Thanksgiving

I know it’s only slightly halfway through July, but I have so much to be thankful for, these days. And I have a bit of a list. Yep, a list of things for which I am thankful, and not one turkey was carved, nor one pumpkin pied.

To start, I am most grateful to the persons who invented seat belts and airbags for use in ordinary, everyday motor vehicles. YCOM (youngest child of mine) was on her way to Picton for a July family reunion. She was driving from CFB Shiloh with her dogs. mean Mom that I am, I insisted the trip should take five days. It was to be the second really long drive on her own. She’s a good driver. Like a good COM, she sent her itinerary prior to her departure. I needed a list of the places she’d be stopping for breaks and where she’d be staying overnight. YCOM is still my youngest, but I had to accept that she’d decided to make the trip solo, with the puppies. It was to be her big adventure, and she was scheduled to arrive on Friday for the Family Weekend Gathering of Birthday Excitement. On the morning of her third day on the road, she was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. No one really knows what happened. It was described as a loss of control and a head-on collision. YCOM and the other driver managed to escape serious injuries, although their vehicles were write-offs.

I am thankful that YCOM is a first responder and had her medical kit with her. She made her way back to the highway and over to the other vehicle to administer first aid to the driver while awaiting the emergency response. The residents of Kakabeka Falls have probably seen a fair number of highway incidents. It’s just that kind of road. YCOM and one other person were involved in the latest one. She never made it to Picton. Her wife was called in from a field hospital in Manitoba, and drove to meet her in Kakabeka Falls. They made it safely back to CFB Shiloh.

Buckle up, kiddies. It only takes a moment— a blink of an eye—and your life changes. The dogs, by the way, were unharmed. I am thankful for soft restraints for pets in vehicles. If you love your pets, you must think of their safety while you’re driving. While I am thankful that both drivers were saved by airbags and seat belts, I cannot imagine YCOM being done in by (in her case) 180 pounds of unrestrained dogs. My thankful list includes the hundreds of people who offered assistance and love and caring during those difficult days. You really don’t know how rich you are until your friends and family give freely from their hearts.

The reunion, you ask? Well, the reunion went on, although not quite as planned. We did have a substantial gathering of family and friends. I am thankful for my family and for my friends, who saw what a puddle of stress I’d become and helped me sail through a weekend of birthdays and anniversary celebrations. On top of the craziness, I am thankful for the County’s beautiful summer weather. We were able to enjoy our family, our friends in our backyard and around our pool. I am also thankful for an oversized, high-efficiency washing machine and a backyard clothesline for endless pool towels and soggy swimsuits.

So, to review my list, I am thankful for seat belts, airbags, First Response training, family, friends, good food, good beverages, a cakezilla (a dozen layers of delicious sweetness made by our DIL), a clothesline, a huge washer and good weather. Oh, and the pool. Have I ever ment

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca