Lake Time

My sweet Jack, now almost 12, used the $5 reel mower to cut Grandma's big yard yesterday, taking over what Grandpa once would've done, but Grandpa used the riding mower back then, toting Jack along for the ride, once even running over Grandpa's own glasses in the process, a memory Jack now treasures. My dad was a bit of a goof sometimes.

As usual it takes a near tragedy to shake me to my core, to make me appreciate the little things like being healthy, or able to function on my own.

CW'd been a little bit embarrassed to have me checking to make sure a parent or two would be present for an outing to another teenager's lake house, but I'd have been remiss to not have done so. I'd rather he be embarrassed by someone who deeply cares about him than to have him get into a situation that could get out of hand.

Duh, son.

When I was satisfied by the excellent high level of supervision, I allowed him to go have fun. The dad, who was hosting the day, is a medical doctor for Pete's Sake. CW is my heart, raised here since birth, now almost 16, he's been a joy to live with, he has a sweet and loving nature.

It was a day trip, hardly 40 minutes south of here. He has a cell phone, and I allowed him to go.

"Mom, there's been an accident," he called me in the early evening. Me immediately thinking he must be OK, heck he's talking.

"What happened?" I hated to ask.

"We were all tubing, and Brittany fell off, landed on her neck, she was life-flighted to the trauma unit in Atlanta."

Oh no.

He gave me a couple other details and said he'd be heading home soon.

I hung up and prayed that this would be minimal injury, for a full recovery, knowing this young lady and her mother, the father died a few years ago, they were the folks who'd given us our three-footed terrier, Amelia.

He called me back later, like several hours later, telling me the police had been questioning everyone, administering a breath analyzer test to the adults present.

No one did anything wrong. No one was was drinking, or otherwise impaired, everyone was a strong swimmer, and they all wore life jackets anyway, carefully following all safe boating rules, this was simply a terrible and freakish accident.

I'm flat out grieving for everyone, I don't think my very worried CW slept all night, I can't imagine how the parents feel, either of the victim nor those parents who'd been in charge, doing everything by the book.

It's too soon to give CW The Lecture, the one in which I explain all my fears of what could potentially ever happen even if everyone is acting right. See? Son, the unthinkable does happen.

This is a tough, tough world and when one has loved ones, which is just about everyone on earth, then our hearts walk around outside our body. I'm not even particularly a worry wart, but the danger potential for a trauma mama looms always everywhere all the time.

Please pray for this young lady to make a full recovery, there was some movement detected already, and she was conscious throughout her ordeal.

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I held off hitting publish, hoping I'd hear some good news, getting everyone ready for church, as today we'd be hosting The Children Of The World: the International Children's Choir, something I'd long been looking forward to seeing and hearing once again.

Marcela, Yolie and I went to both services, skipping Sunday School since my teacher was absent, all my other kids properly in their classes.

After church, CW did receive some encouraging information, that Brittany is doing much much better today, hopefully a best case scenario.

We are still praying for her.