11.24.2010

A Special Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for each year.  This year I am thankful for something that in years past, hasn't been as surreal to me.  My life.  Now, you may say, you should always be thankful for life, but this year it's a little different, because we could have died last week, and there's nothing like a near death experience to put things in perspective.  We were driving Thursday night to the gas station and to rent a movie, it was a little after dark, and we were going between 45 and 50.  All of the sudden, last second, a van pulled across in front of us, like he never saw us, to turn into a drive way on our side.  With no reaction time (there aren't even skid marks at the scene), we hit him head on.  If you look at the pictures below, Jason tried to turn and take the brunt of the hit on his side (my knight in shining armor!).  We were both taken by ambulance to the ER and were released late that night with a lot of bruises and feeling pretty banged up.  But a head on collision at 50 mph could have been so much worse..thank heavens for seat belts and air bags.  The seatbelt bruised me pretty bad on my hip and chest, but kept me from going through the window!  The airbags burned Jason's arm, and my face is a little sore, but we didn't bust our heads on the dash or window.  My knees are both busted up, and I'm limping, and Jason's hand is swollen from it hitting the whindshield and shattering it when the airbag deployed, his collarbone was bruised, and both of us are hurting pretty badly in our backs and necks, and the doc thinks there is a possiblilty of Jason having a pinched nerve in his back or hip.  With all that said, we believe there was an angel riding with us that night, protecting us from worse harm.


And as always, I am so very thankful for my family who dropped everything last week to make the 3 1/2 hour trip to take care of us after the wreck, who prayed us through the ordeal, and who are continuing to take care of us this week at home, despite everything else going on trying to get ready for Thanksgiving!  I truly feel like I have the best family in the world, and I love you all with all my heart!

And going back to Jason...he really is the man I dreamed of.  He protects me at all costs, and despite his injuries, has handled everything this week from the police report to the insurance to the house and dog.  Our police report was wrong, and had to be fixed, because I wasn't even listed on it, and then the insurance has been a mess, because come to find out, the idiot that turned in front of us (who was obviously at fault), doesn't have insurance, or get this...a valid license!  So, needless to say, it's been nothing but stressful and draining, but Jason's handling things like a pro.  I love you so much, honey, and thank our Heavenly Father for blessing me with you!

And last, but not least, I am thankful for friends that rallied around us...friends who sat with us at the hospital until our family could get there, friends near and far, who were praying for us to be ok.  I love you guys!  You are truly the best friends a girl could ask for!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Hug and kiss your loved ones, you are not promised another day!  Tell them you love them, because you don't know when it may be the last time you see or talk to them!  Please, don't take it for granted.