“Mom, I’m wrecked” – is what Jimmy said as he limped his way up the stairs Friday morning. He’s always the first one up, an early riser this boy. But that morning he was done in, aches and pains from head to toe. Too much soccer, probably – not that it stops him. He loves the sport too much.
That same morning, not much later, my cell phone rang and it was Kyle. Wrecked, too. Out in Colorado with Grant and Kiana and Luke. The four had road-tripped out mid-week with plans to attend a concert and climb a mountain. NEEDTOBREATHE at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a bucket list dream coming true. Adult sons gave Dad birthday tickets, hoping of course he might also drive. Which he did, and yikes. Who knew.
The concert exceeded all expectations, the venue and the band both, breathtaking. We could have climbed a mountain right then and there. High on music and Jesus. And maybe they should have, except it was going on midnight, too dark for climbing, and turns out – for driving. Not five minutes away from Red Rocks just hitting the freeway and what they hit was an ELK. A whole herd crossing interstate 70, and Kyle driving, saw their shadows and slowed way down, but not in time.
No one was hurt, not even the animal, and that’s the good news. But the car was smashed beyond driving and towed away. Next day there’d be no 14er. Just a mountain of crazy trying to figure out PLAN B. And me wondering why my husband can’t seem to catch a break. Doesn’t he already have enough stress, and really is this what he needs??
They’re back home now (car still in Colorado), but safe and sound with stories to tell. How an “Uber Angel” drove them back up the mountain in the middle of the night, and Luke’s friend from camp was a holy rescue, driving them to civilization and rental car the next day. And Kyle tells me last night that if he’d known how it turned out he probably wouldn’t have done it. And yet in a strange kind of way it was a sweet adventure, a family story and a shared experience. Expensive, but good. You might even say being WRECKED was worth it.
We’re together this morning – my husband and me. He’s setting up shop in his home office, waiting for the insurance adjuster to call. And I’m catching up on the mess at home. Looking at laundry and dirty dishes, and able to smile. This wreck in my house is just a part of our story.
I don’t always like it. This life of wrecking. I’d like a house that’s clean and boys without injury and road-trips that stick with Plan A. But I’m not the one writing the story.
Truth is, that concert last Thursday was all about wrecking. It’s the exact kind of story those guys sing about. So I’ll end with this quote from a favorite.
Kyle, this one’s for you:
Yeah in this wasteland where I’m livin’ There is a crack in the door filled with light And it’s all that I need to get by Yeah in this wasteland where I’m livin’ There is a crack in the door filled with light And it’s all that I need to shine
Oh if God is on my side Yeah if God is on my side Oh if God is on my side Then who can be against me
(Wasteland by NEEDTOBREATHE)
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