It Could Have Been Me...

I saw a very sad article in the paper today about an 8 year old girl dying yesterday morning, after being rolled over with her mother's car. They were headed out to school, and she thought the car stopped so she got out because she left her hat in the house. The door apparently knocked her under the car, and she died.
Lord, I pray NEVER to know what that loss feels like...in Jesus' Name...Amen!



What it reminded me of was the fact that I was luckier than little Ashlynn was. You see, when I was about 9 or 10, I was also rolled over by my mother's car. The difference was that in my case, noone was driving and the car wasn't even running.

You're wondering how then, right? Let me explain...

It was a nice late spring day, school was still in. All I wanted to do was get home and get outside to play, but my mother had a few stops to make. First we stopped at the store and bought a couple of six-packs of Dr. Pepper. Do you remember the real glass, tall, slender bottles? Yep...those! After that, she had to stop at her friend Maggie's house. I stayed in the car and she went in to talk to Maggie. This visit was seemingly taking forever, especially since I just wanted to go home and play outside.



So, what did my incredibly brilliant and idle mind do? I began to meddle with stuff in the car. Wipers, blinkers, radio station and volume controls. Then, looking at gear selector (it was on the floor instead of the steering column), I came up with a great idea! I was gonna move it, but straight to the 'D' position, that way it won't go backwards!!!


Smart huh? I was in fourth grade, give me a break!


Well, surprise, surprise! The car started rolling backwards!



So, I get out and my first instinct is that my mom is going to be pissed, and I try to push the car! Needlesstosay, that didn't work and the door knocked me down. The car was an orange Chevy Vega with the black racing stripe down the middle. It rolled over my legs, and was stopped across the street by a bush in front of a field. All I rememeber was my legs were aching when I stood up and started walking toward Maggie's front door. Now, looking back as a parent, I can't imagine the sheer horror my mother must've experienced in that moment!

My knees were bleeding pretty badly, they were split open to the kneecaps. My mom drove me to the hospital emergency room to assess the damage. Yet again now -as a parent- probably one the longest car rides of her life. I don't rememeber waiting or being rushed back or anything like that, I think I was just too young and it was about 25 years ago, too. What I do remember however, is the nurses cutting my favorite pair of Sassoon pants off of me!!! Okay, not all the way off, but it was up to mid-thigh!

Yes, I know it was an emergency. Yes, I am aware my legs could have been broken. But, they could have just asked me to take them off! Yes, I know they were ruined anyway because the knees were torn open and saturated with blood...minor details really. I was 10, give me a break for pete's sake!

There was one other thing I remember about that ER visit. The doctor standing there talking to my mother telling her how lucky (read:blessed) I was that I wasn't knocked a little further under the vehicle, where it would have surely crushed my chest. Thank You God, for all the times you saved me in my childhood. From the mishap in the dentist's office when they lost me for a couple of minutes. By lost me, I mean my heart stopped. To the time on the Illinois side of the riverfront where I stepped in what could only be described as quicksand, and was almost waist deep (and sinking fast) before my mother spotted me and was able to pull me out. To the time mentioned above, where my bored meddling could have cost me my life. Yet my most notable "inconvenience" is that I had to lay up for at least 2 weeks . I mean, couldn't even really bend my legs kind of laying up. I mean I woke up and went to the couch, I got to go to the bathroom, and then at the end of the day I got back in the bed. Children, we know not what we do...

Heavenly Father, please comfort the family of the little girl that has now returned to Your kingdom. Please especially be a comforter for the mother, whose pain, anguish, and guilt could threaten her very life. Guide her, Father, so she knows that no matter what life brings, You are always there and will never leave her. Give her Your wisdom Lord, so she may try to understand the whys of this most horrible tragedy any mother could experience. And Father, give her Your strength so that she may go on and continue being the best mother she can to her other 3 children. In Jesus' name....AMEN.