It was a little after 8:15. The little girls had just headed down the street to the bus stop, and I was envisioning a few more minutes of snoozyland. All of a sudden there was a banging on the door and Sadie in the entranceway shouting, “Annabelle just got hit by a car!”
Let me give you the end of the story–she is fine. She just got bumped. They were still on our road, not the busy and more dangerous Puddintown Road. Our neighbor had just pulled away from a stop sign and didn’t see the girls. I have to admit, as I sprinted down the road in my flannel pajamas/running pants, I thought, “man, that sun is right in my eyes. I can’t see down the road.”
As I got to Annabelle, she was lying on the road. Her new slipper-shoes had flown from her feet, and she was crying. No blood. Nothing seemed to be broken. My neighbor was standing there, obviously fretting. He’s really a good guy; he simply didn’t see the girls. His car wasn’t racing down the street, and he certainly wasn’t being reckless. Kim pulled up a few minutes later in the van, just in case we needed to whisk Annabelle away to the ER. A few more minutes of hugs and wiping tears and thanking Jesus, and we were all back in the house.
Sadie couldn’t stop crying. Annabelle was more scared than hurt, though she took a pretty good fall. She got bumped up onto the hood and slid off onto the ground, landing on her bum and wrist. Kim took her to the ER just to be safe.
As Kim took Sadie to school, I hung out with Annabelle. How did she handle the aftermath? She ate the lunch that Kim had packed for school and started working on her Chinese homework. I had her read me a story about a wolf and a lion. (The wolf and lion weren’t friends, but they both liked to eat sheep, so there’s some common ground there.)
Irony number 1: The lifejournal (Bible reading plan) started Job today. As I dealt with my emotions of my daughter being hit by a car (try waking up to that being shouted in your house!) I read Job’s story of losing his children, and his reaction. I can’t imagine his grief, the stunning weight of loss. He tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground and worshiped. But he refused to sin by charging God with wrongdoing. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Irony number 2: We got an email from the school today informing us that this is National School Bus Safety week, and that the local police will be on the lookout for drivers who violate the state’s School Bus Stopping Law. An officer actually stopped by the house today to check on Annabelle.
Oh my, what a day. We spent the rest of the day cleaning out the basement, which will be remodeled while we’re in China. Kim printed out packing lists for Team Sublett, and the children are all packed and ready for our trip. We leave Thursday morning before the sun comes up. I haven’t started packing yet, but I can be ready to go to the moon in about 5 minutes, so I’ll be good.
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