A Message From Alexis

When I was in Junior High, I sat next to a girl named Alexis, we were pretty good friends and talked to each other quite a bit. We both moved on to High School and lost touch because we went to two different schools.

I hadn't heard from her in a long time and I was wondering how she was one night, but didn't call her because I was too busy. The next morning, I heard the telephone ring and my mother picked it up. I immediately heard her begin to cry. I went to see what had happened. I just knew it was something bad when I saw the expression on her face as I walked into the room. She told me to sit down and then proceeded to tell me that Alexis had been involved in a terrible car accident the night before and had died on the way to the hospital. They were able to bring her back, but she would never be the same, because a machine was breathing for her. Alexis was brain dead. She said that if I wanted to go to the hospital and tell her goodbye, I could. So, I went.

It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. To see my beautiful friend lying there was such a heartache. She was barely recognizable due to the fact that she had gone through the front windshield and had landed on the pavement completely scraping off most of her face. I stood for a while and talked to her. I asked her what I could do to feel better, I asked her to help me. I told her I was sorry for not calling her. I also told her I missed her. For some odd reason I looked down at her hand and saw a small crucifix ring on her ring finger. Alexis had always been very religious and was a great role model. I thought to myself, "Why if she was so spiritual of a person, such a good person, why did he have to take her in such a violent way from us?" As I turned to leave, I felt a weird feeling on the back of my neck, almost like a hot wind and as I turned around, I heard Alexis whisper in my ear, "He and I are with you always. Never lose faith." I ran to her bed, but she had not moved. A shiver ran down my spine as I turned and walked out of the room.

That night, Alexis's mother and father decided to take her off of life support. The next couple of days were very rough. All I did was cry. On the day of Alexis's funeral, I was going through some old photos of when I was younger and came across a picture of Alexis and I. She had this huge smile on her face and she had her arm slung around my neck. We were both in our swimsuits sitting by her pool on the last day of 8th grade. I smiled and put the picture in my purse. I wanted to put it in her coffin or give it to her mother. I was sure her parents would like to see it. I drove to the church where the funeral was being held and parked in the back lot. I grabbed my handbag and started to get out of the car when something just made me look in my purse. There wrapped around my picture of the both of us was my rosary. I do not remember putting the rosary in there, much less wrapping it around the picture, so it was a little bit of a shock to see it in there. I sat in my car for a few minutes and prayed while holding the rosary, and just before I opened my eyes, I heard Alexis say the same phrase as before, "He and I are with you always." I instantly felt a sense of security.
The funeral was tough, but I kept hold of that picture and that rosary and it helped, as crazy as it sounds. I sincerely believe Alexis put it in my purse to help me and I am grateful to her. Instead of giving the only copy of the picture to her mom, I took it and made a copy for myself. To that day, that picture is still in my car, faded and edges curling, and that rosary hangs in my rear view mirror as a reminder of the beautiful girl lost at such a young age.
Every now and then, I talk out loud while I am driving to her. I believe that she listens. Alexis is my guardian angel of driving. She always steers me in the right direction.