“Mom – I’ve had an accident.”

It’s a phone call that strikes terror into the heart of every parent. “Mom, I’ve had an accident.” Fortunately in the same breath, Karis answered my urgent, unspoken question. “Everyone’s OK, no one was seriously hurt. As I drove quickly but cautiously to the scene of the four-car pile up, instead of fear or dread or worry, my heart was filled with incredible praise and a plea for forgiveness. Praise for the merciful protection of our beautiful, full-of-life daughter and repentance for too often taking that protection for granted. This bump with reality revealed to me that as often as I prayed for the safety of our two “child” drivers, I failed miserably to give thanks for the supernatural ways God kept them safe on the frantic suburban thoroughfares. If heredity has anything to do with driving skills, I’m sure Karis’ and Cody’s guardian angels put in a lot of overtime Karis’ accident also reminded me that some of you have had a very different and much more tragic outcome to an unexpected phone call. My heart broke again for you. It is these close calls with tragedy that illustrate that our lives and the lives of those we love are ultimately in the hands of our Heavenly Father, and each new day is a precious gift from Him. Here’s to Providential Protection and Higher Insurance Premiums, Love, Darcy (Written in January 2001)