My Good Fortune

So, I spent this week in Salt Lake City for work and play. I was able to go to Mary Poppins, eat fabulous food, win a camcorder, help a world famous magician with some tricks and get checked out by a professional soccer player. It was great! But it was also sad- the mother of one of my high school best friends passed away. She had been on life support for a few days and the family made the painful decision to terminate support. And the same day, the son of a family I grew up with in Virginia was in a rollover car accident in Colorado and passed away. It is the car accident that has made me reflect on my good fortune.

Thirteen years ago, I was involved in a serious car accident that could have very easily took my life. I have not ever blogged about it before (or at least I don't think I have- if so, you get to read it again). I was driving from my parents' house in Chubbuck, ID to my aunt and uncle's house in Cokeville, WY. Just outside of Montpelier, ID, I fell asleep driving and rolled my car. My sister was in the car with me- she was asleep. There was no radio reception (my car was a grand 1989 Chevy Cavalier sans tape deck or cd player), I didn't have a cell phone and even if I had, there was no cell reception. It was a lovely Sunday evening and I drifted off. I woke up when my tires crunched the gravel on the shoulder, saw my car headed towards a field, overcorrected and rolled my car 3 times. I blacked out and came to when the car landed, wheels down. My sister and I looked at each other, stunned, made sure the other wasn't bleeding and got out of the car. Neither of us were injured and were able to go hiking the next day. There are a bunch of other things that have happened- one of these days I should write down all of the details.

Since that day, I have heard of or known several people whose lives were taken or drastically altered by car accidents. A good friend, Brittany, was in a car accident a year almost to the day after mine and she was paralyzed from the waist down and daily deals with the effects of her accident. I became friends with a girl named Angie who sustained similar injuries in an accident where her friend fell asleep driving and ran off the road. Hearing about these accidents and then hearing about Ryan, I have oftened wondered what purpose there was in my surviving the accident. Why was I so fortunate when so many others haven't been? Why was I not injured? What does Heavenly Father have for me to do that I could not have done had I been injured?

I am so very sad for the Nelson family and for those who loved Ryan. I am so very sad for the Woodland family- Julia was a great woman. I am so very blessed to have walked away from my accident without any permanent physical injuries. I only hope that I can live up to my expectations for life and the Lord's expectations for me.