The Chair Lift

In the late 1950’s I traveled through the Canadian Rocky Mountains with my parents and siblings. Still remember the snow capped mountains and  magnificent beauty Hashem created. My father was traveling through populated Jewish cities in Canada, stopping to deliver inspiring speeches to benefit Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim. During these travels he took time off to spend with the family. One day we went to a chairlift, that would cross between two magnificent mountain tips, passing over beautiful valleys and streams. Each open chairlift was attached to an overhead in motion pulley with one long steel bar, that seated two passengers.The plan was for my father and I to take the first chair lift and my mother and sisters to follow in the next. On the launching platform we waited for our turn. We were advised, that when the next chairlift passed by, we should quickly take our seats and that an attendant would  manually lock a hand rail bar around us for security. My father and I took off without a hitch but unfortunately the attendant missed locking the bar in place around my mother and sisters. Imagine being suspended in an open chairlift thousands of feet above the ground, unsecured. With one hand my mother held on to my baby sister and with her other hand she held on to my sister sitting beside her. You can just imagine the fear that gripped my father when he turned around and became aware of the dangerous situation my mother was in, helpless to do anything. Needless to say my mother was panic stricken.That they didn’t fall off the chairlift while in motion was nothing less than a miracle. It could only have been an Angel of Hashem that protected them. Since the chairlift company took pictures, the scene was photographed. After everyone’s safe arrival, my father bought the picture, in order to remember the miracle Hashem granted his family.