Broken Crystal & Not Enough Time

Today we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of David’s accident at work where flames consumed more than 94% of his body. The traditional gift for a 15th Anniversary is crystal and the more contemporary gift is a watch. While we won’t be exchanging gifts today, it’s interesting to me that crystal would symbolize this year. When I imagine the gift of crystal, I think of an expensive, exquisitely handcrafted piece of delicate glass designed to be an artful masterpiece. When I think of how this might symbolize our 15^th Anniversary I imagine how breakable the crystal is, how easy it is for it to get bumped off the display shelf and how our lives have been shattered at times by injuries, illnesses and unexpected trials. I think of what happens when an expensive piece of crystal crashes to the ground ~ you might try to carefully put the pieces back together again, and it might even take the original shape again, but we all know the piece of crystal would be forever changed. That image can sum up the past 15 years for our family. Our lives as we knew it came crashing all around us, but we’ve tried diligently to put the pieces back together again, the best way we knew how. But even though the many pieces of our lives have come together over the years, we will all be forever changed. On August 20, 1999, our lives began to get shaped and molded into a much different masterpiece. It’s been our prayer, that even though our lives took on a different shape, we can still be used for our intended purpose and that our lives would be pleasing to God in how we have chosen to respond to the events in our past.

A watch would also be an appropriate gift this year. Looking back on August 20, 1999 I’m reminded of the time the phone rang on a Friday afternoon while or son was sleeping and our daughter was at school. I answered the phone only to be told the most horrific news I’ve ever received. On the other end of the line was an emergency room nurse informing me that my husband had been severely injured at work and I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Time seemed to stand still as our world shattered. I remember the many hours spent in the waiting room at the Burn ICU in Galveston, Texas praying the father of our two children would survive and be able to be the same smart, loving, caring man that he had been prior to his injuries. But during that time of unrest, we met some amazing people at the hospital that have continued to be a part of our lives. When our sense of normalcy was stripped away, we learned to rely on God for strength and our faith subsequently grew.

Months after the initial accident, as I struggled with PTSD and terrifying flashbacks I remember friends, family and nurses trying to encourage me by telling me that things would get easier- that the images and memories would fade with time. I almost laughed at them. I couldn’t imagine that time would ever heal these wounds because they were so fresh and vibrant. By the grace of God, 15 years later, it’s difficult to remember some of the initial details of this journey because they have dulled over the years as we have healed.

Time has also played a part in our recovery. It’s been 15 years and we are still dealing with wounds, surgeries and infections. We realize that our recovery process will be a lifelong journey. Recently, David was diagnosed with cancer in his leg and we were once again reminded that our time on earth is short. It might even be shorter than we hope for. As we tried to process the diagnosis we both found comfort in realizing that God had already given us an extra 15 years together. David was not expected to survive his injuries in 1999, but thankfully God performed a miracle for us. I’m so very grateful that I was not widowed when our kids were only 2 and 9 years old! We’ve been blessed beyond measure to have had the past 15 years together building memories to last a lifetime. But even knowing we’ve been given extra time, selfishly, it won’t ever seem like enough. I feel like there’s so much more for us to do; places to explore, people to meet and most importantly I feel a new sense of urgency as we are discovering that God wants us to share our story with more people. He’s done amazingly more than we could ever have asked for and we have a task ahead of us to take the message of what He’s done to others. Maybe we can offer some encouragement to someone else as they experience a moment when time seems to stand still for them or when they are trying to pick up the broken pieces of their lives and reshape it into a beautiful new beginning.

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

~Henry Van Dyke

“This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss; good not evil; success not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it.”

~Author Unknown

  

     “A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance”

Ecclesiastes 3:4