Almost eleven years ago, my sister was killed in a freakish car accident. It was a rather minor accident, but for want of a seat belt she was thrown from the car. The wreck itself was a matter of seconds, being in the wrong place for literally seconds too long. Sometimes catastrophe hinges on seconds, or inches.
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| Brendan, reading in the shade. |
Yesterday, her son avoided catastrophe by inches. He was driving an ATV and whether he misjudged a turn or something else happened we don't really know, but he tipped the ATV into a ditch full of water. A tiny sapling stopped the ATV from pushing my nephew completely into and under the water. An inch or two farther and we would have had a true tragedy. But because of those inches, he was not pushed under water. The ATV fell on him, severely burning his leg, but he'll be okay. He's in a lot of pain and our avid soccer player is out for the rest of the year, but he'll be okay. That's the important part. So, we're counting our blessings today. We're so grateful that although his injury is serious, it's not nearly as bad as it could have been. We're thankful for those mere inches and the little tree that saved his life. We're relieved that his burn isn't worse than it is. We're also grateful to his incredible sister, Lindsey, who was nearby and handled the whole thing calmly. They were with my mom, but Lindsey was the one who called 911. My mom was so upset that Lindsey drove them to the hospital and helped everyone stay calm. Bless her little heart, she even took her little brother and sister to a movie later in the day to distract them from the drama.
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| Lindsey leading a water fight. |
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The kids and I are going to make some care packages for Lindsey and Brendan today. The girls are already thinking of the pictures they'll draw for them. They don't understand how lucky Brendan is, or how brave Lindsey was, but they know what it means to be hurt and upset. Miss E especially is brainstorming fun things to put in their packages. It's the best way I know to focus on the good things the future now holds, rather than the terrible that might have been.
