It Could Have Been Worse

Stopping in the garage before going into the house, I took off my coat, boots, jeans, and finally my panties.  Shards of glass fell to the ground.  Shivering, I left it all there to clean up later and headed towards the shower.  It all still felt a little surreal.

Once I was dressed, I started emptying the contents of the car, shaking the glass into the trash can, wiping down the kids’ books…  And then I stopped and looked at the car.

It could have been so much worse.

If the deer had had antlers that had gone through the windshield…

If the deer had jumped 1/10 of a second later and gone through my daughter’s window instead…

If we had been in a smaller vehicle…

If the 2″ square of glass I found next to my daughter’s car seat had flown just a slightly different course…

If my children hadn’t been buckled up securely in their car seats…

So many if’s…

When I close my eyes I can still see the deer slamming into the windshield.  I can hear the thump, the glass.  So much glass.  Glass that showered the entire SUV all the way to the back of the car.

In the light of a new day, as I emptied the contents of the glove compartment and waited for the tow truck, I was struck once again by the damage to the car.  By what could have happened.

I don’t know when I last fell to my knees in prayer.  Usually I say my prayers at night, snuggled deep beneath the comfort of the blankets.  But today I found my knees.

We may be without the family car.  We may be inconvenienced for a while.  There will be money that has to be spent that we weren’t planning to need to spend.  But it could have been so much worse.

I know what I will be giving thanks for this week.

May you all have a safe Thanksgiving, spent with those you hold dear.  I will be spending the next few days treasuring what is most important.