Moments of Quietness

Yesterday on the way home from the beach we sat in traffic. Now of course that shouldn't really be a huge surprise considering I live in Southern California, the weather is absolutely perfect right now, its high tourist season and to top it off, it was FRIDAY! OK so we sat. Neek and I were busy talking up a storm so it wasn't as bad is it could have been since most of the time on the freeway we were crawling home on the 78. Neek was commenting on the fact that this was one aspect of this area she DID NOT miss, not that I could blame her, I have yet to find one person who really LIKES to sit in traffic. So as we crawled home my vision became clear as to why it was we were sitting in traffic. An accident, a horrible accident. All but one lane of the West Bound side of the freeway had been shut down, the SUV gold, involved in the accident, was totalled in a way hardly recognizable and then I looked down and saw the body bags. My heart sank. Two lives (that I could tell at that moment) had been taken, ended there on the freeway. In the blink of an eye, what was, was no more, the lives of many Im sure would be effected and changed in a way that would never be the same again.

My mind works in strange and reflective ways. Seeing or witnessing something like this makes me grab hold of the moment I'm in. Makes me want to Praise God for all that I have, and then I started thinking about how blessed I am, and how thankful I am for even the mess of my life that I can make it or feel that it is at times.

Last weekend I sat in church with Steve and Iva. She had asked me to come to their church on Saturday night and being that I didn't have the kids (well all but 1) I decided why not go to church 3 nights in a row :). So I did, and I was blessed in a way I hadn't known I would be as I walked in. Quay gave her testimony after the sermon had been given. She shared what her life had been. She was a single mom of 3 children, her husband had become addicted to the life of infidelity and that had ended their marriage. She had only been married 5 years. Silly thing was while I sat listening to her at first I felt envy. Envy! Of all the stupid emotions to feel, but I sat there thinking, well at least to only have spent 5 years instead of 14 in a marriage that was to end, Ill admit it shames me even to think that my thoughts could be so selfish. She continued on with her testimony....that after the divorce she had moved out to her family somewhere in the South. During the drive out there she and her 3 children 3, 2 and under 1 were in a severe head on collision. This collision, instantly ended the life of her youngest daughter. Tears ran down my face. The story had a happy end, she assured us of that....after months of physical therapy she recovered as did her other 2 children. While she was out there a friend set her up with her friends brother who lived out here. They were married not to long ago. As a song started to play pictures came up on a screen in the church, first pictures of the kids......all 3 of them, more tears, and then slowly so slowly recovery pictures and then, wedding pictures.

I like happy endings, I think if at all possible we must strive for happy endings. I believe that with a relationship with Christ we are guaranteed a happy ending. Maybe not here in this place today or tomorrow, but someday. But even with that knowledge just as each movie I watch MUST have a happy ending, I believe that one day my story will also have a happy ending. I won't give up on that hope.

“Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” Peter S. Beagle

“Every end is a new beginning”