August 2, 2012 | 12:07 pm

Blessings & Tragic Loss

Posted by Ilana Angel

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I am a woman of faith and I have a close relationship with God.  I speak with God on a daily basis and some days I feel like I speak with him more than anyone else in my life.  I don’t ask him for anything, but I do pray for guidance and clarity.  I thank him for being a source of peace in my life and on occasion I question him as to why things happen.  I don’t blame him when things are not good or something bad happens, but I do seek answers to questions.

Yesterday I was talking to my son who is on the east coast on holiday.  He was riding his bike to go to a movie and I told him he should call me back as it was dangerous to talk on the phone while riding.  He insisted it was fine and then a minute later I heard a thud.  He told me he needed to call me back because he had just been hit by a car.  He hung up and it was a horrible moment.  I called him back until he answered the phone. 

Turns out he did not see a car coming, and the car did not see him, so they collided.  He got a few cuts on his arm and hurt his shoulder a little bit, but he was fine.  The driver was lovely and in the end the bike got hurt the most. I called him 20 times during the day and was quite anxious.  It is horrible when your child is hurt, and devastating when you are not there.  I prayed to God to watch over him, keep him safe, and also thanked him that my son was okay.

This morning I heard from a friend of mine that a friend of his from college died overnight in a car accident. He was a Marine who was home on leave and apparently fell asleep at the wheel and died in a head on collision when he veered into oncoming traffic.  It has hit me hard and I am devastated for this wonderful young man and his family.  It is tragic that while home from fighting for our lives, he lost his own.  Life is so fragile.

I am feeling blessed and sad this morning.  Incredibly grateful that my son is okay, and yet heartbroken that this young man has lost his life.  We must all strive to live with purpose and peace.  It has been a week of clarity for me in terms of how I am approaching my time on earth.  I want to squeeze joy out of every minute I am here because we just don’t know what will come our way.  Each day is worth living in a way that really matters.

To my son, I love you and being your mother is more joy than any one person deserves.  Be careful, be safe, be happy, and for the love of God, don’t talk on the phone while riding your bike!  To the family of Todd, who passed away last night, he was a hero and served our country proudly.  I am keeping him in my thoughts and prayers and trust he will rest in peace.  God bless us all.  I am taking a deep breath today and keeping the faith.

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