How can I start this post without saying OH MY GOD what the hell happened today? I woke up literally 4 seconds before my kids head out the door to school. My 18 year old son drives so they head off in our front wheel drive volvo. I have enough time to start a pot of coffee when the phone rings. My daughter says " We have been in an accident" I grab my rain/snow clothes a shovel and various "rescue items" and my spouse and I head out the door to what we imagine as a simple accident in the ditch. We find our car deep in a ditch, stopped by a bush/tree and our kids standing at the roadside. I am shocked to see the car so far off the road and practically on it's side. My sons glasses are missing, he is anxious and my daughter is standing like some kind of fortress, immovable and strong. I hug them both and the tears flow. I can see that this could've gone a whole different way and here we are together. I call a tow truck and the gentleman on the other end is so kind and helps me understand the process. We are all waiting in the snow/slush/cold/omg where the hell is the God Damn snow plow....?????? My husband takes our daughter home and I am left with my son who is shocked and blaming himself. "Accidents happen" I say. "Life is unpredictable" I say. "We all have these moments" I say.... I am numb. I can see that we are lucky, fortunate and blessed that they came out relatively unscathed. The tow guys shows and hooks up the car. My way of handling things is to see how much he is doing wrong. Then the lady in the house comes out and starts taking pictures. Then a Sheriff arrives and I am feeling like for God Sake, stop gawking and help us or at least contribute without your stupid mandates for ID and your GD phone in your hand...... I am fixin' for a fight about now. And I take a deep breath and realize that absolutely everyone is doing their best right now~ including me.... The car is pulled from the ditch and I see the amazing damage. It shocks me and I am clear that there is something that helped keep this worse than it is. My son is horrified to see the damage. I mourn that we are vulnerable to danger, devastation, loss. This precious human life is unpredictable, full of suffering and riddle with it's own crazy turns. This is a reminder that we are precious. That these 2 miracles entered the world through my body and this is a mystery. They aren't mine and they never have been. They belong to the world and the world almost lost them and so did I. Hug your loved ones tighter, love them with all your capacity. Revel in the time together. You & I belong to the world & each other. This can happen in an instant AND it did.
