you never expect

you never expect to get that call or text, whether it’s middle of the day or middle of the night. for me, it was as i was waiting at a bus stop to go to work for the evening.

my mom sent over a picture that took my breath away, with “everyone is ok” at the beginning.

on friday, my parents and 3 of our sweet nieces and nephews were headed to our family cabin…my parents in years past have gifted me and my siblings ‘house swaps’…where they take the little kids to our cabin for fun grandma/grandpa time (or in our case, dogsitting), while the married couple gets a few day retreat at the house.

on their way in treacherous conditions on just a two lane highway, they watched the car in front of them lose control, spinning into the middle, with a semi coming from the other direction…unable to avoid what lie ahead of him, the semi hit the car, putting him right in the direction of my parents, who were sitting ducks unable to move. thankfully by that time he was going maybe 15-20 miles per hour, but due the lack of control and weight of his rig he still careened into their van.

i can’t imagine the thought of seeing it coming, not able to do anything, and know about the precious cargo in the backseats. i am not surprised when my mom told me even the next day that she still sees the semi when she closes her eyes. after a very long day and night being stuck in this random town (because their wreck ended up causing tons of other accidents completely closing the entire highway for miles), they experienced people’s kindness and selflessness and eventually made it back home.

i have no eloquent verse to apply to this…all i can say on this monday morning, is that i am still thankful, as is the rest of our family. thankful that none of our ‘what-ifs’ were answered. thankful that no one was going any faster than they were. thankful that there were no cars behind them to make it worse. thankful that the other drivers were safe as well. thankful that the kids (ages 10 and under) although scared at moments, stepped away un-traumitized and hugged their parents again the next day.

it’s always so easy to take every breath for granted in any situation…we don’t know if god has promised us tomorrow. or even the rest of today. are you thankful for this moment…and are you living it like you ought to?