Giving Thanks On Thanksgiving

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Lying in the hallway of the emergency room, the policeman who had worked my wrecked leaned over me and said, “You know you’d be dead if you hadn’t been wearing your seatbelt.” This moment helped me learn about giving thanks on thanksgiving.

Life’s Surprising Moments Are Not Always Pleasant

Following a collision from behind on the freeway, my 2000 4- Runner was airborne with my back wheels leaving the pavement and the body of the car lifting up and to the left.

My youngest daughter Hannah and I began what felt like a slow motion, weightless ballet, our bodies and arms rising from the seats and to the left.

As the nose of the car dipped down, the back end rose up. It flipped forward over the top catching just enough of the roof to crush the top edge and windshield that released sand-like particles glass into the passenger compartment.

The car performed a small pirouette on the hood and came crashing down a final time on the passenger side, spinning like a top down the freeway.

Time Does Stand Still

I had entered a dimension of time and space that was completely unfamiliar.

It seemed like time stood still.

From time to time I’ve pondered how I would face the moment of death.

I don’t think about it often, but every now and then the thought does come, unexpectedly, like a bird through an open window.

And there it is.

I marvel at the unexpected site for a moment then shoo it away. In a moment’s time I had faced death calmly, yet I clung to life.

I was in too much of a state of shock to disagree with the first responder’s observation that my seat belt saved my life. I knew I could have easily died that night even wearing a seat belt.