lucky stars!

So, we just got back from camping and Sam and I got to sleep out under the stars. One night the stars were more brilliant and bright then I had ever seen. I guess becuase it has been winter and I'm always rushing to get out of the cold, I hadn't really seen the stars in months. It was wonderful just taking them in. There are so many, and I remembered being a little girl and being sure that if I had enough ambition I could count them all, but that night as I lay there looking at them I knew there was no way I could count them all. I began thinking of the events of just a week before. For those of you who don't know, Sam was in a serious accident just over a week ago. The stars definitely seem a little brighter after something like that. We've all heard the saying, 'I thank my lucky stars', and that is all we've been saying this past week is how lucky we are. (when i say lucky, i most definitely mean blessed) Looking at the stars that night and thinking of the lucky ones in my life especially the most recent ones, really made me want to at least try to count them. Like the stars I saw the other night, sometimes in your life it really seems like there are way too many to count, but like any little kid, it's some how important to try.

Lucky star #1: Sam, the number one most important person in my life, is alive!

Lucky star #2: Sam was wearing his seatbelt, he saw the car lose control on a curve ahead of him and gave him time to slow down and move to the side of the road before they lost control again and slammed into him head on.

Lucky star #3: He was in the middle of no where, but he was taking a couple guys out to a job in Navajo Mtn. so they were following him. They came up on the wreck and were able to be there for him when other help was an hour away. Most people that stopped just wanted to find a way around the wreckage without 'hurting their new tires' as they were looking at my husband trapped in the truck, or that that they were just going to a buddy's house and couldn't turn around and try to find a way to call 911. It gave me so much comfort to know that Josh, my cousin's husband, and his friend were there for Sam, when there was literally no one else.

Lucky star #4: Sam was driving his work truck and so he had tools and Josh was able to cut Sam out of the truck. He was stuck in there an hour as it was. If it weren't for Josh and those tools he would have been stuck for another hour at the very least.

Lucky star#5: I was out running around town with the girls in the bike trailer and didn't know anything that was going on. My cousin Ronnie is the boss of the 2 who were with Sam and so he heard about it right away. His wife Tammie had seen me running earlier and began to worry that I didn't know, so my cousin and his wife set out to find me. When they found me, Ronnie got out of the car and came over to me. They both looked pretty concerned and then Ronnie preceeded to tell me what had happened. He knew all the important details that I needed to know. If I had made it home and found out over the phone while I was alone, I would've definitely lost control. Something about the way he told me was very calming and reassuring. He told me he had been in an accident, but that he was walking and talking and that Josh was with him. He told me that he was going to be life flighted to Tuba City. My world definetly began to spin, but I still felt very grounded and comforted. They helped me get back home and did not leave me. Because of them and an unseen hand, I was able to stay stong and not lose it in front of the girls. It was so important to not scare the girls. I could not leave them like that.
Lucky star #6: Sam never takes the cell phone to work because there is no cell service in no mans land, but that day he had taken it. The minute I stepped in the door I called the cell phone. He didn't answer, but he called me right back. He sounded so good and strong. His voice wasn't shaky. That one phone call saved me. He told me a couple days later that it was all he could do to not lose it on the phone. I was so grateful that he was strong for me when I needed it the most. I had a four hour drive ahead of me just to get to the hospital they took him to. What was already going to be the longest 4 hrs of my life would have been even longer had he lost it on the phone.
Lucky star#7: Ronnie and Tammie's daughter Shayla, who is Josh's wife, absolutely saved the day. She stayed with my girls the whole time we were gone. I didn't have to juggle the girls from person to person. I tell you, that family was meant to be there for us. No body else could have just come to my house and stayed with them that long and she was so wonderful with them.
Lucky star#8: No hesitation what so ever, my mom got off work, picked me up and took me to Tuba City and we picked up my dad on the way. I'm so grateful my parents were there for me.

Lucky star#9: I am so lucky that Sam is so tough and was able to walk away after such an awful impact. I also know that he was protected by many. We always tease him about having such a hard head and it is that very hard head that saved him. On the way to Tuba City, I got a msg from Sam, telling us that they had found a skull fracture and wanted to transfer him to Flagstaff to be seen by a neurosurgeon. I was reassured that he was fine and that it was just a precaution. I was scared but was once again comforted that everything would be okay. This added another 75 miles to our journey but I was going to be able to make it to Tuba City before they transfered him.
Lucky star#10: Made it to Sam. Gave him a big hug and then we laughed and cried together.
Lucky star#11: A friend from Monticello just happened to be traveling through there, stopped at the hospital, and was able to help my dad give Sam a blessing. He also had a camera, so the hospital pictures are from him. I was really bummed that I had forgotten my camera.
Lucky star#12: Sam was taken care of by great doctors, nurses and EMT's. Sam had a lot of fun joking around with them all. I'm very grateful for the neurosurgeon who took care of him in Flagstaff. He was a lot of fun and I trusted him. It was really nice to have a surgeon sew up his head because he really knew what he was doing and it was a big comfort to me. The gash in his head was to the skull and required many different layers of different types of stiching. They kept him just for one night to make sure he was okay. He was diagnosed with an open skull fracture that runs from the top of his head down into the orbit of his eye. You can see why the word lucky has been used so many times in the last week and a half. I bought him a little white bear that we call the good luck bear and he sits on our bed as our little reminder.
Lucky star#13: Either he is just being tough or he's been blessed not to have significant pain. From the time of the wreck until now he has only taken a little motrin.
Lucky Star #14: Living in this community with so many close friends and family is very lucky! We received so many concerned phone calls and people offering meals left and right. We were well looked after. Sam also got an extremely thoughtful gift basket delivered to him by all of his family up north.
Lucky star #15: A week after the wreck we found out Sam had fracture in his knee. To me that is lucky because after seeing the truck and seeing how the dash was squished all the way into the seat, I was amazed that his legs weren't more seriously hurt.

I could truly, go on and on, but I'm sure I've gone on way too much already. I just feel overwhelmed with gratitude and really did want to 'thank my lucky stars'. It has been a very rough week for me but I too have been blessed with so many people looking after me. For the first few days everything scared me and worried me. Everytime I looked at him, it brought horrible flashes of an awful reality that could have been. I knew everything would be okay but I still struggled. Then there were little things like I was petrified for the first time he sneezed, worried that he'd crack his head open more. He is not suppose to blow his nose for a month, so a sneeze can't be good. I was afraid of every car on the road, thinking they would come in our lane. But through all that, I also knew that I couldn't live in fear. I already feel so much better thanks to the support of Sam and so many others. We learn and grow so much through every little and huge thing we go through. Thank you every one for letting me share!