Favored and Blessed

Have you ever gone through something, when afterward you think, "did that really happen?" I had one of those moments yesterday. I am still processing what could have been a tragedy.

I had picked up Luke from the playground at Parkside and Isaiah & Elijah from an after school activity. We were on our way to Northside to pick up Elizabeth. We were taking our normal route south on Westenedge. This route is high traffic and one we take 5 out of the 7 days of the week.

It was really hot yesterday so we had all the windows down on the van.  We were talking and BOOM! Out of nowhere there was a tree on the van and then I found myself driving through limbs and leaves.  I slammed on the breaks. It all happened so fast, it was like it was in slow motion. What the heck?! All I heard was one of the boys asking if I was okay and the baby screaming.

I pulled out of the limbs and leaves into a driveway. I checked to make sure the boys were okay and got Noah calmed. The baby had been hit by a piece of bark that scared him. Isaiah was hit by debris on the passenger side and Elijah was hit in the eye by some as well.  Thankfully, they were all okay, but the van was not.

The hood received most of the damage. You can't see it very well in this photo but there is a dent that goes all the way across the hood along with scraped paint.

The back end was dinged pretty bad. It looks worse in person. There is also a big dent at the top of the passenger sliding door. There are scratches along the whole side of the van and on the roof.

The man behind me pulled off to see if the tree actually fell on us. When I replied "yes" all he kept saying was "you are lucky!" He said that multiple times when he realized none of us were hurt.

There was a lady who lived a few houses down, named Rachel. I am thankful she was there because she held Noah and let the other boys use the bathroom. The boys commented today that she was our guardian angel. (I thought that was sweet) The resident who lives on the tree property came over as well. Both of them explained that not even 60 seconds before we got hit about a third of the tree had fallen in the yard. A third was left standing and, ummm, we know where the other third landed!

The resident explained that she rents the house from her parents and she has told them, more than once, there was a dead tree in the front yard. Rotten would be a more appropriate term. You can see it in the portion still standing.

We called 911. Twice. It took about 29 minutes for the policeman to show up. In the meantime, the northbound lane was completely blocked and most of the southbound lane. It was a dangerous situation. When the policeman finally arrived he took my license and registration and I gathered information from the homeowner once she arrived. The policeman and my insurance agent said it was an "act of God." I am still pondering that. Thankfully, it is covered under our comprehensive and will be no out of pocket expense. It seems like the homeowners insurance would be responsible but I don't want to create trouble or anything.... just one of those things that doesn't make sense to me....

Reality of the situation did not fully set in until about an hour or two after it happened. A tree fell on my van. While I was driving. With my four boys in there. A TREE FELL ON MY VAN WHILE I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FOUR BOYS IN THERE!!!!

An "Act of God"...  I always try to use a situation and see God in the midst of it. Last night when the reality set in and  the realization that a tree fell on my van while I was driving with my four boys in there, two words popped into my head... favored and blessed. God has His hand of protection on me and my family, no doubt. I am still processing that. A friend suggested this evening to think about what could have been and how much God loves me! Awesome point of view!

What could have been... Last night and this morning all I could do was thank God over and over for sparing us and keeping us safe. I also kept replaying the scene in my head. I also thought about what would have happened had I been in the northbound lane. Chances are... I would not be typing this right now.  Mike would be a widower. He would have no sons and Elizabeth would have no brothers or mama. There is no doubt in my mind that tree would have killed us.

Favored and Blessed. Thank you, Father, for reminding me of Your mercies and the vastness of Your love for me. I am blessed, indeed!