Gratitude

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie's hat sitting upright through all the damage. It says "Life is Beautiful".  It's so true.

July 5th, 2013

All I needed was to feel the rise and fall of Jace's chest under my arm tonight. So, in the middle of the night, I ungracefully scooped him up from his crib and brought him to our bed and decided I didn't care if I didn't sleep a wink. I just wanted to feel him breathe all night long. Thankful that his cousins are breathing in their cribs tonight.

I can't turn my brain off. There's so much to think about. So much gratitude swirling around.

Grateful they are all at home tonight. All 4 of them. They're home.

Grateful for the goodness that I forgot still exists in the world. Things may be dark, but His love cannot be quenched.

It's the woman who was driving northbound and saw the accident going southbound, so jumped the barrier ON THE FREEWAY and left her 8 MONTH OLD BABY in the car to help strangers--strangers that happened to be my family.

It's random Amazon Greg who was helping Joe and holding Ethan and a teddy bear on the side of the road until we got there to pick them up.

It's Tracy who watched the whole thing happen and said her life is changed. Who took pictures and held the boys and calmed Katie down and reminded her over and over that it makes no sense they are alive--it's a miracle.

It's the blankets Katie says she saw wrapped around the boys while they were flipping, as if put there by Jesus' hands.

It's the airbag Joe felt pressed against him to hold him back--yet the airbags never went off.

It's the middle window where Declan was, the only window on that side of the car completely untouched by the crash.

It's the first responders who got there before we did.

It's the family that came by the dozens ready to help, care, comfort, feed, pray.

It's the friends that proved to be no different than family.

As I was laying in bed, the scene would not escape my mind. I kept picturing the car rolling and Jesus rolling with them in the chaos, putting his hand up against those backseat windows to protect the boys.

But then, I thought of Psalm 18:2. "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in who I take refuge, my shield...'

This is not a picture of Him being tossed around in all the chaos. It is firm, it is stable, it is unshakeable.

His firm, stable, unshakeable hand was their shield today. It's the only thing that makes sense in spite of the destruction and chaos.

Thankful that He was there today. Standing beautiful in all our mess.