Thursday, February 21, 2008

Forever Day

It has been a rough couple of days. Today was another round of computer frustration, but yesterday was worse.

One of the guys at David's shop, I'll call him T, had an accident. David called me, and at his first word, I knew something was terribly wrong. He explained that a barrel got knocked off a warehouse shelf and landed on T's head, knocking him to the ground, where he now lay in a pool of blood, waiting for an ambulance.

I wanted to be at the hospital for T's wife, though I don't know her. But, part way there I started crying and realized I probably wouldn't be much help. I know other people have worse stories, but I've also spent cold ER time wondering if my husband would live after a terrible wreck, and if my child would survive brain surgery for a head trauma. I knew exactly what her wait might feel like.

Both of us felt this sense of responsibility and dread, similar to the feeling you have for a child. How could this have happened to someone in our care? And a feeling of utter helplessness - we can't fix someone's body - we can't give someone back his daddy or replace her husband. I cry just writing about it.

There are many times when I'm proud that David's business provides a living for some really neat families. But, last night, we talked about whether we can handle the emotional risk of someone getting hurt. I've always imagined the horror of hitting a child I didn't know was behind my car - or being in the shoes of that poor guy, so stressed out by work that he completely forgot he had his sleeping son in the back seat and left him in the car on a hot day. I know that is what it would feel like if someone working in our business got badly hurt.

Thank God - really, Thank You, God - that T is okay. And thank you, those of you I contacted to pray yesterday, for your love and your time.

The other wonderful thing today, besides the news that T is all right, is Zion's Forever Day.

Today is the second anniversary of our first meeting with our new daughter. We actually met before this day, but she was not officially in our family. David and Alden celebrated Zion's Forever Day at Chuck E. Cheeses. She felt the life size "mickey mouse" was not to be trusted, but, aside from that, had a great time.

We are blessed with a wonderful family!