Never Insignificant

   
This Blog was written back in April but I never posted it.

I scanned the news report today. Nothing.  I typed in "pedestrian struck on Mableton Parkway April 15".  Nothing.  To the news right now the person who was hit last night may be insignificant...to someone he was family.  To my family it was just how we ended our very long day of school, work, ministry.

     Our Ladies Connection was full of fun, laughter and a short dose of Gina's teaching thrown in.  I pray it helped someone...I know it ministered to me when I wrote it.  The usual QT run after church to get our favorite snacks had me hitting my husband in the arm as he made fun of my driving yet again.  I threw the keys to him before getting back in my car..."You can drive then!"  I said with a smile, oh how glad I am now that he was driving.

     Coming past our church building with the bright cross blazing on it I smiled thinking of all that we had accomplished that day.  Cresting the hill we could tell that something was the matter as cars blocked both lanes of traffic.  I saw shoes in the road.  Maybe they fell out of someones car I thought?  Then I saw the expressions on the faces of those out of their cars standing in the road. Turning my head slightly I saw someone laying in the road.  I knew.  Oh I knew.  Yet another person had tried to cross this busy road to get to the convenience store.  They hadn't made their destination.

     "You have to stop Randy!" I said from the passenger seat.

     "Honey what good can I do?" his quick reply.

     "Look at their faces, they don't know what to think how to process.  Maybe you can just pray for someone.  Encourage them!  You have to stop!"

     He did.  Pulling into the turning lane.  The car still running.  In the back seat I could tell that our daughter Aiden-Rose was getting upset.  So many people.  So much confusion.  I began to pray..I began to cry out where are the cops!  Someone needs to get here!  They need to get here now!  I saw a familiar black truck pull up and one of our church members get out to walk over to the chaos.  Still no rescue vehicles.

     I called a friend to try and calm down and then I began to notice the car to the side of us.  A young man was obviously in pain the damage to his driver's side meant that somehow he must have been involved.  I could see the look in his eyes-he was living his worst nightmare.  Finally I saw the fire truck.  Our car was in it's way but before I could even get out our church member came and moved the car to the side of the road.  Allowing the emergency vehicle entry to the chaos.

     In the back I still heard the cries of my daughter, "I want my daddy!".  Even a thirteen year old wants her father sometime.  I calmed her down somewhat by saying, "Aiden-Rose your daddy is trying to do what he can to help right now."

     As we sat there for a minute we saw nothing but blue and red lights as car and ambulances and oh so many emergency vehicles began to descend upon the scene.  I was in the way.  So I asked our church member if he would give my husband a ride home, and I drove off.  Still shaking.  Still trying to calm my child.

     We called our friend back before we made it to our road because well it was obvious my child needed to talk to someone and I needed to arrive safely home.  Pulling into the driveway my friend asked if they could come over and help.  At first I said no, then I quickly changed my mind.  I had no clue how long the night may be...or what I would hear when Randy finally arrived home.

     They arrived pretty quickly.  Hugs...tears...a full disclosure of what I had witnessed.  Before we knew it the sounds of more sirens was filling the night sounds.  Then lights coming into the driveway. My husband had arrived home.

     His story was pretty much what we figured.  A young man tried to cross a busy road to get to a convenience store.  He hadn't made it.  One car struck him and pulled over.  Another car ran over him and drove away.  No one there had really known what to do.  My husband who had been a fireman went over to look for a pulse.  He had felt something weak he thought, but he really felt like the man had died.  He prayed for him.  Tried to comfort him.  He prayed with others there as well.  Bringing whatever comfort he could.  Then knowing there was nothing else he could do, he came home.

     We were a sad group.  A quiet core of believers trying to come to grips with what had just happened.  I had spoken on Choices that night at our Ladies Connection.  How we needed to really think about the things we decided to do.  I was sort of angry with this young man for the choice he had just made.  A choice to cross a busy road at night dressed in dark clothes.  I was angry and yet I grieved.  I grieved for the family who were about to experience a nightmare!  I grieved for a mom who would never hold her son again.  I thanked God for my children...their health...their well being!

     The only way we knew to end our night was in prayer.  So we held hands in a circle and we prayed.  Prayed for the emergency workers.  Prayed for those who had witnessed this terrible tragedy. Prayed for the family of this young man.  Prayed for this young man.

      All day today I scanned the news.  Nothing.  Finally this evening the first news came online.

     He wasn't an insignificant person.  He was a young 29 year old man who made a bad choice.  I don't know if he had a history of making bad choices, or if this was his first. That doesn't really matter.  I pray he had a relationship with Jesus.  I pray he had peace.  I pray for his family now.  I pray that NO ONE will ever feel insignificant!  I pray that no matter how much we need to get to the other side...we will really stop and think about our choice.  That we will pray about our choice.  And that we will never feel insignificant....God doesn't think we are!