It could have been my child....

[Darla Shine]

Last night a little girl was hit by a car. She died. Crossing a busy street with her mom someone ran her down and kept going. Who would do something like this? What kind of person could hit a child and keep driving?

As I am preparing my home for a Thanksgiving feast, I am sick to think of this girl's mother and what she is going through today. I am sick because the girl was the same age as my son. I am struck with the knowledge that it could have been my child. We have crossed that street so many times. It could have been my child. I can't get past it.

And at this time of year when we all think about what is important in our lives, maybe be all could use a bit more common decency. Hearing the cries of our community last night gave me hope. Watching people trying to help this family gave me strength. My phone rang all morning with friends asking, "Darla, what can we do to help this family? What can we do to help this mother?" The outreach made me realize our spirit is strong.

I have been so worried that we are becoming disconnected. But over the past few weeks have been noticing kindness, love, and support among us all. People are bringing food to pantries. People are filling up the Toys for Tots boxes. And most importantly, people are praying for each other.

Through pain and hardship we learn valuable lessons. Our spirit can be broken but it can be mended. With faith we can heal. With the love of our families and friends we can endure almost anything.

So please, as we may be disillusioned over what is happening in our homes, our communities, or our country, we can fix it. Our spirit is strong. Please hold your babies close and thank GOD you have this opportunity to be a mom, a friend, a citizen.

God bless your families,

Darla

[jennypenny]

You know, Darla. I was thinking along those lines last night. Sometimes, I get so disgusted with the little things. Things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of life.
My next door neighbor was recently paralized in an accident. He will never run, or play ball with his son. His wife is now the sole provider of the family. My cousin has a disease that is killing his kidneys. His body is threatning to shut down. An eleven year old in our town is dying of bone cancer. Every one of these people are on the verge of losing everything they worked for. Medical bills are eating them up.
It just struck me last night-I should be so thankful! Heck, I should be singing from the roof tops!
I am really going to try and remember all the wonderful things God has done for me and my family.

[judesmama]

I'm sorry for that poor little girl's family. I just sent you a story about a woman who is pregnant with her 2nd child and lost her 15 month old son quickly and unexpectedly and it reminds me to be grateful for what I have and appreciate every little thing.. even all the messes I clean up in a day or when my toddler throws screaming fits.

Happy Thanksgiving and God bless!

[Roxy Baby]

Watching a small child definitely isn't easy. I'm not sure if you were present or not. When I was ten or eleven years old, a seven-year-old kid who lived two houses down was hit by a bicycle and his little body flew seventy-five in the air and landed near my window. We watched for what felt like hours as the neighbor who was a nurse tried to resucitate him, and then the paramedics tried doing the same for what felt like ever. All the while, the family was standing nearby, screaming at the top of their lungs. The paramedics finally took the kid away in a helicopter. I will never forget the screams!

I was so traumatized, it would be years before I got on a bicycle again, and even then, I ended up having a major accident that nearly did me in. I think it's all tied back to knowing that just hours before I had been on a bike doing exactly what the little kid was doing, taking a short ride around the area. His parents wouldn't even let him go past the stop sign in our court.

Our neighbors changed dramatically over the years, and it really hurt. The death affected everyone, from the youngest daughter to the grandparents who lived next door. The eldest daughter got into a lot of trouble at school (she was a year older than me), and there were of course other issues that affected the community, including and not limited to race and what happened to the sixteen-year-old girl who hit the kid.

I was young and easily impressed (shocked), but there was a lot I took away. No matter how hard you have it, there are always others suffering more. It's so important to protect small children and not let them out of your sight. But even then, bad things --horrible things--happen so we have to show our loved ones how much they mean to us because it might just be tomorrow when everything changes.