Something My Mom Said

With in the last several years, I have seen my share of traffic problems and accidents; and have been forced to call 911 more than I ever expected that I would do.  So much so that I will not even be able to share with you all of what I have seen or choices I have had to make.  I have even been in a nasty car accident myself where rescue workers said that when they came up on the scene they had feared the worst case scenario.  I have even witnessed another accident which included a van clipping a huge interstate sign, flipping about and ejecting the front passenger who we saw lying on the side of the road.

Lately, however, I have witnessed more and more things on the road than I ever thought a person like me would see or have to deal with, especially when I am not on the road as regularly as so many other people I know.  The things that I have been privy to seeing lately, have often left me speechless and dumb founded.  Also, I have been left to make choices that I didn't like being forced to make.

Now I have reported a few reckless drivers in my time, but I am talking about other situations that have left me making choices.  There was the time a few years ago when I had Sky Baby and Pretty Paizy in tow with me when I witnessed another vehicle run into another vehicle who was in their blind spot when they were trying to change lanes.  Debris went flying and my Ford Escape got a few pieces, but as I was trying to avoid the mayhem, the car that had been struck took off while the vehicle who collided into them pulled over. I had a choice to either stay or to go; and I decided to go.  I figured there was some reason the other car was fleeing the scene and even though they didn't cause the accident, they should have stopped.  As I drove I decided to catch up to the fleeing vehicle and I dialed 911 on my cell to report the accident and its location and I proceeded to provide the dispatcher the details and tags of the vehicle I was pursuing; and then I retreated from the higher pase and went on my merry way to visit a friend and my twin that morning.

You are probably beginning to wonder about my mom and whether this has anything to do with her.  It does.  Keep on reading.

Two years ago, I came up upon a grizzly scene while driving to my friend's bachelorrette party.  I had just called 911 to inform them that a flare from a small fender bender a ways back had caught the dry grass ablaze.  I thought that would be the most eventful part of my two hour journey, but I was wrong.  Ahead was a flipped black SUV with a pink blanket hanging out of one of its windows.  I noticed the body laying on the cement covered with a plane white sheet.  My heart sank deep into the pit of my stomach.  Later, I found out that the driver was not wearing a seat belt and she was ejected from the vehicle and immediately had died from her injuries while the teen aged passenger was injured but was expected to live. 

Lately, however, there have been other moments of decisions while driving.  Back in October as I was journeying down the interstate to take my girls to see my college volleyball team play, we barely were on the road when I noticed a man on an overpass on the wrong side of the guard rails!  He was walking slowly further out over the interstate and with each step he was taking he was with in, and I mean with an inch or two, of his death.  I gasped at what I saw, and so did Sky Baby who saw the same thing.  I quickly grabbed my smart phone, however, I discovered dialing a touch screen while trying to drive safely and merge all the way back over to the emergency lane was difficult.  By the time I pulled over safely and was able to call we were several yards from the overpass.  I dialed my phone and called for help and described what I had seen.  I then tried to decide if I should stay but what good was I where I was versus traffic?  And if the man should tumble into the traffic and pavement below, I did not want the girls to see it.  I chose to keep going.  If I was up on the overpass I would have stopped and tried to may be talk the man down.  I could not tell if he was under the influence of something or if the poor fellow was trying to end his life.  But from my vantage point,  there wasn't more I could do but to pray and continue on.  I just couldn't have the girls see anything like that at their age... I just couldn't and by the time I would be able to turn around and get to the actual overpass from above, help should have been there.  The girls and I barely muttered a word to each other after that and during the rest of our hour drive.  I just kept praying and praying for that man over and over again.  My friend L called me as we were driving into my old campus and she and I prayed for the individual together, before the girls and I continued on to watch the game and try to have fun.

You all may be REALLY wondering where in all this traffic talk does her mom come into to play? Just keep reading and you will see.

A few weeks later, my twin and I got on the road to attend a friend's baby shower.  I was 9 months pregnant and a bit tired, and I was doing the driving.  As we were trying to figure out the directions and where we needed to go, we almost got creamed bad, I mean really bad, by this crazy driver who swerved around one vehicle already in the intersection and then she barely dodged us as I slammed on the brakes.  She sped through the intersection.  Our hearts leaped out of our chests just about.  Took me and Big Boy sometime to calm down as my heart rate was sure racing.  We enjoyed the baby shower and got back on the road sometime later when I started to experience contractions as I drove.  By the time we got back to my neck of the woods, my twin had convinced me that I needed to go to the hospital and Scot agreed.  We thought that it was perfect timing because my sis was there and was able to watch the kiddos for me!

Scot and I got into the car as my contractions were about 2 to 4 minutes apart.  As we headed to the hospital we were stopped by a traffic light.  As we sat there at the intersection, a vehicle took an obscenely wide turn.  So wide infact, I thought she was going to hit our stopped vehicle with no where for us to go.  She got so close to us infact, that I could see the daze in her eyes and right away, I mean right away, I knew she was under the influence of something.  Luckily, she missed us but she couldn't do the same thing for the traffic light pole that she collided directly into.  We were stunned at what just occurred when the light turned green, but Scot continued through the intersection telling me that we couldn't stop because of my contractions and that we should just call 911.  I snapped at him stating that I wasn't so bad off that we couldn't stop, especially when I noticed NOT one other driver who was at that intersection who also witnessed the girl hit the pole, had stopped.  And with all due respect to Scot, he did have some reasons for wanting to proceed onto the hospital because two out of three of my previous labors and births, I experienced what are known as flash births--basically, when a woman goes from zero to something in no time flat in regards to labor and a baby just kind of pops on out before doctors, nurses or hubby are barely ready.  So with me having contractions every 2 to 4 minutes, Scot did have cause for concern; however, in the end, I won out and we turned right back around.  And thank goodness for that decision because that blond chick was so drunk she tried to walk into traffic and got very combative with my husband.  If we did not stop and watch her until the police got there, she most certainly would have walked into the busy road that night.  By the time we got to the hospital, my labor began to stall out.  We sat there for a few hours to only be told that it was a false alarm, or that the adrenaline of what I had seen had shut labor down.  It was a bummer but I felt like God had a plan for us to be there that night. Between the near wreck in the earlier part of the day, traveling, exhaustion and a little dehydration, I experienced contractions that landed me heading off to the hospital that very evening to help prevent that girl from causing further harm to herself.

Okay...okay... my mom's part is coming up!  I assure you!  Keep reading!

A few weeks ago, I was driving down the interstate near our home after Big Mac's (I can't decide which nickname I like for my youngest on here the best... Big Boy or Big Mac?) appointment with our pediatrician.  The girls were at school, so it was just me and the boys.  We merged from one roadway to another when I looked ahead and noticed brake lights being applied ahead through the heavy rain and slight fog.  I firmly applied my brakes realizing that something had occurred or was occurring.  If it wasn't for the rain and fog, we would have scene what was occurring I am sure of it, because it was just ahead of us.  As we got a bit closer we realized that a red SUV was on its roof and debris from the one vehicle accident was across all four lanes of traffic and the vehicle had ended up right in front of a school bus.  Thankfully, the bus driver had been able to successfully come to a halt with out hitting the lone SUV.  As we were right up on the mess, I started to evaluate the situation.  Other drivers were getting out of their vehicles and heading to the SUV.  Two women were already on their phones.  I have been trained in CPR but didn't know if they needed that help from me.  I realized that there was movement from inside the car.  The driver was shimming out of his vehicle on his back and by way of his broken windshield; and his head was bleeding.  I can help apply pressure, I thought to myself.  I do have latex gloves in my car, but what about my boys? 

See it was nasty out and if I left my boys in the van where I was currently at that very moment, I would risk my van getting slammed from behind with my precious boys in it.  Nope that was no good.  Then I looked up and thought that I could park up ahead and to the right but that would place my young boys by themselves and farther from me than I would prefer.  If they were older, I would stop I thought as I drove the van through the only clear path available to pass the carnage.  Then I decided to continue on home.  In order to help, I would put my young kids at risk and if I went to help the driver, I would be too concerned about checking up on my kids that I wouldn't be much help anyways to the driver; therefore, I decided to head home and we did.  I prayed all the way home as Little Man sat quietly stunned at the site he had just seen and Big Boy was sleeping.  We pulled in front of our house when Little Man remarked about what he saw.  I could tell that he was shook up by what he saw; and so, he and I sat in the van and prayed together before we got out.  Little Man kept talking about the "broken truck" the rest of the day.  It was kind of sad.

Anyways... here is where my mom comes into my overly, detailed, background information.  I called my mom when we got inside because I was shaken up too.  I had felt like God told me to go, but Satin was stepping in and filling my head with lies such as I didn't care; I should've stopped; and I was a terrible person for not stopping.  I called my mom to see what she would have done in my shoes and to, I guess, get some affirmation about my decision to go.  As she and I talked she confirmed that she would have done the same thing if she had small kids in the vehicle.  And with all that I have seen, especially that of lately, and knowing that compared to many others, my time on the road as a stay-at-home mom lends to limited highway driving and yet I have seen so much for the time given on the road, I asked my mom, "Why am I forced to make such hard decisions?  And why does God keep placing me in these situations on the road?"

For which she replied, "May be to just pray for them."

(How simple and true.  How profound... what a good reminder!)