A Patch of Ice
Hopes and dreams are wrapped close and secure on those days that seem to be routine and mundane. At least that is what the start of my December felt like. Days blend into each other, counting off the busy chores of the season as Christmas draws near. The lights, the potlucks, the shopping, the mail. You want everything to be nice…the moments to be full of magical spirit. You work to have that beautiful experience with your family, with your child that you can only have when she is this age…when she is five.
Funny how in the blink of an eye, the weather can change everything.
A patch of ice. A flat, slick, slushy patch of ice, struck at just the right point in time, spun my husband into opposing traffic and collided with an unsuspecting mini van. Glass shattered and metal bent and screamed as he waited for our truck to stop spinning, leaving him in the ditch. After what felt like at least five minutes without breathing, he found his cell phone and called me from the wreck.
“Honey,” he gasped, trying to catch his breath, “I’ve had an accident. It was ice. I hit another car. It’s totalled and I think I broke my ribs!”
“What?” I responded, stunned.
“Yeah. I gotta go. Someone called an ambulance.”
Time stands still momentarily when you are confronted with the possiblity of something terrible and you tend to rely on the sanity of those around you. I made it to the scene with the help of those caring people and managed to focus on the hospital and physical wellness of my husband and the couple in the other car. With a lot of bumps and brusies, everyone was able to walk away…alive.
Things changed…that’s for sure. But one of the biggest changes…what I least expected in a time that I thought was routine and mundane, was how much I appreciate the people in my life, my loved ones. Health matters. People matter. All the rest is replaceable, one way or another — on the road to recovery.
Blessings,
Dawn
December 11th, 2004 at 3:13 pm
Whew! Glad to read that your husband is going to be fine. I hate to drive on ice! I hope you guys are insured and the other drivers are fine too.
Be well.
December 12th, 2004 at 2:56 pm
I am so glad your husband is fine. My mother was on an interstate one night but instead of ice she hit a puddle of water and hydroplaned across two lanes. Luckily, no cars were around her, and she hit a ditch. The Lord was watching after both your husband and my mother.
I am really enjoying your website and keep up the good work. I think it is real nice for you to share your life and have a website because you never know how you might reach someone or influence someone’s life.
Thanks,
Angie
December 14th, 2004 at 2:47 pm
I am glad to know nobody was seriously hurt. Life can change in a second. And sometimes we take for granted what we really have, and it takes something like this to make us really stop and think about how precious life really is. But what I know about you Dawn, is that you are a strong woman and could make it through anything….
You are truly blessed that everyone walked away alive
God Bless You and Your Family and the Family in the other car
Lesley