Unfinished Business

Jesus gave me a mulligan (opportunity for a do-over) last Monday when I lost control of my Honda and crossed the yellow line in front of an oncoming Van traveling 50mph.  The van struck me while I was sliding right at him on an icy road.  My daughter was seated next to me.  It first looked like the collision was going to happen on her side of the vehicle.  I shouted a prayer for help but in my mind I believed it was game over for both of us.  I yanked hard right but it didn't look good.  Just before impact, the car spun clockwise more than 90º setting me up for a direct hit on the driver's side of the Honda while perpendicular to the van.  The passenger window behind me exploded as did the rear window.  The van crushed my driver's door into the left side of my body and broke seven ribs.  I also suffered an injured spleen.  My Honda bounced off the van and shot like an arrow back to the correct side of the road in front of other cars who were initially behind me before I lost control.  I came to a complete stop after one final 180º spin and I had a front row seat of the accident scene.  My daughter reached over to me and grasped my right hand.  She said, "Dad, please tell me you're gonna be alright."

I couldn't breathe or speak.  There were gurgling noises inside my body from the point of impact.  My body was pinned.  My daughter was unscathed.  The ambulance ride to University Hospital was about 40 minutes after a really quick extraction from the passenger side of the vehicle.  There was no way to get the driver's door open.  Snow was still falling and EMT vehicles were dotting the roadway which is the main thoroughfare into our community.  Once inside the ambulance, the paramedic hooked a breathing tube to my nose.  All I could muster were shallow breaths through my mouth.  The ambulance entrance was backed up due to all the accidents and that meant parking on the street outside.  I will never forget how good it felt to have the snow falling on my exposed chest while the paramedics pushed me along the icy walkway.  Once inside, the trauma team evaluated my injuries and dispatched me to a private room.  They put a neck brace on me as a precautionary measure once the body scans were complete.

I couldn't sleep due to acute pain on the left side of my body.  What I could do was thank God for the mulligan.  I'm planning to use my "do-over" to make changes to my life so that when it's my time to meet my maker, I won't have to say, "sorry for the incomplete."  This last week has been my opportunity to reflect on the things that really matter.  Make sure you let your loved ones know how much you love them.  Be grateful for every person in your life.  And please make sure that when it's time to leave this planet there's no unfinished business.  An incomplete won't keep you out of Heaven but it will leave a void in this world that only you can fill.  Have a great day and use your mulligan wisely.