December 8 - 17 Days until Christmas Day

I was reminded, yesterday, of how fragile life is. I received a call from a friend and fellow homeschooling mother, telling me that one of our homeschooled students had been involved in a car accident and was in very critical condition.

My heart broke for Brenda, the mother of the student. I know how much she loves Kadie and how close they are.

When tragedies occur, our first response often is to question, "WHY?" I'm sure that Mary, the mother of Jesus, sometimes asked "Why?" I know my dear friend, and Pastor's wife has asked "why" in the tragic loss of her daughter, Meg.

I often tell my daughter Anna, "Please be careful because I've invested too much in you!!" (grin) In giving that some thought, I know it is not the reason I want her to be careful. It's because of the love I have for her as her mother. She is part of me and when she hurts, I hurt.

I want to savor each moment I have with my daughters. They are such gifts and I know that with the gift of life, comes a huge responsibility. I want to prepare them for life as adults. Most of all, I want to help prepare them for eternal life. That is what will count in 100 or less years.

Thank God, the doctors are giving Katie and her family hope for recovery. She still has a long road ahead of her and I know that her family would appreciate your prayers. I'll try to post updates on this list.

Here is the latest update from my friend Donna who has been at the hospital with the family:

I just got back from UAB. Katie is in critical condition, but the doctors believe she will be okay. She has a broken femur and heel bone on her right leg. A fractured left ankle and several other fractured bones. One of her lungs is collapsed because of broken ribs. She has a severe head injury, but the CT scans show no blood on her brain. When helped arrived, Katie was having seizures, the doctor at UAB said that was really good, I'm sorry I just can't remember why. She has a chest tube and is on a breathing machine. Even though Katie has not gained consciousness, she is responding when she anticipates being pinched, which is an improvement because she was only responding when she was pinched. She's making small improvements and the doctors are hoping to do surgery on her later this morning. No one knows what caused the wreck, and at this time, the doctors can't tell if the seizure caused it or was the result of it.
Brenda and Billy are tired, but they seem to be okay. They know many of you are praying and they appreciate those prayers. They are trusting God for Katie's well being.