope, my husband texting me in the car, the boy needing me to sit with him...

The Universe was looking out for me all along...I just didn't recognize the signs.

I was overcome with gratitude, so much so that I started crying.

Jason finally made his way into the car, dropping all of his equipment onto the floor.

He seemed tired.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I forgot to bring the payment," he sighed, ready for me to yell at him.  We'd been through this before.

I just smiled at him, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"It's okay, Jason.  I'm just grateful to be with you."

If you've read this far, you're probably a lot like me -- getting help from the Universe in amazing and unpredictable ways!

Ever since that night, I've been on a quest to improve my connection to the Universe, the Law of Attraction, and Manifestation.

And my friend Heather Mathews (a Manifestation expert), has recently released an exclusive quiz that gives you free, personalized results about your life!

I only wish I knew about this sooner (as you can tell by my personal story above).  Knowing what I know now would have saved me from a bunch of frustration and heartache earlier on in life.

(By the way, Heather has worked with over 8,417 clients in 87 countries...so you can trust she knows what she's talking about!)

Take the Quiz Now and Get A Personalized Report!

(This quiz totally changed how I view Manifestation...before this, I had no idea what Destiny Tuning was or the science behind it!)

Thanks for reading my story, and I'm excited for you to get your quiz results!

Xoxox