Last night my daughter Kelly was in a car accident. A bad one. The car was totaled and she was forced to exit out the driver’s side window. A large SUV pulled out in front of her with no warning and she T-Boned him. Witnesses came to her defense and the Police cited the Driver of the SUV with the ticket. This all sounds very bad but there is so much here to be grateful for.
First and foremost, Kelly walked away with aches and pains but she WALKED AWAY. Little Connor is fine as well. She was checked at the scene and pronounced well. HUGE blessing that. Witnesses came forward to inform the Police it was NOT Kelly's fault. Given Kelly's record, that is another HUGE blessing. The guy was insured. In this state that's another HUGE blessing. Kelly and her...Boyfriend, for lack of a better term, are in the position to be able to go without a car for a little while and have a little bit of money to help them get another. Oh, and did I mention Kelly and Connor are just fine? Yeah, that one deserves a repeat. Given what could have happened, I'm choosing to be grateful.
While I am profoundly grateful for the health and safety of my daughter and baby bump, my heart breaks for her. You see, to her, the car is more than a car. THAT car was the fulfillment of a promise, it was a gift of trust from her dad, it was freedom after YEARS of relying on her own feet and leg power, it was her DREAM car. That car was the manifestation of so many dreams and of healing. On the phone with her last night I could hear the sound of her broken heart in her cry. We can buy her another Redbird. They are still out there, but it will not be HER Redbird. She can repair this Redbird but it will never be the same and will cost much more than it's worth. The insurance company will see a 1979 manufacture date and total it without a thought. They will not give her the money it will take to bring it back to what it was. My poor girl will live to have other cars. Her son will hear stories about Momma's first car and see the pictures.
Me? Yes, the car was a gift to me from the man on my 40th but the true joy of that car came the day I gave the keys to Kelly. The memories of taking her to get her drivers license, of her Dad paying for her registration and putting the "Classic" tags on it for her. Of her Dad going over every inch of that car for nearly 3 hours before he let her drive off and of her not just "Putting up" with it but of enjoying it. Of her calling the house and asking for her Dad, this almost always meant a question about the car. Dad and Daughter out front, in the dark, working on the breaks. Of the victory in their voices when they got it figured out. Of her dad, on the phone with her last night, telling his daughter "It's just a car" Those memories are what make that car forever a part of my life and no amount of body damage can take that away from me.
Goodbye old girl. You restored what I thought was forever broken. Rest well, race on...
This is how I choose to remember...
Today I'm grateful for:
Kelly and Connor being A-OK. If a little battered, bruised and PISSED OFF. I so do not envy the guy who she hit. I know that "angry Kelly" face. She can be scary.
the magic of a 1979 Redbird. She was an amazing car. She was awesomeness in bright red motorized form.
my man. Hearing him talk to Kelly on the phone last night made me fall deeper in love with him. I honestly didn't think that was possible. Sometimes I don't mind being wrong. Shhhh do NOT tell the man about the wrong stuff. No need to open THAT can of worms.
my mom. She took the news of the accident with calm. In years passed she would have freaked out before I ever finished "Kelly and the baby are....." That's progress Mom and I'm proud of you.
hamsters. The little bugger barked and woke the man when I went to bed last night and he woke me in the middle of the night with a few whimpers, but over all he had a much better night than the proceeding one. We also had our 3rd good morning in a row. Once again he put on a very entertaining show while I rode the stationary beast. This morning it was Roy vs. the blanket. For whatever reason, he decided he wanted the entire contents of the cage emptied. He started with his bowl. Water and all, dumped onto my foyer floor. Next came his woobie. With a "GRRROWEL" and a shake he flipped it onto the floor. Next came his teething bone. This little blue puppy chew toy with ribbons. With a pounce and a "Yip" that was plopped into what was left of his water. Now came the main event. Roy vs. the queen sized blanket we use to line his cage. This sucker is HEAVY. Roy pounces on a corner and yanks with all his might. The sheer force of his yank and the weight of the blanket sending him flying backwards onto his back. So, this time he tries a new tact. He goes around front, facing his foe head on. He grabs the same corner and pulling backwards, he tugs with all his might. Guess what?? The blanket moved a fraction of an inch! The hamster may just pull this off. I am so fascinated by this epic battle that I completely forget to be counting down the seconds till I get off the beast. I'm transfixed. Again he tugs and again the blanket moves. By the time I dismount the stationary beast, Roy is sitting victorious atop a pile of blankets, pillows, and toys. All wet from his now upturned water bowl. As I scoop it all up and put it back into the cage he lets out with the manliest bark yet. As if to say "Hey! I worked hard on that!" He continued to bark at me as I put his blankets in the dryer, refill his water bowl and locate the accosted blue pillow. I just laughed my butt off all freakin morning. I highly recommend starting your day with a hamster comedy routine. And, I am now 100% convinced there is a portal to the land of used tissues under my bed. It's hamster sized and only visible to the canine eye. I have crawled under my bed several times to clean out all types of critter fodder and every freaking time that hamster goes under my bed he comes out with another old, crusty, dust bunny condo of a tissue. Then sits there shredding it while looking up at me saying "Go ahead, make a move" and takes off with it back under my bed when I try to take it away. It's HIS favorite form of entertainment in the morning. *grumbles* Oh, Oh and this morning as he was "guarding" me in the shower he fell in. Ever see a wet hamster in your shower? It's freaking hilarious. He enjoyed being dried off way too much the little hound dog. I had a hard time getting my towel back. OK, so the Hamster Chronicles were not canceled, just preempted. I just couldn't resist. The material that freakin beasty gives me is just to good to waste.
PAYDAY! Whooohoooo!!! 10 days early. Have I mentioned I love my boss? It's a great day at Heth Realty, Inc.
Kelly and Connor being just fine. She called me because she knew I'd worry. She was right and she is awesome. She is on her way to the Dr. just to be sure then she is on her way to Atlanta. I'm worried again but hey, it's a mom thing. She'll understand it soon enough.
not having a complete melt-down this morning when Shank gave me the news. Seriously, I think he's screwing with me. After spending a week stuck at 192.2 I dropped to 191.4 yesterday. I was sooooo excited. Until this morning. This morning's weight was 194.4. WHAT THE HELL? I've taken the liberty of moving the sledge hammer into the bathroom. Just as a warning. Hope the man don't stub his toe in the dark.
Christmas Sushi. I didn't ask, I didn’t ponder, I just ate. It was good. *burp*
