Derailment

Friday afternoon, I had everything worked out. I had picked up Isaac from school, Aaron was temperature free and I had a date with my toes. The first pedicure of the season and I felt giddy about it. Nathan was going to swing by and pick up Isaac to head off to a boy scout camp. So, I was mentally prepared for silence and solace.

My week had been a wild ride of sickness and worry over a continuous high fever with Aaron and trying to get Isaac to remember to do his homework. I was glad it was over.

Then my phone rang. I looked at the picture on the screen and saw my hubby. He usually calls on the way home from work. I picked up the phone with a happy hello and was met with disaster. He spoke two short sentences.

"I've been in a bus accident and the Dr. called - you need to take Aaron to the hospital. He has some sort of bacterial infection that will only respond to IV antibiotics." Then he said he had to go and he hung up.

Shock. Stupor. Panic.

Questions roared in my mind about the accident and the child running around my house. He looked pretty healthy to me, but there was some diabolical bacteria lurking inside him. Go to the hospital! Which hospital and what am I supposed to tell them. And Darn, My toes still look awful!

Usually, I am pretty clear headed under pressure. I have always held a secret ambition to be an Emergency Room Nurse or a Police Dispatcher. But I had no information here and I could do anything to get the ball rolling. So, I called my husband back and hoped he wasn't being throttled by police or on an ambulance himself.

He gave me a little more info and a starting place. In the end I was able to get hold of an actual Urologist who assured me that the antibiotics Aaron was already on seemed to be taking care of the pesky bladder bacteria.

Two hours later, Nathan was not on his way camping (because his mandatory drug test had taken forever), my toes were pedicured properly and we were eating dinner together at a local restaurant. Both boys were at the church being entertained and we were on an impromptu date and not at the hospital. I was thanking God for all the outcomes of the evening.

I was also marveling at how fast change happens. As people we are on a road that we think is set in stone- immoveable. We go about life with a certainty that is not really present. At any moment life can be derailed. I have had experience with this before. Aaron has taught me a lot about derailment, and I have lived through other experiences where I know, that except for a divine plan for my life, I would not be writing this now. (Another car accident years ago comes to mind). God is so good to bless us, though. I am sure he gives us our sense of certainty as to help us not live in fear, but then he allows those derailments so that we can be pruned to His likeness.

So, I am very thankful tonight to be at home and not at the hospital. I am thankful Nathan was not hurt in the accident and that no one else was. I am also thankful for the opportunity to live through the derailments. Mostly, I am thankful for a God who care for me through it all.