'Tis the Season to be Thankful

I had planned on writing a very light-hearted and entertaining post today, but when I got on Facebook this morning (like most of you do as soon as you wake up, let’s be honest), I was moved to change my approach. After reading a few “thoughts” or “announcements” I felt like I needed to go in a different direction.  The first thing that inspired this change comes with a back-story:

Though I live in Illinois now, I grew up in Indiana in a small interstate town about 30 miles from Indianapolis. I love it there. The town is great; the people are great… it’s just an awesome, tight-knit community. I’m sure by now you’ve all heard of the tragedy that struck during the Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair this past August.  When my mom told me what had happened, I was a bit panicked.  Living in a small town, entertainment is limited, so when something like this concert comes around, a good percentage of the town attends… including many friends and a lot of my family. Luckily (and a bit strangely) I found out right away that no one in my family went to this particular concert. What I did find was that many friends were at the fair grounds waiting to see this country duo rock out that night. People kept posting “I’m alright!” or “Scared but not injured!” or something along those lines to keep everyone from worrying… but not everyone.  It came up about an hour later that a girl that I went to high school with was still missing. It turns out Andrea had been hit with a steel beam that crushed her skull. To be quite honest with you, and her family has said this themselves, she should not have lived.  She suffered a traumatic brain injury and is still in the hospital today.  SO many things about her recovery, her family, and our little town have been more than inspiring over the past few months, and I could fill page after page of stories that make me so proud of her and of my hometown, but I won’t right now.

 

I did not know Andrea incredibly well. She was a senior when I was a freshman. I remember the summer before my freshman year, her and her best friend, Kendra, took me and a friend of mine out to lunch… ALL THE WAY IN INDIANAPOLIS! This is a big deal when you’re 14 and you’re in a car with other teenagers for the first time! They were incredible to us and we had a blast… and of course I thought I was super cool. Honestly, as I learned 3 years later, is this how a senior wants to spend a summer afternoon? Taking two incoming freshmen out to lunch? No, but that’s the kind of people these two were, and still are. Everyone else comes first.  I’m incredibly blessed to have this memory with these two people. I ended up running track that year with Andrea and she became like my “big sister” on the team. Some people just have a way about them that encourages you to strive for more, and that's Andrea. I remember thinking that I wanted to be like her when I was an upper-classman. I know for a fact that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

ANYWAY… throughout this ordeal, Andrea’s brother has shared update after update to the hundreds, maybe thousands (no lie) of people that have in one way or another been touched by Andrea or her family, and every update, from day one, has been filled with faith, hope and joy. She is now awake, alert, talking, walking… it’s all a miracle. This morning she had another surgery and her mother’s post was, “Andrea is in surgery. She was smiling all the way down the hall.” A lot of my Facebook friends are posting what they are thankful for this month and all of this made me realize how much I have for which to be thankful.  Andrea has a 4 year old daughter and a husband who she hasn’t been able to be home with for months now, an injury that she has had to fight every second of every minute since that night in August, and she had surgery this morning to replace a part of her skull that had to be removed, and she’s smiling. That thought put a lot of things in perspective for me.

How often to we take for granted what we have? Personally, I know I do quite often, so today I’m thankful for my life. I’m thankful for my adorable, healthy baby boy whose smile and laughter can cure anything; for my husband, the love of my life, who loves us both so dearly and works so hard to take care of us; my family who gave me this amazing life and made me who I am today through their never ending love and support; for the opportunity to spend an evening at home with friends; for health, happiness, and love; for the chance to get up today and document this crazy life and knowing that tomorrow, Lord willing, I’ll be able to do the same. Things aren’t always easy. Money gets tight, our babies get annoyingly fussy, we fight with those closest to us, but if that’s the main cause of stress in our lives, man are we lucky. Shortly after having Carter, someone told me something that I have never forgotten… The days may be long but the years fly by, so cherish every moment. I hope I never forget that. So thank you to you for taking time out of your day to read this novel of a blog, and I pray that today you are able to be thankful, and not take for granted the many ways in which we have all been blessed.

***This is just a tiny tiny glimpse at the amazing story of Andrea, her family, and a tiny town that has rallied behind one of their own through prayer, fundraising events, and lots and lots of pink. To read more, please visit www.fortheloveofandrea.com.