worth a try

Last night, Denise's pregnant daughter, Ashlee was in a car accident.  She was driving to pick up her kids from Denise's when a woman came straight at her on the road.  Ashlee had no other choice but to swerve to avoid being hit and she ended up crashing into a tree.   Thankfully, she's okay... sore, but okay.  Her car, not so much.  The woman who was driving right at her didn't have a clue.  She continued driving and doesn't even know what happened.  She went on so fast that Ashlee couldn't even get a license plate number to report her. Clueless.

About eleven years ago, we were driving home from a Youth Conference at Utah State University.  I was in the passenger front seat.  Liza was in the middle of the back seat.  The driver of our car was pulling out onto the highway when a car, flew through and changed lanes in the middle of the intersection.  ON THE HIGHWAY.  A large lumber delivery truck was behind us.  Our driver slammed the brakes to avoid being broadsided.  The truck behind us smashed the trunk into the back seat of our car.  The girls, including Liza, in the back seat were not injured.  I was seatbelted but twisted around talking to/facing the girls.  Being twisted in the seatbelt caused injuries to my pelvis, my kidney and my neck.  This earned my first ambulance ride and also I had permanent damage to my shoulder and neck.  (This is why I can't lift anything over my shoulders or push a vacuum today.)  Again, the driver of the car that changed lanes in a major intersection was clueless!  To this day, he has no idea that he changed my life forever by his poor choice.

I won't bother mentioning the details, but recently, a person's actions have made an impact on my life causing a paradigm shift that will forever be changed. I highly doubt that this person has any idea of the damage done to many people because of their actions.  They won't be hearing it from me. It's one of those times in life when I just "lower my expectations and move forward. Regardless...

I was thinking about how little selfish choices that we make every day impact so many other people and things in our lives.  I'm guessing that more often than not, do we even realize or give second thought to the fact that one little gesture or act on our part could hurt, hinder, deter or impact those around us.  I hope, for the most part, that we wouldn't do whatever it is, if we did realize it, making it ever so important to ...Think before you act.  Think about those involved (and sometimes not involved) and how your actions could affect them. 

Last summer,  I had a situation with someone very dear to me where I had caused them deep hurt and I had no clue.  As a matter of fact, when it came up, months later, I was shocked.  When reminded, only vaguely did I even remember the event.  I had inadvertently caused another pain. It was a good reminder to me that if we all were to give a little more thought and reason to our actions (intended and sometimes not), we could actually make the bumps in the road a little smoother for others. It's really worth a try.

Pride is concerned with who is right.
Humility is concerned with what is right.
Ezra Taft Benson

Comments

[Jo]

At the expense of looking incredibly shallow I have to admit that I am dying of curiosity over who has caused you grief. It wasn't me was it?

[Nicole]

Thanks for the reminder to be careful of the things we say and the choices we make....

[Pamela K.]

So glad Denises' daughter is okay. How scary! I was in an accident when I was pregnant with my son. Same thing in that the car looked worse than how I came out. My son was doing triple axles and backward/forward flips in my belly all night that night though. I did not know you had an accident as well. :-( You never want to take life for granted, that's for sure.

[K]

A favorite quote of mine along the same ideas says, "Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."