In The Blink Of An eye

Today we took the kids to school then came back to enjoy a nice day of quite reading and catching up on things around the house. We enjoyed the weather which was fantastic, and a nice lunch sitting outside just soaking up the sun. We picked the kids up from school and we were heading over to the park when all of the sudden our day took a turn. Literally in the blink of an eye things went from great to scary as cars started slamming on brakes and screeching tires warned of danger. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Jimmy, in oncoming traffic, get jacked up in the rear and a man tumbling through space head over heals. A Jimmy had slammed on the brakes due to traffic ahead, and a motorcycle behind her wasn't as quick to respond and ended up laying the bike down just as it hit the back of the truck. The impact threw the rider off and through the air like a rag doll for about 30 feet. I slammed on the brakes yelled for my wife to grab the cell and call 911 while we jumped out of the van and ran over to the scene. For a short moment, chaos erupted as we tried to figure out who was hurt, only to see the rider stand up, take his helmet off and throw it to the ground in disgust. I was amazed to see that he only had a few burns to his arms and a few bloody knuckles. The woman he hit was frantic and crying in fear that he was hurt badly. The medics showed up rather quickly and took car of the man and woman involved. As we drove away and I guess up to this point as I write this I'm still shaken by what I saw. I've never seen a human thrown through the air like that (not on accident anyway) It was a terrible site. I'm glad that he was relatively unhurt and was able to walk away from it.

It got me to thinking about how fragile life really is and that danger and death can strike in the blink of an eye. It made the trip to the park all the more meaningful as I watched my kids play without fear and without stress. I will undoubtedly be more aware of the danger that lurks everyday, even in the simple things. I will pray for that man tonight as I'm sure his day didn't turn out the way he planned it to.