Rollover January 8, 2010

Rollover

Star Tribune Friday January 8, 2010

“ Hundreds of accidents were reported on state roads, including many in the metro area, but none involved fatalities or severe injuries. Overnight temperatures-and windchills- were expected to plummet even further.”

Officer Kaiser stands in my parents dining room. Despite the freezing temperatures he is dressed in his uniform with no coat. He is a stocky muscular man who’s seen it all. He smiles when I point out the array of books in the house.
“See officer,” I say, My dad’s read all of these books. When you find him he may be disoriented, but he will recite poetry for you.”
I am filing a Missing Person’s Report. My dad has been gone for over 4 hours and we are so worried and anxious.
After calling all the E.R.’s the Jail and Detox it is now time to file a Missing Persons Report.
I feel like I’m in that movie Black Orpheus where Orpheo searches the afterlife and makes pacts with the spirits and the dead. I don’t know what to think and hesitate to think the worst, but I do in order to prepare myself.

Then the phone rings. “This is Pete with Lakeville Ambulance. We are taking your father James to Abbott Emergency Room. He rolled his car in Lakeville, but is coherent and does not have any injuries.”

We all go into shock! He is alive. And then we begin the nervous rush to the hospital.

I recall all of my times in Abbott E.R. with trepidation. My bad joke about all this is that if there is one place I know how to get to, it is Abbott E.R. in the winter.

When we get there we quickly go back to his room. There he is in his gown, smiling with a very small scratch on his nose. I am furious but relieved. There he is, my brilliant, sarcastic, humorous, intelligent father. My Texas Dad. There he is, alive and well.

Our nurses are wonderful and I see my favorite nurse from many visits ago.

So how do miracles occur? How does the car turn over through busy oncoming traffic on a very icy roads and not kill him? Not kill someone else? How? Whose hands guide these moments?

Today I will go over and see him. My fear has transformed into gratitude. Grateful that he is alive. Grateful that he has not hurt anyone. Grateful that he is not on Life Support. Grateful that we are not planning a funeral.
Grateful. Grateful that he has the gift of life.