12/5/09 Day 27

Dear friends,

Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since our lives changed forever. I have to reiterate something I've already posted, because I was honored to receive comments from 3 of the rescuers at the scene of Steve and Hannah's crash. To all of you: firefighters, paramedics, EMT's, helicopter pilot and nurses, police officers, helpful bystanders and that angel of an army medic who "just happened" to be passing by, what can I say? My gratitude knows no limits. I know God was showing His greatness through all of you, while you were breaking your backs to save my earthly treasures. To the outstanding trauma team at Albany Med who worked with great vigor to keep my family alive - how can words possibly do? And to the wonderful doctors, nurses and therapists at Sunnyview Hospital, well, we'll be together for a while. And I'm so glad it's with folks like you. Thank you. Thank you.

Today I spent time at a DWI checkpoint in East Greenbush to help share the message that drunk driving devastates families. I met a precious man, Bill Dikant, who lost his wife and 2 of his 3 children in a drunk driving accident 30 years ago. My dear friends, please pray for this dear man! His broken heart remains, and he and I sobbed on the side of Rte. 9J as he showed me the photographs of his beautiful family. Unlike me, his family was not spared from death. Unlike me, he did not have the wonderful and practical daily support of a loving church family, and he has carried around great pain for many years. He is a tireless advocate in the pursuit of stopping this terrible crime, and I am humbled by his tenacity.

Capital News 9 did a story on our story. The nature of news is the soundbite, and many of the positive comments I made including the GREAT grace of God through this mess didn't make the cut. But I am thankful that the story is being told! Thank you, Capital News 9 for caring about this issue. You were the only ones to grab it, and you deserve a big hurray. Thank you, Britt for your kindness to me as we did the story. And to all the wonderful, selfless people I met today, God Bless You. A special thanks to the students from Columbia High and Maple Hill who stood in the cold and boldly told the truth. I'm so very proud of all of YOU!

Hannah spent some time today with her friends, eating cake and drinking milk and talking and talking. She has a busy week coming up with therapy and tutoring. She is still having trouble with her peripheral vision in the left eye, but her progress continues each day. She seems be carsick all the time when we drive, so I'll check this out with the neurologist next week. I love to see her toothless smile. I think I'll miss it when she gets her temporary teeth.

Stephen watched a football game today! (Now if I said he played in a football game today, that would really be news!) So and so threw the ball quote "right in the bread basket" unquote, and Steve was annoyed that the other so and so missed it. So I guess his concussion is healing. He ate Carol's boiled ham dinner like it was his last meal. Thank God it wasn't. 4 weeks ago we didn't know if he would eat an earthly meal again.

Today I remembered one of the first things Hannah said when she woke up from the accident. "There is more to this world than meets the eye". I wrote it in the little pink journal Jackie gave me before this blog existed. I will never fully know what my daughter experienced that would make her say that. She doesn't remember, but I know somewhere it lives inside of her. His amazing word says:
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. " 2 Corinthians 4:18

This life is so fragile, and so temporary. Thank you for holding my very human hand while we walk through what is seen, doing the next right thing, always looking to what is unseen and eternal. Loving God and loving people are what matter. Yes, baby girl, there is more to this life than meets the eye.

I couldn't love you more, all you beautiful eternal souls!

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann

PS I miss you all, Virginia Smith's! I so wish we could wash away the miles. I love you all dearly.