Not Accidentally: July 2011

In the spring of 1970 I was a senior in high school.

At that time I was in charge of our small church youth group.

To raise money for a missions project we were having a church yard sale.

I have to be honest, I was not the best in leadership at that point in my life!

That morning I showed up at the church early to set up the tables and acquired boxes of stuff.

I expected others to show and was quite disappointed when I realized the only one's showing up were me, myself and I.

Unless you want to count my little sister Lori who was 9

and her best friend who was also 9,

I was on my own.

My attitude turned worse the later it got. Where was everyone?

Around noon a mother and her children showed up bearing cold sandwiches for lunch. I was quite ungrateful and left with sister and friend in tow to get a burger and fries.

Oh if we could only take back some of those moments in life!

I drove my 1956 brown Chevy to Smacks.

I was ready to order when Lori decided she needed to pay for her own.

The problem was she had gotten her dollar stuck in the belly of her glass piggy bank.

That did it! I lost my temper which quite honestly was not normal for me.

I took the bank.

I got out of the car.

I smashed the bank on the curb.

I had not let go.

When blood started to squirt a man eating at one of the outside tables came over and gave me his napkins. He then proceeded to the trash can to throw away his uneaten lunch. I was quite a mess.

I went to the back door and asked for a towel and if I could use the phone.

After one look at my hand the owner got me in the car and drove me to the hospital.

By the time we arrived the large towel was saturated with blood.

You are probably asking by now what in the world is not accidental about this!

The Kansas City University Medical Center was across the street!

The doctors said I had cut the main artery and if I had not been close I would have bled to death.

It was a lesson well learned for that young, know it all, me!

I praise God for the lesson and that he allowed it to happen where it did so I could be telling you this story so many years later.

About 10 years ago I found the same bank, put a dollar in it and gave it to Lori at Christmas. In a letter with it I told her how sorry I was for loosing my temper and breaking her bank.

This is when I found out that Lori had blamed herself for years.

Another lesson learned years later, don't wait till tomorrow to tell what you need to tell today.
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Blessings, Debbie

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