I have quite a few post topics saved in my drafts but this one kept nagging at me.
There has been going on in my life and in my heart lately and those posts will come later but I wanted to begin with this one.
I frequently visit B&N bookstore on my lunch break. I love reading and I can easily get lost walking the through the isles browsing for that cover that catches my attention. Yes, I do notice the cover first. Sometimes it's the color, sometimes it the picture on the front. Only then do I pick it up to see if the story catches my attention also. Anyway, as you know they often move their displays around throughout the store and such is the case with this book:
I don't know why but every time this book was in a different display I always wound up walking past it. So finally after my third or fourth visit to the bookstore and seeing this book on a display table on my way to the magazine section I stopped picked it up, opened it to read the inside. What caught my attention was the question "How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties?" How indeed I thought?
Hmmm, A dare to LIVE FULLY right where you are? Really? Is it REALLY possible?
So I bought this book. No it is not one that I read in one day, or two days. But what I did do with this book is take my time to read it slowly. So that I could mull it over {so to speak}.
What I found, for me, is that it changed the way I looked at things. I began to view things differently. Really SEE all the gifts we receive on a daily basis from God.
When we take the time to move at a slower pace, even if it's just to mentally slow down we can really see all the gifts around us.
I, as so many that have read Ann Voskamp's book, started my own "One Thousand Gifts " journal.
I am a firm believer and always have been that our Lord works in mysterious ways.
And that we sometimes find ourselves in situations because that is exactly where God wants us to be at that moment.
Such is the case for what I'm about to share with you.
My daughter Ashton & I have been saving for a few months so that we could drive to Tennessee to buy a car for her from her uncle. The timing for the trip never seemed to be good but last weekend, Labor Day weekend, we finally decided would be as good as any. School had just started, she was busy with after school activities and we really needed for her to have her own transportation.
Thursday night Christopher and I were sitting together getting caught up on some tv shows we had recorded and I suddenly had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach and felt very antsy, nervous...... I turned to him and said I feel weird about leaving on Saturday for some reason. He asked if it was my health, the drive possibly that made me feel that way? I wasn't sure.
Fast forward to Saturday, work was slow I was hoping to get off early so we could get on the road earlier than 1:30 as i had been planning. That didn't happen. Then I had to make two unexpected stops before getting home. I hadn't even packed yet.
Needless to say packing & getting our things together seemed to take longer than planned, so of course I was getting myself in a tizzy. We had to stop for gas, drop a movie at red box, grab a bite to eat. One thing after another kept delaying our start time so as we're finally getting ready to head out, Me thinking I'll just take I95 so we can make up some time suddenly get in the left lane and go in the opposite direction. I, of course and asking myself "why did you do that?" Oh well, no biggie, just go with it the voice in my head said.
I made all the calls to my husband, my family in Tennessee to let them know that we were FINALLY on our way.
Ashton gets settled in legs crossed in the seat next me to work on her chemistry homework.
We're driving along listening to music, traffic isn't bad, things are looking good.
Less than fifty miles from home we're coming up on and intersection between Spring Lake & Sanford. We're behind a small blue pickup truck. The light turns yellow so I start slowing down, the truck is going too fast to stop so he goes through the light on yellow........
What happens next will be with me for a very long time. It was like seeing it in slow motion when It really only took a few seconds.
I remember saying oh dear God! Ashton looked up and we sat there at the light as the blue truck slammed into a car turning left from the opposite direction. Ahston started screaming mom stop!
I quickly pulled over on the side of the road, jumped out of the car without closing my door and began running, screaming Ashton call 911!
This is the truck that was in front of us......
He hit the car in the passenger door began to spin and flipped over onto the drivers side and slid over to the side of the road.
I didn't even hesitate, I ran as fast as I could to the car. The passenger side door was completely crushed in. I remember thinking God, please let them be ok. The side windows were broken out. As I got to the car I saw a woman slumped over to the side, I could not see her face. I kept calling "mam, can you hear me?" I ran around to the drivers side and called out to her again. No response. I tried the door, it wouldn't open.
Ashton gave the 911 operator the intersection of where we were.
Finally people began to stop. Thankfully one man was a retired EMT. The car was beginning to smoke so he along with a few others got the car open and carefully got the young woman from the car. Ash got a long mat from a lady who had also stopped to lay under the her. She was so small and looked so young. She was covered with blood and glass from the windows. I remember thinking, "this is someones baby".
She opened her eyes and was screaming let me go over and over. All I knew to do was take her hand and try to calm her. She held on to me as those who stopped to help were asking if she knew her name, where she was, what had happened.
Heather she said, my name is Heather.
I asked "Heather, is there someone I can call?" My only thought was she has to have a phone somewhere. People standing around kept saying "you won't find a phone in there".
I ran to the car, her things were everywhere. I found a small makeup bag and grabbed it, I could feel a phone inside. Thank God, I thought, she wasn't on the phone when it happened. I gave the phone to Ashton and said start calling people till someone answers.
By this time the emergency trucks were there and were working with her. Ashton got Heathers aunt Kathy on the phone for me. I explained as calmly as I could what had happened. I asked the emt's which hospital they were taking her to. Thankfully it was a hospital I knew well so I told her where to go, where to check in when she got there.
Kathy said "ill you tell her something for me"?
I got down on my knees next to her and said "Heather? The emt said she can't hear you, we've sedated her. I kept talking to her anyway hoping my words would get through. I said "Heather, your aunt Kathy is on the phone, she loves you. She is going to be waiting at the hospital for you. I stood up to move out of their way and as I looked back she was reaching out like she was grasping for something. I got on my knees next to her. they said you can't touch her, she's in a lot of pain. So I did the only thing I knew to do. I put fingers out just enough to touch hers and she seemed to calm a bit.
Ashton and I stayed with her until the put her in the ambulance. Ashton handed her things to the emt and I told them her aunt Kathy will be at the hospital waiting please give these to her.
The rescue workers thanked us for helping. I was shocked. I was only doing what I felt like I needed to do. I couldn't bare the thought of her being alone. I kept thinking what if that was my Ashton?
We were the only ones to see the accident from start to finish that stopped. We were the only ones there to give a report.
This is the car she was driving....
Once Ashton and I were once again on the road we called everyone to let them know we were going to arrive late. Ashton text messages to her friends telling them please never think you can beat the yellow light, the person driving in the opposite direction may be thinking the same thing.
I later called the ER and told them I was trying to get in touch with someone in the waiting room named Kathy whose niece had been in an accident. Thankfully they let me speak to her. I told her my name and that I was the one who had called her to let her know what happened. I told her I was worried about Heather and asked how she was.
Not good, she said.
Heather has a broken neck, bleeding around her brain, a broken left arm, a broken right elbow and no memory of the accident at all.
Kathy went on to say, "Kimberly let me tell you something about Heather. She's such a good girl with a good heart. She has had a very hard life and I have been praying for her." She said "I believe God spared her today for a reason." She said "I'm so thankful you were there with her." She said, "thank you for you compassion."
We hung up and I thought, "my compassion?" Is that what I was? Compassionate?
Over the course of our 7 1/2 hour trip I thought of that young girl and I prayed for her, I still am. But I kept thinking of all the unexpected thing that caused us to leave later than expected, take a different course than planned. And I couldn't help but wonder, did God put me there for that reason? To be there for her?
He {God} does work in mysterious and wondrous ways. And if it was his plan for me to be there that day, I hope I did what he wanted me to do.
Till next time,
Many blessing to you,
Kimberly: )
