Gratitude for my Every Day Life

I was in a car accident a few weeks ago.  It was not anything serious, but it did damage my SUV.  But I am not writing this to complain!  The moment happened so quickly.  I was stopped at a round-about waiting for a few cars to pass around, when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a white truck sliding towards me.  It had snowed earlier that morning and the roads were still a little bit icy.  In that moment my thoughts were quick and many.  I remember looking forward and seeing if I could move forward, but there was a car right there in front of me, making their way around the round-about.  I then returned to watching the truck slide quickly towards me and my only thought at that moment was, “Oh sh#@! There is no way to avoid this one!”  And then BAM!  The truck hit the back of my car hard, sending my SUV skidding into the middle of the round-about and nearly hitting the last car going past me.  Luckily, she was quick on her feet and had moved onto the curb out of the reach of my car.  My daughter was in the car with me and I immediately looked over at her and asked her if she was okay.  She said she was fine but was getting a headache and she looked shaken up!  I had tensed up and I already could feel the headache coming on.  My first accident in over fifteen years...

So, here I was examining my broken car, calling the police and freezing in the chilly air of winter.  Then there came the witnesses.  The two people, one was a woman and the other was a man, had stopped what they were doing with their day and had come over to make sure my daughter and I were okay and to be witnesses for the police.  As we waited in our cars I thought about the generosity these people had in their hearts to take time out of their lives to not only make sure we were okay, but to be witnesses to something that was not my fault.  They did not know me and they did not have to stay, but they chose to do this regardless of whatever else they needed to do.  I am sure if it was my fault they would have stayed as well, because they believe in the law and they know how important it is for insurance reasons to have witnesses.  After about an hour the whole thing was completed and we all went our separate ways.  I may not ever see those people again, but I appreciate them and I will not forget their kindness.

I was also thinking of a time a few years back where I witnessed a crazy wreck right in front of me.  My friend and I had left work to go get something to eat for lunch.  We were stopped (first in line) at the left hand turn red light.  As we were talking a jeep and a car collided right in front of us.  The jeep headed straight for us, but actually flew right over the hood of my car and landed on the hood of the car next to us.  I am sure if we had a video camera recording mine and my friends faces at this moment there would be a very funny home video to send in for $10,000!  It was a moment I will never forget.  A moment where many different thoughts ran through my mind in a very short period of time.  It amazes me how fast the mind works, especially in moments of panic.

Many people stopped to help out the drivers of this accident and we quickly peeled ourselves out of our chairs to make sure they were all okay as well.  The woman in the car was frantic and scared and man in the jeep walked away with very little injuries.  The guy in the white car next to me was fine as well.  All were shaken up, including my friend and I.  It was a crazy moment in our lives and we were both so grateful for being okay.  The strange thing was, usually we took my friends van, but that day we decided to take my little Honda Civic.  If we had been in her van there was no way that jeep would have made it over her hood.  There are no accidents... No pun intended!

I am grateful for all the moments in my life.  I am grateful for the moments my Heavenly Father is there to protect myself and my family from harms way.  I am grateful for beautiful people who come into my life to be angels and remind me how wonderful human beings really are.  Good night and sleep tight!