Take Nothing for Granted

We were hit with a nasty snowstorm here in the wonderful North East. Winters are so long, hard and at times, treacherous. It's awful! We woke up to snow covered roads that looked absolutely awful and I was thankful that we didn't have to go out today.

Before I could get out of bed, I heard my phone beeping to tell me that I got a text message. Still extremely groggy, I read the message from my mom that told me she had been in an accident and that she was going to the hospital for observation. My heart stopped. She drives about 30 minutes to work each day and in New York winters, that's no small feat. Each day that we are hit with snow (which is often), I worry sick about her traveling to and from work and that message from her was one of my worst fears.

I figured that because my mom was able to text message me that she was in dire straights but I was still feeling sick inside. After talking to her, I got the full story... She lost control of her car on the highway and spun around. She looked up and saw a tractor trailer heading straight for her and she said to herself, "I'm going to die today." However, at the last second, the truck swerved and only swiped her car instead of colliding with her head on. The cop who handled it told her that she was very lucky because the truck driver didn't have to get out of her way because the impact would have been minimal to him but the fact that he did saved her life. I beg to differ.. The hand of God is what saved her life. She walked away from that accident with a major headache (because her head broke the window) and just feeling sore all over... No broken bones or anything else. Amazing.

Today could have potentially been the worst day of my life. If things had gone just slightly different, my mom would not be alive anymore. It's a sobering thought to think that the woman who I call multiple times a day for advice, encouragement, and wisdom could have disappeared from my life so quickly. My girls could have lost the grandmother that they love so dearly. My dad could have lost the woman who is everything to him. She wears so many hats and means so much to so many people and I'm honestly not sure how we would have all gone on with her. She is truly the glue of our family.

I pray continually that God will protect my mom as she drives to work everyday and today, I saw my prayers answered. How he protected my mom was truly a miracle and I praise Him for how he carried her through. I like to say that my faith is strong enough that I would be praising Him even if the circumstance was worse, but thankfully I don't have to think about that right now.

Take nothing for granted, folks. Life is so short. It takes a blink of an eye to have everything taken from you or for you to lose your life. Live every second to the fullest and don't waste the little time you have on this earth. Do you know where you're spending eternity?