Loving Lately: Miracles

We had been having a great time on our family vacations. Back-to-back, we had been making good use of our new camper and our family’s cabin in the great up north. I love making these kind of memories with my children, the kind of reassuring building blocks for life. We’d been breathing fresh air and splashing in fresh water. It’s been picturesque. I wanted to share more, but I’ve been too remote to blog. I was able to get out a few recent pictures to show a glimpse of our activities from a nearby town.

It was Thursday night, early Friday morning and I heard the baby cough. Normally he sleeps next to me. Our family of 6 takes over the loft in the family cabin. We aren’t very regimented about who gets which one of the three twin beds, or which kid(s) crash by me on the queen. What I do know is that I was extremely disoriented and when I heard the coughing I knew the baby wasn’t by me; for the past few nights my husband was keeping the baby with him in a twin so I could sleep in. If I would have been thinking clearly I would have rolled over and turned on the antler lamp, instead I got out of bed and walked toward what I believed to be the end of the room with the window and the light. My hands were out in front of me, low enough that I would be able to feel for the lamp on top of the table and shed some light in this pitch black loft, so I could finally check in my baby. Normally we leave a night light on. At times the moon and stars are bright enough to break the darkness, but not tonight I guess it was too cloudy. How and why I took a sharp left turn I have no idea. I guess I figured I had taken enough steps and should have felt it by then so I should change my strategy. How I didn’t step on any of the kids clothes they leave in the floor at every wardrobe change or a single toy they regularly leave out down the aisle between beds still puzzles me. As I was going down I grazed the finger tips in my right hand. When I hit the floor I felt my hips sandwiched between two hard boards, probably two of the twin beds. I yelled out “Owen, turn on the light.” I actually felt a little guilty being so loud. I thought to myself that I probably just woke everyone in the whole cabin. When the lights came on I was surprised to see I was at the bottom of the stairs.

I must have sounded like I had a concussion or amnesia. I truly was in shock. I kept asking “Where am I?” and “How did I get here?” It still doesn’t make sense. I never felt one step. I didn’t know I was going down 9 vertical feet. I remember brushing the fingertips of my right hand. I know I crashed on my left side. I believe with all my heart that there was divine intervention. I tumbled, no- rolled, no- flew? down over 11 feet diagonally of hard wood stairs and smashed through the railing of the second set of stairs on the most padded part of my body. I didn’t hit my head, or neck, or wrist, or ankle. The CT scan (available after a hour long ride to the hospital) showed no breaks or internal damage. I have some bruising, the worst with an area around my bottom about 10 inches wide and 14 inches long. I’m sore, but I’m ok. I’m alive! I finally took a few steps, with the assistance of my sister and crutches. Tonight will mark 1 week since the accident. Thanks for all of the prayers. Thank you to my family who has taken such good care of me. And thanks to God for sending your angels to look over me. A miracle.