On my way to college Thursday morning, I was driving down my road when I saw a small furry object run under my wheel in my peripheral vision. I slowed my car, wincing because I just knew I hit a squirrel- there was no way I missed it. I glanced in my rear view mirror, ready to see a squirrel corpse, when I realized there was nothing there. Confused, I glanced to my left only to see a light gray squirrel with a nut in its mouth, scamper to the other side. I let out a sigh of relief. That squirrel was lucky.

When I pulled up to my school, I quickly made my way to my first class. I huddled under my coat and umbrella ,and fast-walked passed the library. Suddenly, a light gray squirrel with a nut in its mouth sprinted in front of me and disappeared in the bushes. I paused. I got this strange sense of deja vu, but quickly dismissed it.

As class ended, I made my way back to the car on the same path. I barely got to the parking lot when a light gray squirrel with a nut in its mouth hops in front of me and scampers off. This is point where I thought I was going nuts (no pun intended). I drove home with this squirrel invading my thoughts. What could it mean? Was i seeing the same squirrel or was it just a coincidence?

I got home and instantly told my dad my story. Of course, he laughed at the thought that I was being stalked by a squirrel. Annoyed that I wasn't believed, I sat on my couch and started to watch TV, instantly deciding that it was just a coincidence. Then, for some strange reason, I looked away from the TV and out of the glass door that led to the deck. Well, when I did look, I saw a LIGHT GRAY SQUIRREL WITH A NUT IN ITS MOUTH HOP ONTO THE DECK, LOOK AT ME, AND THEN RUN OFF. I screamed, fell off the couch, and yelled for my dad to come see the squirrel. When he got to the scene, he was just able to see the fuzzy tail as it disappeared behind our shed. With my face pressed up against the glass, I rambled about how I was going crazy and asking why is was happening to me. My dad (good ole dad) just laughed at me again. Then he told me the story of how he was followed by a cardinal with a white spot on its chest when he was younger. He told me that this cardinal would wake him up with a song, and actually follow him to school. He was able to recognize it anywhere he went because how many red cardinals do you see with a white spot on its chest? Then he said something that caught my attention. He said, " Maybe it was your guardian angel looking out for you."

Guardian angels? I thought. In the shape of a squirrel no less? This got me thinking. How many other weird stories do you hear about people swearing they were saved by a guardian angel, or that they knew that someone out there was watching over them?

Recently, there was a story in the news about a young woman in Missouri who was in a terrible car crash that left her trapped in her vehicle. Police set up a 2 mile perimeter while firefighters desperately tried to get her out, but their tools weren't working. Finally, the young woman begged to pray out loud with everyone, knowing her time was running out. This was when a priest seemingly appeared out of nowhere and came onto the scene, asking to pray with the girl. He carried oil with him that he promptly anointed her with. The firefighters around admit that a sense of calmness came upon her and everyone around. When the priest was done, he went to the firefighters and simply explained that they should remain calm, and that their tools would now work. Not too strange right? Wrong. Soon after, another firefighter department came with new tools, and the rescue happened quickly and efficiently-their tools working perfectly. It was a miracle! However, when the firefighters turned around to thank the priest, he had vanished. The road that had been blocked was completely empty of people. What's even stranger was the fact that no matter how many pictures were taken on the scene, the priest was missing in all of them. The priest was simple gone, and so far no one has been able to find him. This raises the question, was there ever really a priest or was he an angel?

There are plenty of stories like this one of people coming to the rescue and then vanishing without a trace. People also claim that in tight situations, they could've sworn they heard a comforting voice that calmed them until help came. So could there be guardian angels watching out for us all? In these desperate times, I believe so. Apparently, my guardian angel takes the form of a light gray squirrel with a nut in its mouth...go figure.

Have you ever felt that you were being watched over, or had an experience with a guardian angel? Leave it in the comments!