Safe and Secure

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the Everlasting Arms

This might sound like a gripe session, but really, it is just a chronology of facts.

We left for Arkansas on July 11th. Scott was sick as a dog. He'd had fever the night before and felt terrible, but said he thought he could make the trip. His fever broke and never returned while we were driving, but was back with a vengeance by the time we got to Arkansas. Sad to say, Scott could not travel with us to Eureka Springs for Matt and Lisa's wedding. The morning we left, Scott was throwing up, coughing, and had a migraine. He continued to run fever the entire time we were gone to Eureka Springs. Thankfully for him, he had some peace and quiet and an empty house in which to recover.

Matt and Lisa's wedding (July 13) was wonderful and beautiful. I got to see lots of old friends, and I cried and cried during the ceremony. I'll post something more detailed later, and with pictures. Matt and Lisa, the wonderful folks that they are, rented this great cabin for Scott and I and the kids. It's too bad that Scott couldn't be there to enjoy it, but the kids and I sure had a great time! If you've never been to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, you should go. It is spectacularly beautiful.

On the way back to Benton from Eureka Springs (July 14), Charlie, Molly, and I were riding with my mom. Eliza and Trevor were riding with my dad. Incident #1 was Molly throwing up all over my mom's car. She gets car sick, and it was really sad. I hate it when my kids don't feel good.

Incident #2 was the car accident that my mom, myself, and the kids were in. We hit a parked truck when my mom went off the road. No one was in the truck, but we hit the truck with enough force to deploy the airbags. My mom has a cracked vertebrae, Molly had a big burn on her neck from the seat belt, Aaron got a bloody nose and a hurt ear (I think from "mother's reflex," I threw my arm across him), I got a big knot on my head, two black eyes, and a big bruise on my leg, but Charlie was worst of all. At the Harrison, Arkansas, hospital, I was told that he had a skull fracture and a brain bleed. That's when everything went swirling. But when he got to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, three neurosurgeons examined him and ran more tests and could find nothing wrong. Scott had met him at the hospital and got to bring him home after only a few hours of observation. All I can say is, praise be to God. Do you know how many of our brothers and sisters in Christ were praying? How many saints were lifting up our names and our need to the Father? Many, many more than I'll ever know. Thanks to modern technology, word got around fast and people started praying. Praise be to God that my little boy is ok. Praise be to God. Praise be to God.

The details of the wreck are something I just can't go into now. I'm still to shocked and shaken, even though it has been a week and a half. Just truly, truly, I glory in the Father for what He is done, and only pray to stand obedient to His messages to me.

Mom came home from the hospital the next day (July 14) and was not able to do anything. She had a bad burn on her neck from the seat belt, bruises all over her body, and excruciating pain from the fracture in her vertebrae. She had (still does) a back brace and a walker. With five children to care for (my nephew is staying with my parents till Matt and Lisa return from their honeymoon), and nine people in the house wanting food and clean laundry, Scott and I got to work. He mainly took care of the kids and I did the other stuff. Daddy helped out as much as he could with everything, but he had surgery on Friday (July 18). The day of Daddy's surgery was also the day that we got word that his brother had passed away early that morning. Daddy was unable to go to his brother's funeral on Monday (July 21), and I was heartbroken for him.

I took my mom to the doctor on Monday and the doctor was amazed at her injury. He said there had to be an amazing amount of force for her to have sustained such an injury, and the events of the accident came flooding back. Among the many hard days I had at my parents' house following the wreck, Monday was one of the hardest. Tuesday I took my dad for his check-up, and everything went great. As long as I knew that my dad could take care of my mom, I felt like we could go home.

But, as it would happen, there was another (minor) incident on Tuesday. Poor Eliza had an earache and Scott took her to the doctor. It was swimmer's ear, caused by the fun times in the kiddie pool. Some pain medicine and a few ear drops later, and she's feeling much better.

Our time at my parents' after the wreck was exhausting, but also full of blessings. So many friends called to offer encouragement and love and say that they were praying; thank God for Courtney and Elizabeth, who helped us out so much as well. People from the church brought food and more kind words and love. A real treat for me was having Matt and Lisa drive Molly, Aaron and me from Harrison to Benton (their flight didn't leave till the next morning).

Now we're home and I'm planning a trip to the chiropractor for my aching back. I'm hugging my kids and kissing them a lot. I'm being thankful for my great husband. And I'm praising God all the more, and kneeling at His feet, thankful for his tender mercies.