Easter Gratitude

intense video game face-(my camera phone takes terrible pictures!)

I picked Jullien up from the airport...to say that I'm grateful to have him home is an understatement. Especially after reading in detail, about the man, Bryan Stow, a paramedic father of two, who was attacked at Dodger stadium for wearing an opposing teams jersey, (Giants.) He was sucker punched on the side of his head & also kicked in the head, (just like my son) and now he's in a coma.

To see Jullien now (who heals amazingly quick) with only a few signs of his injuries left (red spot on his eye ball, some light pink marks on his face where the scabs fell off & the worst of the ordeal (broken upper jaw which is also almost healed) and a missing tooth. The tooth is pretty obvious since it's in the front. But as I look at him, I can't stop feeling like he was definitely protected & watched over. Now I just want him with me constantly, and he of course keeps leaving to hang with his friends. :(

I was able to squeeze a lunch date out of him and my two other boys. Taking a picture of them is worse than when they were little, none of them will smile for me. But I'm beaming with joy and gratitude this Easter!

elijah, jullien, josh & charmaine (josh's gf) eating at flame broiler

Very Scary...Do You Believe In Angels? (Part 1)

Yesterday it was raining really hard here in So. California. I usually don't think much about it because I used to live in Utah & I'm used to snow, white-outs and black ice, so rain is really more of a bother than anything.

That was until....

I headed to work in a downpour, was on the freeway almost at my exit when the rear end of my Navigator started to hydroplane (slide out). Since I'm used to dealing w/ black ice, I didn't panic. I took my foot off the gas (hitting your brakes will send you into a tail spin) and slowly tried to correct it. The back end then slid the other way, I corrected again. This continued two more times...my back tires wouldn't grab. I finally slid off the freeway at 55 mph, missing a pole, hitting an embankment completely sideways.

I remember thinking, "Oh no, I'm going to roll over." My next thought was, "This is how it happens, people are on their way to work & the next second they never see their family again."

I skidded up onto the side of the hill, bracing myself for the flip. But it never happened! My car slid, spun around through the shrubs & bushes, then came to a stop with my front end facing the freeway, halfway up the hill.

I sat there shocked, frozen, thinking, "I'm okay, I can't believe I'm okay! What do I do now, I'm not hurt, I don't need to call 911."

A lady, came running down, through the pouring rain & bushes from the top of the hill. I opened my door and walked towards her. She grabbed me, hugged me & said, "God was watching over you today." I said, "You're right, I can't believe I didn't roll over." By this time a man also came down the hill. We all three examined my car & decided I could just drive it out back onto the freeway. As I headed back to my car, the woman hugged me again & said, "God was protecting you."

The man pushed me & as I slowly made my way back onto the freeway I looked back at the woman still standing in the pouring rain, she blew me a kiss. I blew one back to her & slowly made my way into the traffic, still in a daze & wondering about the woman.

Do you have a story where you feel like you were watched over & protected?

There's more...Part 2 Tomorrow