Speaking from the Heart

One post of gratitude, everyday of November. Click on Karla for more details.

Whenever my sister Ann  and I get together, we would talk about our teenage years. We thought we had the strictest parents in the world. Whenever we asked them  if we could do something, we often didn't like the answers mom and dad gave us. It was unfair that we were stuck with two parents who were party poopers. However, on this particular weekend, we were thankful for our parents' firm hands.

Carol was Ann's childhood friend. Her parents gave her a car when she was sixteen. Like most teenagers, she and her two friends cruised and partied on Friday and Saturday nights. One Friday night, Carol invited Ann to come along on. Knowing that the girls had started drinking, and that mom and dad would have had said "no" to the idea, Ann didn't even bother to ask.  

When Ann returned to school on Monday, she found out that Carol and their two friends were involved in a head-on collision. Their friends walked away with minor scratches. However, Carol wasn't so lucky. The collision caused permanent injuries to her head. She had many months of therapy, which included speech.

Today, Carol can talk and walk. However, the Carol that we knew before the accident is forever gone. Carol lives with her parents. She has problems dealing with life in general.

As Ann and I reminisced about our teenage years, we are so thankful for Mom and Dad's firm hands. We can't even begin to imagine what Ann's life would be like today, if she was in that car twenty four years ago.