How quickly things can change
When I got to work this morning, I was pretty pumped up. I had a
couple things on my to-do list that I really wanted to get cracking on,
and some general maintenance items on our office that needed to get
done. The day started out pretty well.
About 9:30 AM, my cell
phone rings. The caller ID on it shows that it's my Mom's cell phone.
She was having surgery today on her knee to try and fix some cartilage
tears and look at a ligament tear, so I figured it was her calling to
tell me how everything went, though I remember thinking that it must
have been an awfully quick surgery.
I pick up the phone and say
"Ya Ho Lord Helmet!" (Spaceballs reference, old family joke). I wasn't
expecting my mom's sister's voice to be the one that answered. She blew
off my now completely unfunny greeting and said, "Clay, your mom and
dad were in a car accident this morning. They're at the hospital, but
they're OK."
It's amazing that in that blink of a second
between "car accident" and "OK", numerous scenarios run through your
mind. You gird yourself for the worst possible sentence that could
follow, then feel an enormous amount of relief when it doesn't.
I
hang around the office for a bit, telling my boss what happened and
making sure it's OK to take off (and he graciously allowed me to,
further cementing my claim that I have the best employer in the world),
and generally tying up loose ends. Finally, about 11:30, I take off.
Fast
forward to about 7PM and we finally completed the drive from home to
childhood home. I haven't been in that hospital in years, and they
haven't changed much about it. Mom and Dad are pretty beat up. Dad has
powder burns on his chest from the airbags, along with a fair bit of
bruising and some breathing difficulties. Mom has powder burns on her
face, quite a bit of bruising (she bruises easily, always has), and two
swollen knees which I'm going to guess will both require surgery now.
They are both 66, so it may take a little bit of time to recover.
They took on a Ford Ranger with their Mercury Grand Marquis in a
head-on collision. A picture of the car actually made the front page of
the morning paper, which is amazing to me. I don't have a picture yet,
but I'll get some tomorrow when I go out there to get their personal
stuff out of the car. The car is absolutely trashed.
So, here I
sit at Mom's computer, pondering how thin the thread between life and
death is. What was seemingly a normal day, me at my desk, my wife and
kids having school, and my parents going to a doctor's visit, turned
into a small family emergency. Had the other car been going a little
faster, or hit them on the side instead of head-on, maybe I would be
typing an obituary to my parents, sitting in their house, surrounded by
their belongings. God watched over them today, and I'm thankful. I
looked at the call history on my phone earlier and saw my parents'
names and wondered what would happen if that call from them was the
last one.
They are still in the hospital, but should hopefully come home tomorrow. Your prayers are appreciated.