Tales of a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

I think this was the title of a book or a poem that I read when I was little, but it fit my day. This morning after preparing dinner in the crockpot and finishing an edit on a press release, I called Shawn's cousin-in-law Juanita to say that Joshua and I were on our way since she had invited us over. With directions in hand, we left our warm house and headed into the blistering cold weather. As we neared her street, I came to an intersection, looked both ways, saw nothing was coming, and started to pull out... at that very moment an 18-year-old male crested the hill (he did NOT have a stop sign) and smashed into me, literally into me. I think I might have his chevy emblem from his monstrous truck imprinted into my forehead. My door caved into me, the glass showered all around my head, my windshield busted out, my tire was bent sideways, and the frame of my car is no longer a rectangle. [In fact, the male police officer had to bust my glove compartment open so I could get my registration and insurance out.]

This poor kid came running out of his truck with a bloody face and asked me if I was okay. All I could scream was "My baby!" since I couldn't get out. He helped me pry (and kick) my door open, and we got Joshua out, who was completely unscathed. (THANK THE LORD!!!) He called someone he knew...I'm assuming maybe his dad...who arrived on the scene quickly, while I called the police. A nice grandmother came out of her house with her 5-month old grandson and offered for us to come inside out of the cold. We quickly took Joshua indoors and waited for the police to come. In the meantime, I was cleaning up the blood on me, but I was not badly injured. I'm bruised from head to toe, have cuts and scrapes everywhere, my neck is somehow completely scraped up (maybe from the seatbelt???), and my head feels like my brain is too big for my skull from hitting it just on my left side (I literally felt like his truck hit my body), but I am SO thankful that Joshua is okay and secondly that I have no broken bones. I cried most of the day, but I have so much to be thankful for. The police officer did not issue any citations because he said there are accidents there ALL the time. I think the insurance company will rule it my fault since there was a stop sign on my side, but the cops said it's just a bad spot where there's zero visibility. I am so sad because I loved that car and we have absolutely no money to buy a new one, but it could be so much worse.

Juanita came looking for me when I didn't show up at her house, which was so sweet of her and came inside while we waited for Shawn to pick me and Joshua up. This nice grandma was so kind, and Shawn was there fairly quickly to calm us down and take us home. Joshua has been good all day and seems totally normal, so I think he's just fine. The kid who hit me was also very sweet, as was the older genteman who arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. The cops were also nice (and Juanita noted that one of them was her father-in-law Dan's new wife). Thank God for Shawn who always takes care of us, did not care one iota about my car, and told me that he was glad we were okay over and over again.

Speaking of Shawn, he fell yesterday in our driveway while taking out the recycling first thing in the morning and sprained his ankle. So, he was just in the doctor's office to get an aircast. I think the next time (and I pray that there won't be a next time) he gets hurt in the slightest, I'm burying myself in a hole and hiding.

So, we are pressed but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted not abandoned, struck down by not destroyed. (2 Cor 4:8-9) I would venture to add to that, we're EXHAUSTED BUT NOT DEAD!!!