We Are Lucky

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a photo from this weekend:

Our truck is the silver one. We both loved that truck. Mike picked me for our first few dates in that truck, he hid my engagement ring in it the night before he proposed, and he drove to our wedding in it. It was part of a lot of great memories, and it will be missed.

I don't want to write the story of the accident. It was horrible, but everyone walked away with only minor injuries {including the horse that was in the trailer on the right side of the picture}. What I do want to write about is how extremely lucky we are.

Mike & I have been in a couple of scary situations in our time together, and we've gotten through them with only minor injuries and thoughts of what could have been. This accident wasn't like I thought it would be...I didn't panic, I didn't tell Mike I loved him just in case, and unlike most ridiculous chick flicks, my life didn't flash before my eyes. I was scared. I still am scared. But I also knew then and know now how lucky we are.

We are lucky that something worse didn't happen. Thanks to my husband's quick thinking, he was able to steer our truck for the least amount of damage and chance for injury. I took the bulk of the impact, and as I've said about a hundred times in the last few days, I am fine. Bruised, cut, and emotionally shaken up, but I'm fine.

We are lucky to be able to laugh in times of stress. It wasn't more than a couple minutes after I realized I wasn't seriously hurt that I was making jokes and trying to lighten the mood. Yes, it's a serious situation, but I was so thankful to be able to laugh.

We are lucky our sweet Molly Monster wasn't with us. We often let her ride along when we go to visit family. She normally has a spot on my lap. The most horrific moment of the whole day for me was thinking of what could have been if she was with us. It still makes me cry uncontrollably. I love that little pooch. {On a similar note, we are also lucky the horse in the other vehicle wasn't hurt. I have a soft spot for animals, and I'm not sure I could have handled it if she had been hurt.}

We are lucky to live in a small community with amazing volunteers. All the firefighters and paramedics that day were from our village's volunteer department. They were amazing. Our community {and so many other small towns like ours} are so blessed by these people.

We are lucky that we were together. I was waffling on not going with Mike that morning, and I'm so glad I did. If we had to be in an accident, I'm glad we were in it together. I was so scared to let him drive to work by himself yesterday while I rested at home for one more day. We lean on each other in bad times, and celebrate together in good. Now, Mike might have wished he'd gone alone so I wouldn't have to hurt. And I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in that truck by myself...I'm not as quick on my feet as he is. But it's nice to have someone who can understand how I'm feeling, both emotionally and physically.

We are lucky that this {hopefully} won't affect our lives all that much. We're fortunate to have other vehicles to rely on. We didn't have to spend any time in the hospital, and all of our injuries will heal. It sounds like insurance should do what it's supposed to do and help out with the financial piece of things.

We are lucky to have supportive employers. None of our injuries were so serious that we absolutely needed to take time off work. Monday would have been an exhausting and painful day if we'd gone in to our offices, but we could have done it if we were forced to. Fortunately, we were able to take the opportunity to rest. Gather, on the other hand, is a demanding workplace! More about that in a minute... :)

We are lucky to have amazing family and friends. We didn't tell a lot of people what happened. I didn't share the story on Facebook or post pictures to Instagram {though, my first thought when I was climbing out of the ambulance was that I wanted a photo for our PL album. Yes, I'm weird.} This may be the first time you're hearing about it. It's difficult for me to talk about. Writing this post is hard, but I want to remember the things I'm thinking about. Those friends and family who did know, though...you are awesome! We knew you were great before, but it's so comforting to know we have people we can lean on if we should ever need help.

It's so easy to focus on the negative aspect of this. It would be really easy to say, "Why us?" And let me just say, I haven't been all sunshine and roses these last few days. Sometimes though, I appreciate the opportunities {though I don't care to repeat them!} that remind me to count my blessings.

I said I'd get back to Gather in a minute. For those that don't really understand how product gets to Gather, it isn't a matter of simply ordering from a catalog, or visiting a warehouse to fill my store. Searching for junky treasure is a physically demanding job. That being said, I'm not 100% sure that I'm going to be able to do my job for the next couple of weeks. We'll still be open 3 days this month {October 13, 14 & 27}, but I'm not sure how much new inventory you'll be seeing if you come in the next time we're open. I'm trying, and I'm committed to getting as much new stuff out as possible, but I'm also trying to listen to my body and know my limitations. I know many of my loyal customers travel a long way to see us, and I wanted to make sure to give you all a head's up before you make the trip. I'll be updating more as the time gets closer about what you can expect from October's Gatherings.  

Anyway, I really challenge you to think about all the ways in your life that you're lucky. And, if you want to leave me a comment and tell me about them, I'll help celebrate with you!