A year ago today, my world turned on its axis.
Not slowly or gently.
Violently.
Words were said, but their truth wouldn’t penetrate my brain at first…
“There’s been an accident.”
“We found his teeth.”
“He must be admitted to the trauma unit; no one else will touch him.”
A year ago today, my husband was in an unforeseen, life-threatening accident that fractured the left side of his face.
The helmet he was wearing?
It saved his life.
The days and weeks that followed were filled with stitches and surgeries. Time moved differently inside those hospital walls. My gratitude for his medical team grew exponentially during his 4-day, 3-night stay. For those who cared for him in those early hours, I don’t have words.
For what my husband experienced as a result of the wreck… I don’t have words for that either.
A handful of learnings stand out when I think back on this season:
Life is fragile, and moments are precious.
Teeth are expensive. (Ok, ok… I already knew this based on my own struggles in this area, but it’s still worth noting.)
Insurance is crucial; miracles are better.
People want to help, and sometimes, they just need to be invited. And sometimes, you have to let them.
One year later, we still feel the aftershocks. There are appointments and bills and stories we tell differently now.
But there is also breath. And laughter.
And a man sitting nearby as I write this. Alive. A marriage that knows, in its bones, how quickly everything can change.
We were shattered. But we were not lost.
And we are still here.
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