Thankful for Life This Thanksgiving

This year, Thanksgiving has more meaning for me than in any year in the past. I've been through a lot in the last few months and the experience has given me a new outlook on life. My nineteen year old son was in a very serious car accident this year. He was four hours from home when it happened. When I got the phone call from someone at the hospital telling me that my son was in critical condition, it changed my life.

The four hour trip was enough to make any mother lose her mind. It seemed like forty hours. As soon as I got to the hospital I was taken to my son who was in a coma and on a respirator. My whole life changed that very moment. Nothing in the world mattered anymore except that my son wake up and be himself again. Anything else that was going on in my life up till then , suddenly meant nothing to me. I had one thought, one hope, one prayer. I needed my son to be well. I needed him to wake up so I could tell him how much I loved him. There was nothing else in the world but that thought and need.

The first couple of days were the worst. Finding any rest or comfort was absolutely impossible. My son was in intensive care so I could only see him four times a day and for very short visits. I learned to pray again while he was in there. I prayed more honestly than I'd ever prayed in my life. To say I begged would be an understatement. I will honestly admit that while in the hospital chapel praying all alone, I felt something. I had some tingle inside of me that gave me hope. I really felt it most when I prayed to Mary.

My son did wake up. He's doing well and watching him recover so quickly from so many things seems nothing short of a miracle to me. His jaw was broken in two places. His head was split open. He had brain trauma and his brain was bleeding. He lost part of an ear and had quite a bit of trauma to his neck. With all that , he's doing well now. He's bright and brilliant. He looks wonderful. He's lost about thirty pounds but he can enjoy putting that back on in time. He's going to be alright.

This is what I'm thankful for on this Thanksgiving. I'm so thankful for my beautiful son. I thank God every day for sparing him and watching over him. I believe in angels and I'm thankful that they're here to help us. I cherish every member of my family and I'm thankful for each and every one of them. The gift of life is so great. I'm thankful for life. For mine and my beautiful husband and son. I'm thankful for my Parents and family and for all the lives wrapped up all around me. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for every moment of life.