Facebook reminded me of something I
posted three years ago today. And I
wanted to share it with you along with an update. It was a dramatic event in the life of
several people: a car accident that
almost killed our almost-granddaughter’s brother. This is the part where I
could tell you that everything is fine now but that would be deceptive. It’s been a long three years. I think everyone including his parents have
lost count of how many surgeries Dylan has had.
He is still waiting for his head to heal enough to get a plate implanted
to replace enough skull to protect his brain.
It’s been a hard three years.
Here’s my original post. It was one of those that came so easily I
know the Holy Spirit wrote it for me so I figure it might be worth sharing with
you again.
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Things have been heavy at our house
the last couple of days. Our weekend started with great promise. Emily
came with the girls for no particular reason. It wasn’t a holiday, there
were no “food standards” so I didn’t cook myself into a nervous breakdown. We
had tacos and nachos and ice cream. Everybody kind of came and went as
they pleased. It was a relaxing time.
Sarah has her learner's permit and
Emily is letting her drive. We went to the movies and Sarah drove home in the
dark and did fine. Essie is on schedule to get braces on her teeth so the
popcorn at the movies was especially savored. It was like “goodbye”
popcorn. And I just now remembered that she doesn't go by Essie any more.
She is Elisabeth now. At least, at school. In public.
Someday only our family will call her Essie.
We’re getting to the part where they
grow up. And I’m not sure how I feel about that, as if my opinion could stop
time if I wanted to.
Saturday morning just when the
cinnamon rolls for a late breakfast came out of the oven Sarah came running
into the house straight for her mom in the back room. Things were quiet
for a time while I wondered what the rush was. When they emerged Sarah
was crying and could only show me the message on her phone that her best
friend’s brother had been in a car wreck. A bad one. A
life-threatening, head injury, brain damage, scary one. Later, when the facts
came in, it sounded like a classic beginner's mistake when the inexperienced
driver hits the side of the road then over-corrects and over-corrects that and
ends up rolling the car. Emily and the girls packed up and left for home to get
in a position where they could help Savannah however she needed them to.
Damn this learning to drive
process. Damn youth. Damn learning the hard way.
Savannah’s family is very involved
in scouts and church. The First Christian Church, two blocks away from
the Garland town square, held a prayer vigil there. Hundreds of people
came to support them. My daughter held her own daughter while the town
sang “Amazing Grace.” Emily told me she could feel Sarah shaking in her arms.
Growing up isn’t easy. We want to keep our kids in a bubble and protect them from pain. But I don’t know a single person who has managed to pull this off. Instead, I know people who claim that if you learn from mistakes then they should be the smartest person on earth..
Expensive weddings didn't prevent
both of our daughters from divorce. The best therapy in town didn’t keep me
from being an alcoholic. Yes, I’ve gotten used to the fact that I can’t
drink and it has become but a minor footnote in my life. Do I wish it was
different? Of course. But it is what it is.
Sometimes things are just hard. And
you can't buy a guarantee.
If you have a kid who is learning to
drive you can spend hours and hours teaching them but the learning process is a
process with no guarantees. Learning is hard. And on top of that,
you can’t control the other drivers who share a freeway with them.
Beaven and I know the secret to
driving on ice and snow. When you hit an icy patch and lose control, our
technique is to just let go of the wheel for a little bit until the wheels have
a bite on the road surface again. You, in effect, let go of any control you
think you have. It’s no guarantee that you can prevent an accident this
way but it’s the best recommendation from all the experts. It’s always worked
for me.
Some times to re-gain control of our
lives we have to let go for a while before we can hold the steering wheel
again. That’s what the prayer vigil for Dylan Godwin was all about.
It’s our best weapon. It’s our only hope.
When you walk to the edge of all the
light you have
And take the first step into
the darkness of the unknown
You must believe one of two things
will happen:
There will be something solid for
you to stand upon
Or you will be taught to fly
Patrick
Overton
The Leaning Tree, 1976
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