Today could have been different.
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Yesterday afternoon my neighbor and I decided to walk to the library with Elliot and our kids (Simon, Cecie, K and A). It was a rocky, chaotic start. The kids were either going to fast or too slow and there was a lot of redirection those first few minutes.
K, age 6, was riding his bike and Simon was running alongside him. At one point they collided and Simon went down into some bushes. I was thankful he didn't fall in the direction of the busy street just a couple feet to our left, but still he had several scratches and was hysterical so I told him he had until the count of three to pull himself together or we were going to turn back. I got to three. He took a deep breath, smiled and we moved forward.
The boys raced to the next cross street and stopped to wait for us, as is the rule. We reached them, gave them the all clear to cross and they went ahead. The busy road on our left continued to have a steady flow.
K was back up on the sidewalk by the time were halfway across the street and suddenly he took a sharp left with his bike. Right over the curb. Straight into traffic.
His mother screamed his name in pure terror, a sound I'm not likely to ever forget. Cars were slamming on their brakes as hard as they could. Then crash....crash.
For far too many seconds we couldn't see K at all, the mangled cars were in the way. Was he hit? Was he alive? Where? Was? HE?! After all the cars finally stopped he came peeking around the first car with his bike and a terrified look on his face.
He walked away. By some kind of God given miracle, he walked out of the middle of the street with a line of totaled cars just inches away from him. Relief poured over me in the form of tears as I sat with the other kids while his mother tried to make sense of what just happened.
It took no time at all for countless police cars to arrive on the scene along with a fire truck, ambulance and plenty of spectators. There were three cars that were severely damaged and one woman was taken away on a stretcher. We're told she will be okay.
K saw all the police and thought for sure either he or his mom were going to get arrested. We assured him they wouldn't be, but it continued to be his chief concern until we left. Bryan came to get the dog and the kids so I could walk back with my neighbor; we tried not to lament over the what-ifs, but that was of course impossible.
It is with zero exaggeration that I say this child was within inches of his life. This scene will play over and over in my mind for who knows how long. Every time I think about what we could have seen instead of his scared little face coming out from in front of that first car, I get a wave of emotion and have to just try to block it out.
Thank God that first car was paying attention. Thank God her feet and her breaks were strong. Thank God she wasn't looking at her phone or her radio or out the window or checking her mirrors.
So as I said, today could have been a very different kind of day. So thankful things turned out the way they did...
--
Yesterday afternoon my neighbor and I decided to walk to the library with Elliot and our kids (Simon, Cecie, K and A). It was a rocky, chaotic start. The kids were either going to fast or too slow and there was a lot of redirection those first few minutes.
K, age 6, was riding his bike and Simon was running alongside him. At one point they collided and Simon went down into some bushes. I was thankful he didn't fall in the direction of the busy street just a couple feet to our left, but still he had several scratches and was hysterical so I told him he had until the count of three to pull himself together or we were going to turn back. I got to three. He took a deep breath, smiled and we moved forward.
The boys raced to the next cross street and stopped to wait for us, as is the rule. We reached them, gave them the all clear to cross and they went ahead. The busy road on our left continued to have a steady flow.
K was back up on the sidewalk by the time were halfway across the street and suddenly he took a sharp left with his bike. Right over the curb. Straight into traffic.
His mother screamed his name in pure terror, a sound I'm not likely to ever forget. Cars were slamming on their brakes as hard as they could. Then crash....crash.
For far too many seconds we couldn't see K at all, the mangled cars were in the way. Was he hit? Was he alive? Where? Was? HE?! After all the cars finally stopped he came peeking around the first car with his bike and a terrified look on his face.
He walked away. By some kind of God given miracle, he walked out of the middle of the street with a line of totaled cars just inches away from him. Relief poured over me in the form of tears as I sat with the other kids while his mother tried to make sense of what just happened.
It took no time at all for countless police cars to arrive on the scene along with a fire truck, ambulance and plenty of spectators. There were three cars that were severely damaged and one woman was taken away on a stretcher. We're told she will be okay.
K saw all the police and thought for sure either he or his mom were going to get arrested. We assured him they wouldn't be, but it continued to be his chief concern until we left. Bryan came to get the dog and the kids so I could walk back with my neighbor; we tried not to lament over the what-ifs, but that was of course impossible.
It is with zero exaggeration that I say this child was within inches of his life. This scene will play over and over in my mind for who knows how long. Every time I think about what we could have seen instead of his scared little face coming out from in front of that first car, I get a wave of emotion and have to just try to block it out.
Thank God that first car was paying attention. Thank God her feet and her breaks were strong. Thank God she wasn't looking at her phone or her radio or out the window or checking her mirrors.
So as I said, today could have been a very different kind of day. So thankful things turned out the way they did...
Because I want to remember it all? From this you, and I, need to remember our blessings. Those abundant, beautiful God given blessings! Special prayers of thanks for adorable little K and his family.
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