Thankful, Despite Toil

I was listening to them talk, about their trials. Mishaps. Regrets. Disappointments.

One mother's two daughters lost their jobs in the travel industry due to the terrorist attacks. Some said the tragedy didn't really affect their Christmas. But all of them were eager to spend the holidays with their loved ones.

Yesterday, I was in a car accident. A guy stopped short, my brakes failed, and I watched, and waited during the millisecond before my car rear-ended a big white van. And I thought, "Yeah, I'm going to hit this guy."

It was too quick to swerve. Needless to say, I could wash my windshield with the large amount of hot coffee that splattered across my windshield. But I was okay. I was alive.

But I was devastated.

Insurance bills, new car payments, lawsuits - thoughts raced to me as I cried alone in my car waiting for a tow truck.

"I wish I could have died!" I cried.

A month ago, a man rear-ended me. After countless doctor appointments and physical therapy, my neck was doing much better. (Though it's kinda agitated after yesterday's accident.)

Anyway, I was thinking last night about why bad things happen to good people...to all people. I'm not talking about one bad thing - I'm talking about "the pile-ups."

My cat is sick with epilepsy. My grandmother doesn't know who I am anymore, and has had trouble breathing recently. I lost two of my best friends after their acts of betrayal. I'm stressed beyond belief with work lately. My sister was thrown in jail (but is out!!!) after her school district went on strike. I just put $700 into my car four days before it was totaled. My sister just blew her engine. My mother, watching all of this happen, is near a nervous breakdown. (But she's playing a very good taxi cab driver for us both.)

A call just came in from the police chief. I am sipping tea with my co-worker, finishing up our last-minute deadline work. It's a cold day outside, and drivers are frantically driving scrappling up gifts.

One of them hit a girl, who was 18. Nobody knows who she is - but she's being airlifted to the hospital.

This is a typical day at work for me, but really, not so typical.

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