Well, the irony of this is I am shaking right now as I type this. I just got back from picking Matthew up from school, and I got this email from my brother on the ICE campaign.
The other day while I was foolishly blogging about Tom Brady, I wound up being two minutes late for Matthew's school. I am a horrible mom and have felt the guilt of it since the moment I realized I have to get off the computer and go pick him up. I rushed through town (only a 3 minute drive) and almost got into an accident with a lady in my blind spot.
I made it there in time to have all of the other moms gone and Matthew waiting patiently looking through the glass doors at me as I drove up to the school. His teacher wasn't concerned as I apologized but I was astonished because usually there are still moms lurking around for 10 minutes and this morning, there wasn't. I have never felt so guilty in my life.
This morning, miracles happen for some strange reason and it is something the way things go. All it takes is one second, one minute and it can all come to an end.
I was talking to my best friend K in PA who I hadn't talked to in 3 months. I was determined not to be late so I casually and slowly got to his school 10 minutes early (like every other time) and talked to her on my cell phone in the car. I told her I love her and that I'm always thinking of her and wish I could be there to give her a hug.
I got out of the car at 10:58 when other moms started to show up and hung out right in front for Matthew to see me. A teacher peeked her head out of the door mentioning that school picture day is taking a little longer and that it would probably be another 10 minutes for them to come out. I joked with a few moms about being late the other day and now I'm early and he will be late. We joked about going to the dentist office and being late and being early and then waiting a long time.
Matthew ran out of the door ten minutes later and we headed slowly towards the car. He wanted to go play in the playground and I was trying to convince him first of going home to change his school picture day clothes first. He had on a nice pair of tan pants that I didn't want getting ruined. I told him we'll have lunch, get into play clothes and then head back out to a playground. He was sad because he saw his little friend there and wanted to stay and play.
I bumped into his other little friend L and his mom who was scurrying around like a mad hatter trying to get to her car, she had an important date and said she was having one of those mornings as she passed by smiling.
As I pulled out of the parking lot, taking a left onto the street and began to drive, out of nowhere a police cruiser stormed past me lights blaring and immediately speeding to somewhere.
As I got to the end of the road, where I would normally go through our quaint little common, it had 3 police cars and lights glaring so I took a quick right to avoid what looked like an accident that had just happened. It didn't look like much at first so I turned around a few blocks down to head back in that direction because that was the way I needed to go.
I got closer and witnessed a minivan with RI plates that had been hit horribly in the drivers side front end. The woman driving seemed to be already out of her car and on her cell phone. Matthew was watching so I was trying to keep my emotions down as I was witnessing this. I then saw another car. A four door later model blue car. It was completely smashed head on into a 300 year old oak tree. Policemen were inside the car trying to help but that was all I saw.
My husband told me once that once a tree is hit, that's it. It doesn't move or sway the way another car or another object might. The damage I saw and that I hope Matthew didn't comprehend, was devastating. There was debris everywhere and I drove slowly through glass and headed home.
I'm sick to my stomach, thanking God that I do Thank Him every night for my son, Thanking him that I told K how much I loved her, thanking Him for not having me be in that spot at that time this morning, thanking Him for Eric's calm and understanding voice on the phone.
Hug the ones you love, tell the ones you love that you're sorry or whatever you need, because in just one breath that's it.
When I witnessed my mom passing I had 25 years to prepare and knew it was coming. It was the most horrible thing anyone could ever witness.
To see someone possibly pass away right before my eyes as I drove by, it's so unfair and so devastating to me. Did that person tell their family they loved them? Were they going to school also to pick up their preschool or school age child or did they pick them up and were they in the car? Did they have anyone in their life that will notice that they are gone?
I am praying for the people this morning affected in this accident and their families and other tragedies that happen every day that because we don't see them, we forget that they happen.
Here is the ironic email I got from my brother when I got home:
ICE campaign - 'In Case of Emergency'
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.
If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call.
Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this ' ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign
The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly.
It is a method of contact during emergency situations.
As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency).
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call.
He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose.
In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE'.
Please forward this. It won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.
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