Blessings Abound

This morning at 6:30 a.m. I was on the freeway in severe bumper to bumper traffic. Yes, it had been raining so I assumed there must have been an accident ahead. I was in the car with my 14 year old son. As we inched through traffic we noticed debris on the ground to our right and wondered if a truck had lost its cargo.

We were in the right hand lane as we inched along. A tow truck passed us, we began to see flashing police lights and cones guiding traffic around the incident. We came upon the cause - a medium sized motor home completely burned out, blackened holes where the windows had been, debris scattered everywhere.

I began to cry and am tearing up just writing this. Oh My God - a family had been on their way somewhere for the Thanksgiving holiday when this tragedy happened. The vehicle was in the emergency lane so I assume they had time to pull over and escape the flames. We were seeing the aftermath, it must have occurred hours earlier. Tears streamed down my face as my son and I prayed that the occupants were safe. Tragic. So sad. My heart ached.

As I drove with tears down my face, the traffic began to clear and we crested the incline of the freeway. Astonishing! The most gorgeous view I've ever seen in my life. The sun was rising, the misty clouds hugged the base of the  mountains in the distance. The rain had cleared the air in the incredible way it does and the view was absolutely spectacular.

More tears streamed. I kid you not, as I am experiencing this contrast of tragedy to beauty I realize that "It's a Beautiful Day" by U2 is playing on our stereo. What an amazing world we live in!

The most special part of this story is that my son and I got to experience this together. He is 14 years old. He was teary too. The experience was surreal. Being stuck in that horrible traffic gave us that time together and such an incredible magical memory that we will cherish forever.

Please take care of yourself and all you love! Be safe and keep your eyes open for the beauty that is around us.

God Bless You and Happy Thanksgiving.

---