Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Life's Unexpected Twists and Turns

I am amazed beyond compare how it is that unseen hands work in our lives everyday. How they save us from ourselves. I find I am humbled at the power they possess and the way they intervene when necessary.

As a mother you never want to get a phone call letting you know that your children are hurt. Usually it means a scrape or two or in some cases a band aid or a visit to the doctor's office for a little extra TLC. But last Sunday I got the call that my second oldest daughter, 20 years old was just home from the hospital where the ambulance took her in the wee hours of the morning.

She had been in a terrible car accident where the car she was traveling in smashed up against the mountain side. Where you ask? Logan Canyon of all places. That she was sleeping in the passenger seat upon impact may be the very thing may have saved her life.

She is scraped up, bruised up and battered. She is just now getting back to normal activities after a week of extra sleeping, painful eating and difficult moving. There wasn't anyway to ignore work so she returned four days after the accident.

But what amazes me most is that the driver who fell asleep at the wheel woke up just before impact and was able to turn the wheel so that the brunt of the force hit the left front corner instead of straight on. That she went to the mountain and crashed instead of diving head long into the deep frigid river that ran along the opposite side of the road. That no one sustained more than a few cracked ribs, and that only because that particular passenger didn't have on his seat belt. Funny how I can be happy that she crashed into the mountain, but the alternative is way worse.

I know  God lives. I know He watches over us, loves us and preserves us for the things we were sent to this earth to do. I know that the reason this accident wasn't as bad as it could be was because there are things I know my daughter must still do. That she was kept whole for a reason. That she has work to do on this earth. That she is needed by Heavenly Father.

I am grateful that my daughter could call me and tell me that she was injured and sore, grateful that it wasn't a doctor informing me she was in ICU or worse yet an officer of the law informing me that she had moved on to the spirit world. I am grateful for those guardian angels who watch over her when she 10 hours away from home in another state when I can't be there to protect her. I am glad that they do the protecting for me.

And I am so grateful for my oldest wonderful 21 year old daughter who upon hearing about her sister's accident while here in Colorado with us, decided that on her way back to Utah that same afternoon of her sister's accident, she and her dear friend would stop in Logan and pick her up and bring her down to Sandy where she could be watched over and cared for by my sweet wonderful daughter and my mother. 

Life gives us unexpected twists and turns. Things we don't anticipate, but at the same time there are silent guardians who guide us and nudge us and keep us safe. They create amazing miracles and show us that life is indeed very fragile, but there is a much bigger power that holds it in reserve and keeps us moving forward upon the pathways we take.

That through these events we grow and learn become amazing and truly great. I am so glad that my daughter called me today to tell me how much better she feels. So much so that she was going to try long boarding with her friends for the first time since she got hurt. I told her to be careful. I think she still believes she is indestructible... but at the same time has a healthy respect for life's fragile grasp on this world.

3 comments:

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

Such a scary thing, Debbie. I have an aunt and uncle who got the visit at 1am from a law enforcement officer, asking them if they knew where their son was. They found his driver's license but couldn't ID the body... unfortunate that he WAS NOT home. I know they will never recover from such a thing.

Cami Checketts said...

I'm so happy she's okay! We are so blessed in so many ways, seen and unseen.

Debbie Davis said...

thanks guys! this was a pretty scary time