Accident Day

This morning Scott took time to give the kids and me an extra hug and kiss when saying good-bye.

That's because today is "Accident Day."

One year ago today started out completely normal. It was a cold and windy February day but after a long winter of LOTS of snow we were glad to see the sun shining and no snow in the forecast for the day.

The day was really completely ordinary for all of us - well that is until it wasn't.

It was a completely normal day and like we often do Scott and I use his 1/2hr drive home from work to talk on the phone and catch up on the events of the day.

I still get a sickish knot in my stomach when I think about the next few minutes. My first thought was something like "Oh great he just put the van in the ditch" but soon realized from the tone in Scott's voice that it was much more serious than being stuck in the ditch.

Scott was not in a ditch. The van hit a patch of black ice caused by blowing snow along with a big gust of wind which sent the van through the median into the oncoming lane of traffic where it flipped and landed on its side. Fortunately the seatbelt worked just as it was designed but unfortunately that meant that Scott was now suspended in the van unable to get free from the seatbelt. I sat on the other end of the phone listening to my husband as he tried to get free from the seatbelt so he could get out of the van all the while knowing that at any moment a semi or really any other vehicle appear in the lane also unable to stop because of the ice and come crashing into him.

Within seconds of his accident a car came by in the lane Scott had been travelling (not the one he was stuck in). The driver pulled over and ran through the median. He was able to climb in through the back of the van so Scott could push up off of him allowing the seatbelt to release.

I am so amazed and thankful to that man. I do not know who he is and will likely never meet him but he was willing to risk his life by climbing into our van while it was sitting in an ice covered lane of interstate traffic.

Another amazing aspect of this story is that while within seconds of the accident someone had driven by on the opposite side of the interstate and stopped to help during the entire time Scott was stuck in the van (probably about 5 min but it seemed like FOREVER) not one vehicle came by in the side of the interstate where the van was! This is a very major interstate and even in bad weather trucks continue to zoom along this road.

Scott walked away from the accident without as much as a bruise! He was a little sore mainly from being suspended by the seatbelt and struggling to get free but there were no visible marks, scrapes etc on him.

The week after this accident which so easily could have had a very tragic ending was when our daughter was conceived. Today she turned 3 months old and she is in my arms as I type this. When she was born we gave her the middle name Fidelity which means "Faithful". One of the reasons she was given that middle name was because of this accident and God's faithfulness to our family by not only sparing Scott's life but then choosing to bless our family with another new life.

Today is "Accident Day" and it is a day to celebrate God's goodness to us.

Naptime and a Reminder of God's Omnipresence

I'll be honest with you all and admit that this Mommy loves nap time. I love the "sound" of silence as soon as the kids are asleep. I usually manage to get about 45min-1hr of precious silence in the middle of the day to spend thinking, praying, exercise, etc to help me make it through to bedtime without completely losing it.

Well unfortunately for me lately James has decided that he does not think nap time is really all that valuable. So when I put him down for nap as soon as the door is closed he will pop out of bed and begin playing or aggravating his older brother. As soon as I open the door to put him back to bed he dashes for his bed or if he is feeling especially tricky he listens for me as I walk down the hall and by the time I get to the door he is already back in bed with a look that says "See Mommy I'm just laying here in bed like you told me."

Anyway this afternoon at nap time he was not wanting to stay in bed. When I opened the door and saw him running back to bed as fast as his little legs would go I was struck by the realization that James knows that when Mommy can see him that he is going to get in trouble for disobeying. And I was suddenly reminded of the omnipresence of God.

On Sunday nights our church has started to go through a video series titled The Truth Project. One of the things that is stressed is the question "Do you believe what you believe is really real?" While we may say that we believe one thing what we actually practice and live out is what we really believe is true. Today as I put James down for his nap I begin to ponder if I truly live my life in a way that shows that I believe that God is omnipresent. In other words do I live in such a way that my actions show that I believe that God is always present with me.

When one of my kids dumps their plate of food on the floor do I respond the same way as I would if God was sitting at the dinner table with us?

When I am trying to prepare a meal and my boys will not stop fighting with each other do I respond the same way I would if God was standing in the kitchen with me?

If God was sitting in my living room would I be tempted to check Facebook instead of spending time talking to Him?

Would I speak sarcastically or in frustration to my husband or children if I truly believed God was in ear shot?

When I am in church do I worship or listen to the sermon in the same way I would if I could see God sitting in the service next to me?

Unfortunately all to often I am like James who thinks obedience is only necessary when a parent is there to see him being naughty. All to often my actions demonstrate that I do not believe that God is always present with me every minute of every day. As I put James back in bed "one more time" I pray that one day he will learn to obey even when he can't see me. I also take a moment to pray that I will learn to demonstrate that same obedience to my heavenly Father.