I almost Died – Sunday Ramblings & Reflections

Hi friends. I hope and pray that you are well. I’ve missed you. Lately, I’ve been hiding as we navigate through some crazy terrain. I’m sorry I haven’t been very active on my social media pages or blog these past few weeks. Life has been slapping me in the face, and I’m still a bit red and bruised, so I’ve chosen to hide as I work through trauma, pain, anger, sadness, brokenness, and disappointment.

I was so overwhelmed in recent weeks that all I could manage was to work through my 9-5 and family obligations. I’ll admit that I fell into a bit of depression and didn’t have the desire to write, post or interact very much. I just wanted to go unseen.

Because I know so many of you have been in the trenches and find strength and encouragement when you hear about others going through similar struggles, I’m going to share just a little about what’s been going on.

Many of you know that about 18 months ago we found an older home that needed some work. After living outside of the home in a rough setting and getting into debt to make the house a safe heaven for my family and me, we were forced to walk away from it due to a family member’s selfishness and narcissistic behaviors, which meant we had no place to live, again.

In serious debt and exhausted from the stress our living situation caused us, we set off on another MA journey and decided to take time to breathe, pray and rest as best as we could. While driving on the interstate one evening, going 80 mph, a drunk driver turned around, almost had a 16 wheeler hit us, and then started moving towards us. So you understand, we were all driving north on the interstate. The drunk driver did a U-turn in front of the 16 wheeler and then bolted towards our car (driving in the opposite direction). Behind our car, my son was driving his own vehicle with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. My husband managed to move off to the shoulder. We avoided flipping, impacting the 16 wheeler, and getting hit by the drunk driver.

At that moment, I screamed, but I don’t remember anything else that happened. I only remember the drunk driver racing towards us head-on. It was a pure adrenaline rush. All I could hear was my husband saying that our son had been hit behind us.
As soon as my husband stopped the car, the mamma bear in me flung the passenger door open, about 2 feet away from cars speeding past me (don’t ever do that). I ran out barefoot down the freeway until I spotted my son’s beat-up car. The drunk driver had impacted the passenger side and sent him flying into the shoulder, where he hit the railing and managed to stop. What followed was like a scene from the TV show Cops. I made multiple calls to 911 to plead with them and tell them that a drunk man was driving in the opposite direction on the interstate highway. I told them not to stop and help us, that we would wait because I didn’t want him to kill someone.

While we waited for the police to apprehend the driver, he came back around and almost hit my son a second time before driving off again. We waited for what seemed like hours as officers drove past us in disbelief of what we were reporting to 911. The story has a lot of details way too long and too stressful to recount. So I will end this part of our story by saying that they did catch him. After a lengthy search and our tips to the police officers, he was finally arrested.

Almost dying and the stress of thinking that my child had been killed was very traumatic. I’m not a stressful person. I laugh as much as I can because I know it’s good medicine, I let things go quickly and try hard not to sweat the small stuff, but this event crushed me. I was already hanging on a thread because of everything else we had going on; this was the final blow. Everyone was emotionally and mentally spent.

Although I would have preferred not to walk through that traumatic experience, I am trying to see the good in it, which is hard sometimes. Going through traumatic events one after another and for prolonged seasons can be absolutely disabling emotionally and physically but I know that each blow also confirms my convictions and beliefs.

This situation reminded me yet again that we can plan our steps as the book of Proverbs says, but God himself decides what will happen in the end. That night, a few minutes before the accident, I prayed and asked God to send his angels to encamp an army around our cars and protect the drivers on the road with us. One of the police officers said that the accident should have been a massive fatality. He was shocked that no one was seriously injured or killed.

In an instant, life can be over, my friends. Please take time each day to pray, to thank God for his many blessings, even for the hardships…because although we hate them, they do produce lasting character in us if we allow ourselves to grow through the pain. No matter where you are right now, take time to kiss your sweetheart, to embrace your kids, to walk outside and breathe deeply. Take time to live because, in an instant, our time on this earth can expire.

Today although my heart is still a bit heavy, I’m thankful for God’s provision, protection, and for his peace. Without my faith in God through his son Jesus Christ, these trials would have utterly destroyed me. Although at times I feel like I’m hanging on by a tearing thread, I know that this life is just a pit stop and that the real living will happen after I take my last breath here. If you are broken and need prayer, please don’t hesitate to comment on this post, and I will pray for you.

With love,
CFG

P.S. This post has a few pictures that I took while driving, hope you enjoy them. Oh and if you’re not following me on Instagram please come follow me and be sure to hit the little bell at the top of my Instagram page to turn on story and post notifications.