In mid May I received a call that every parent fears.. that my oldest son was in an accident four hours away and in ICU. He should have been killed when he was ejected from a taxi cab which was T-boned by a vehicle going at least 40 mph which caused the taxi to do a 360. He suffered multiple skull fractures, a broken shoulder and stitches where his forehead was split and the corner of his eyelid torn. Every medical professional agrees that he should have died. He was lucky, very, very lucky to have been injured right next to a leading trauma center where he received superlative care. Now seven months later he is fully recovered and waiting for the final paperwork to go back to work. His goal was to recover 120 percent. He's amazing.
Initially in the ICU only his father and I were allowed in the room. While sitting together I realized I didn't know this man and could think of nothing to say to him. He talked about work and I nodded. We were both committed to our son's well being. He stayed until our son was off the critical list.
During my son's recovery I had the unique experience of having all my adult and young adult children living with me. It was an opportunity to bond on a completely different level. It was a gift for me and all three kids. By the end of August/early September, they were all gone; my daughter to college, another son to a different city for his job, and the recovering son back to his house to live independently.
I learned a lot and feel very lucky, very blessed. I'm in the Christmas show at the community theatre and am loving my involvement. It's a wonderful production with a group of people (young and old alike) who are like family.
It's taken a few years to feel single again. I still haven't jumped into the dating pool but have started working on cementing and creating new friendships. My son's accident taught me to let go of lots of things and cherish what is real.
