HOPE

If you are reading this, and know me personally, you know that one week ago, my family was thrown into chaos. On October 15th, we woke up having no idea what would take place that day. A lot has happened in the last seven days, and I've posted several updates and such on Facebook, but in this moment that I have time to process it all, I feel the need to write it all out in one place.

In all honesty, the craziness did not actually start on Thursday, in fact it's best to just start on Monday. My dad is a long haul truck driver for a company out of Nebraska. He just transferred to this company not too long ago, and so far has enjoyed the change. Usually he is gone for about a month, but his time off is a bit unpredictable, so we don't usually know he is coming home until a few days before the fact. Monday morning I was thinking about him, and kinda got this weird feeling in my stomach, like I really missed him and wanted to talk to him. I don't like to allow myself to worry about strange little feelings, in my opinion that is a good way to let Satan mess with you, so I just pushed the thought aside. That night when I came home from school, mom told me that everybody was okay, no one got hurt, but that dad had been in an accident that afternoon. I was stunned, remembering  how I had felt that morning. I thanked God for protecting everyone and made a note that maybe little feelings might actually mean something.

Mom had also gone to the dentist recently and was told that she had to have teeth pulled out due to root damage, or something like that. So on Wednesday she was scheduled to have two teach pulled. Tuesday night, we found out that dad would be coming home Wednesday afternoon. We all get excited about this! 

"Daddy's Home!"

Wednesday was going to be a busy day, but I would be coming home earlier than usual, and go to church (which has become a rare thing these days) When I came home, mom was upstairs resting. Josiah and I talked with her a few minutes about how the procedure went and all those gory dental details. I said hey to day and then rushed back out the door for church. By the time I got home it was late, so I got ready for bed, said goodnight to mom, who was already in bed, and called it a night. That was when I saw her last. 

Thursday morning, started as usual. I did call mom and talk to her on the phone because we were needing to work out a few details with our business websites, so the last time I spoke to her was about 10 am that morning. the rest of my day was pretty laid back. I worked until two, did some homework, and went to my one class, which ended at about 4:30. I then went to my car to work on some homework until Josiah was ready to leave. At 4:44 pm I got a message from my friend who is the grandson of the couple that mom takes care of at work. She was supposed to be to work at 4, but according to the message, she had not shown up and they could not get a hold of her. Mom absolutely loves her job, so I knew there was no way she had forgotten what day it was, or what time she was supposed to be there. I immediately called the house to see what was up. When Jonathan answered the phone the cops had just left with my dad, and were on the way to the hospital. Jon was so upset, all he could say was that the officer wouldn't tell them anything other than that mom had been in an accident. I just told him I would get Joe and we would be home as soon as we could get there. On our way home Josiah started making calls. Our grandfather had already been notified, so when we got in touch with him, he had more details but nothing we wanted to hear. Ten minutes from our house, mom had pulled out into an intersection unaware of the oncoming traffic. She was hit by a loaded logging truck, full impact to the drivers side door. She was found at the scene unconscious, and airlifted to the trauma center in Columbia. We didn't know if she would be okay, we didn't know if we would ever see her again. It was the worst hour of my life.

As the night went on, we discovered that mom had regained consciousness but the doctors medically sedated her right away because there was bleeding on her brain. Her right leg was broken in multiple places, her left hip was chipped, her left arm and hands were all cut up from class, both lungs were collapsed, her ribs were bruised, her spleen was torn and bleeding, her sternum was cracked, and she had a gash on the bottom left of the back of her head. the next 24 hours would be a nightmare of waiting for any news we could possibly get, yet in a way, it didn't quite seem real yet.

What was real was the amount of support that immediately began flooding in from all directions. On Friday morning we had no milk in the house, by Friday night, we had 10 gallons as well as a whole kitchen full of food! thousands of dollars were donated in just a matter of hours, and the love and prayers from friends, family, and even strangers was absolutely overwhelming. 

Mom's progress was rocky at first, but she is continuing to show positive signs each day. originally, the doctors thought she would have to remain completely sedated for at least a week, by Monday she was at 0% sedation and beginning to move her arms and legs. As of today she is still sleeping, but it is the brain's natural way of healing. He lungs have inflated, but she still needs assistance breathing until fluids have cleared and reduced. A tracheotomy has been done, and a rod has been put into her leg from the knee down to the ankle, running through her Tibia. As she wakes up more fully, she will begin testing to examine the extent of the damage done to her brain. Her progress continues to be positive, but she definitely has a long road ahead of her. I the words of a friend, "It is already done, God has taken care of it all"

God certainly has had his hand in this situation since long before it happened. The fact that she is even alive is beyond all understanding. We don't know why, but for some reason mom decided not to take the kids to work with her as she usually does on Thursdays, and if dad had not had the unexpected time off, the kids would have been home alone when the police showed up. Speaking of my dad, I have to give him a shout out as well! He has barely left my mom's side during this whole time. he sleeps in a chair in a waiting room just so that he can be there. my parents are the greatest example of what it truly means to love someone unconditionally. 23 years and they are still passionately in love! Thank you dad for staying so strong, and encouraging the positive thinking during this time when it is so easy to lose hope.

This new chapter of our lives is just beginning, and it's not going to be easy to read, but we have hope in knowing that it is not the end. Mom is the strongest lady I know. She has been through a lot in her life, yet she never gives up. Hope is what she holds onto each and everyday. It is her life motto. Just last week she posted something on Facebook that has reminded me not to lose hope now, because God is working in our lives even when we don't understand how or why, His plans are always perfect. and the tough times are for our own benefit.

Thank you all so much for your support. Just know that God is using you for something huge, so I hope you are ready to be blessed abundantly!

"Do not fear, only believe"

~ Jesus

Blessing

Sarah