~David Crowder Band ("All I Can Say")
It's hard to know what will happen day-to-day in the sometimes routine events of my life. It's even harder to realize that I'm not at the center of the universe.
Late to work on Wednesday, thinking if I hit all of the lights from Bellevue to Fremont perfectly I'd make it to my General Chemistry lecture just in time, I had a sinking feeling that I'd be late as I crossed the 520 bridge in haste.
10:54am: I turn left to cross the Fremont bridge and the cars suddenly stopped in unison. "Oh crap, what a perfectly horrific time for the bridge to go up," I thought. But when the bridge didn't go up, I noticed that a couple trucks had their four-way flashers on, so I figured a car was stalled. Little did I know that seconds before I got my green light, a terrible crash had taken place.
10:58am: Sitting in a row of cars, I call into work to ask someone to tell my class I would be 15-20 minutes late. "I can't believe this, what an inconvenience." A fire-truck arrives on the scene and then I see it: a paramedic giving someone CPR on the sidewalk. My heart sank: I have been well trained in CPR and first aid. I should have been out there.
I pulled a U-turn and made it over a different bridge...my students were all there waiting for me even though I was 20 minutes late while news helicopters hovered over the area and sirens continued to scream, but that image haunted me all day and is still fresh in my mind now; especially since I just saw the above article which says that the lady who was receiving CPR died later in the day.
Christine Duffy; wife, friend, mother of twin 5-year old boys. Gone in an instant. Christine, I'm so very sorry I didn't do anything, and though I can't play the "shoulda coulda woulda" game, I am truly ashamed that if nothing else, I considered my lateness more of a concern than your life.
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I'm reminded of something Shane Claiborne said at Quest this fall:
"Lord, forgive me for thinking too highly of myself,
Lord, forgive me for thinking too lowly of myself,
Lord, forgive me for thinking about myself too much."
May we live each day loving, caring, and humbling ourselves so that others may always be our priority. Never waste a moment. Do all you can to help people. Tell them how you feel and start doing what you were meant to do on this earth.
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1 comment:
Christy was a friend of mine, she would have forgiven you, she was just the nicest, most humble person. A real genuine good person. I m pretty lame too, hurrying my way into preschool to pick up my kid, and Christy always held the door for me, offered to hold my baby, she was there for pickup to, but always had time to lend a hand, lend a carseat, bring extra snacks, small things. I have spent the last 2 days thinking of her and how I can be nicer, kinder and less impatient, because i m not the center of the universe either.
She would say its no big deal, shes fine. and I have to believe she is.
thank you for posting this.
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