Hello everyone.

I apologize for the insane delay of updating the art of living well...or trying to.

We had the holiday weekend and were very busy as a family. There was a lot of delicious barbecue eating to be had and many hours of swimming. I took a million and a half pictures and put them up on Flickr. Although this morning I tried to upload more and kept getting an error. So you'll have to check back later in the evening when I get home.

We saw fireworks on Friday night. They were not as fantabulous as years prior but the rain probably didn't help. =o)

My chiropractor visits have been going well and I have been feeling relief. I have an appointment today and he is going to think I stepped backwards because I'm extremely tense and sore. But it has been a tense week.

I'm working on big projects in the office, but there was also a tragic miracle in regards to a family member.

My Uncle is a bread delivery person for Stroehmann Bakery. They have a warehouse in New Castle, Delaware on North 13. Early Tuesday morning he was shot by a young man who probably wanted to rob him. Word to the not so wise...bread men do not carry money with them unless they have a cash stop along their route. Since his truck was still in the warehouse yard one can assume he hadn't made a cash stop. Comprende?

The man got on his truck without my Uncle realizing it. He heard a mumble and turned around to find a semi-automatic gun pointing at his face. Fortunately God and a slue of angels were with him because he reacted quickly and threw his arms up to shield his face. The bullet went into his left forearm about two inches from his elbo. It ricocheted off his radius, fracturing it severely, and lodged itself up mid-bicep area. He doesn't have full mobility of his hand yet, but the doctors are hopeful the nerve damage is not permanent.

In short he is a lucky man. Had he not reacted so quickly and had the bullet not hit the bone first he would have been shot in the face and the situation would be far more dire.

As it stands now they have been going back and forth over whether or not surgery will help. Surgery could end up causing more trouble. But it looks like they will be operating next week to put pins in his arm. Right now he is too swollen for anything to be done and so they sent him home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Of course his insurance insisted he go home...

The detective and his team were unable to find the casing of the shell and so the investigation will probably go unsolved. They are lazy as far as I am concerned, but I'm not in the field and shouldn't judge. I would like to think they could at least dust for finger prints elsewhere, I don't know about you but stepping up on a delivery truck isn't super easy and I would think he had to have held onto the frame at some point.

Needless to say it has been upsetting for the family. So I think my doctor will understand my being a bit more tense than I was at my last visit.

Labels: drama, life, miracles, tragedy

It's not like I haven't seen one before. I have seen a few in my lifetime. I've seen a Jeep Wrangler flip over another car and I've seen tiny Tiburon's bounce off medians but somehow this morning's accident was different.

No one hit the back of the car and it didn't appear the car was following too closely behind one in front. Yet for some reason it was moving over into the shoulder. Obviously a car moving oddly caught my eye and I slowed down. It wasn't in my lane, we were going opposite ways and I knew I was in no danger.

Each detail is so vivid. As the car pulled over into the shoulder it sped up. Why was it speeding up? Didn't the driver see the ditch, didn't the driver see the stones built up against the driveway? Did they fall asleep, did they mean to push down on the pedal?

I don't think it was smoke. I think it was dust from the car colliding with stone and picking up grit from the road. And then it was glass, shattered glass and pieces of the headlights. The hood crunched up like a candy wrapper and the front bumper falling away from the frame. The back wheels lifting off the ground and the airbag inflating inside. I saw all these things and I heard the crash. There wasn't a squeal, no whiny tires, no screams were audible though I am sure many of us did. As a witness it felt as though the wind was knocked out of me. My hand instinctively went up to cover my mouth while I sucked in trying to catch my breath. The car in front of me happened to be an undercover police car and the lights were flashing. I stopped. I pulled over. The other lane stopped. Other cars pulled over. The police car made a three point turn and pulled up behind the scene. He opened the driver door. The driver's body laid against the inflated bag. A dust or white powder came out from the inside of the car.

Traffic began crawling. I didn't hear sirens until I was in the parking lot at work. I have no idea what happened once I drove away. Will I be reading about this person in the paper tomorrow? What will the outcome be?

Somehow this accident, was it an accident?, has changed the path of my day completely and maybe even on a bigger scope my life. I wonder if everyone else saw what I saw. I wonder what they are thinking right now. I wonder if they are writing about it or telling someone, are they crying, is their stomach doing somersaults?

I'm sorry for this person. For this person who maybe lost control of their car. Or maybe was having a bad morning and decided to run themselves off the road. I'm sorry for the people who live in the house with the stone built up around their driveway. I'm sorry for the police officer who was driving undercover probably looking to catch someone speeding and instead happened to be the vehicle in front of me when the accident happened.

Why is this upsetting me so much? Is it because I was only 8 feet from the vehicle? Is it because I can't explain what happened? Is it because I too have felt like running my car off the road and into a wall? My only fear being I would survive the accident?

Right now I'll offer a prayer. Then I will publish this entry and get to work. And wonder.

Labels: accident, collision, craziness, tragedy

I was going to write a post about normal life things, but then I saw the news about the three NYPD detectives acquitted in a case where an unarmed man was shot to death on his wedding day. Fifty shots, one unarmed man. Explain to me how this received an acquittal?

"The verdict provoked an outpouring of emotions: Bell's fiancee immediately walked out of the room, and his mother wept."

The victim was leaving a strip club with two friends. The three had been drinking but we not armed and were minding their own business according to reports from witnesses. The judge said the police officers testimony was more reliable. They were acquitted on all charges.

My feeling is of utter disappointment in the justice (or lack thereof) system. My heart goes out to Sean Bell's family.

This story greatly upsets me >>

Labels: injustice, tragedy

This morning while checking my e-mail I found one from a blogging friend, Van.

His father passed away unexpectedly last night. I cannot even begin to tell you how profoundly upsetting this is and how deeply sorry I am.

Over the past several months Van and I have been reading each other's blogs and commenting. Learning we have a similar taste in music and more importantly we have a deep love for our children. Van talks about his kids all the time, how much he loves them and misses them when they are not home with him. His posts have always been quite endearing. Most of the time he mingles in work and he's always talking about movies and books he has recently read and/or watched. It's odd how even though I don't know him personally I am confident I could pick him out of a room and I am sincere in saying he is a friend.

Please pray for him and his family during this unspeakable time of sorrow. Send all your most positive of thoughts.

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." ~ Robert Fulghum

Labels: death, family, friends, sorrow, tragedy

It has been confirmed that a 6th person has died in the most recent college campus shooting at Northern Illinois University. If you include the shooter who killed himself at the end of his rampage there are now a total of 7 dead.

This leaves 15, instead of 16, still wounded from the shooting.

Please continue to pray for all those involved.

SOURCE

Labels: tragedy

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

My Bri sent chocolate covered strawberries to work. He also brought home wine and made dinner, very sweet. =o) This is our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife. I am so blessed. (Though I must say I feel this commercialized holiday further complicates love and romance by perpetuating frivilous expectations. I do like my sweets,hehe)

Braeden has also been cute, asking me to be his Valentine and writing me little scribbled love notes with his new High School Musical pen. This morning I have him the pen and a Disney's Little Einsteins Gameboy Game, he ran up to me proclaiming "It's just what I have always wanted." =o)

I have had a migraine since Tuesday and am still feeling wretched, but the doctor gave me some medicine to try and it seems to be helping a bit, but the headache is still lingering.

I have just been reading the breaking news regarding the shooting at Northern Illinois University where six are dead and sixteen wounded. It upsets my stomach, hy heart goes out to that community. I have no idea what to say about it, these things seem to be happening more and more and it is inconceivable to me. Senseless.

In other news, tomorrow is Friday. Friday is good. A new day. I welcome it.

Labels: brae, brian, tragedy, valentines day