taking stock

A car accident in Lancaster on Tuesday night has brought some things into perspective for me. My young cousin, a passenger in the car, escaped with only a broken arm, however, her friend was not quite so lucky. Fifteen, beautiful, and now a fatality... a statistic, from what should have been a fun night out in the last week of 2009. My mom works with the mother of the girl who was killed. She said that when she and her husband got to the hospital and received the news, the mother was so upset, staff attendings had to give her a shot and the father almost had a heart attack.

I cannot stop thinking about them. Their pain. The awful moment when they were told that they would never see their daughter again. Even though I don't know these folks, I had a hard time cooking dinner last night for wanting to cry. I think about the day their daughter was born and how they never could have imagined that this would be the end of her journey. I look at Sully and pray that John and I never know that pain. A funny thing happens when you become a parent. It's like you've joined a secret club, a brotheren, and when you hear tragic stories, like this one, you begin to "what if" your own child into that sitution and your heart breaks even more.

Although my thoughts and prayers are going out to them repeatedly, I woke up this morning feeling happy and blessed. Do we cherish every day the way we should? Do we look around and (honestly) count our blessings? Probably not. We get caught up in griping about work, the afternoon traffic, chores around the house... I could go on all day. When things like this happen, it makes you take inventory. It's the door to the reality that all of our blessings could be gone in an instant. We have to enjoy them while they last.

So that's MY New Year's Resolution. I'm going to take stock in 2010. Look around everyday. Get on the floor and play with Sully. Kiss John at unexpected moments. Call friends more often. And play in the rain if the chance arises. I can't look back one day and say that I didn't absorb all of the best possible moments that I could.

Here's to a safe, fun New Year's Eve and a happy, prosperous 2010!!!!


Trace Adkins - "You're Gonna Miss This"
She was starin out the window of their SUV
Complainin sayin I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money
And I'll make my own rules
Momma put the car in park out there in front of the school
And she kissed her head, and said
'I was just like you'

You're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment
And her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place
She says, 'It'll do for now'
Starts talkin' about babies, and buyin a house
Daddy shakes his head
And says baby just slow down

Cuz' you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this

Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
But he says they don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty- six, one's twenty- three
Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' miss this
Yeaahhhh... you're gonna' miss this...

So apparently Toys 'R Us has changed alot since the good old days - you know, back when He-Man, She-Ra, and Light Bright were still the cool toys. I remember bright shining lights, beautiful rows of toys, and everything being so neat and clean. We went Christmas shopping for Sully (circa this weekend) and got a dirty, dollar-tree looking store (no offense to Dollar Tree, though) with a sign on the front door reading Firearms Prohibited Inside The Store. You think?

Where are all the cool toy stores? Inquiring minds want to know!