All of a sudden...BOOM! Your life is never the same again. Just like that! In the blink of an eye! And there's nothing you can do about it. What is done is done. Have you ever experienced that moment or known someone who has? Let me tell you, it isn't fun if the moment of impact is traumatic. I have been in a state of shock for the last few days with what happened to a church friend of mine.
It all started as a peaceful day in Daytona Beach. My friend, Austin, was having a family reunion for Father's Day weekend. You wouldn't think there would be anything to worry about on this beautiful, relaxing day in the Florida sunshine, right? ...Wrong. Apparently the guys decided to go body surfing in the Atlantic. Somehow Austin caught a dangerous wave that threw him down hard. He must have hit the back of his neck in a certain place that shouldn't have been hit. From there the paramedics took him to the Halifax hospital in Daytona where he has been in the ICU for a few days.
It is awful to think that this beautiful young man of God, a strong devout Catholic who just graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville, may have a very hard life ahead. He is basically immobile and has no feeling in all of his limbs. I am literally torn up by this thought and it has brought me to tears. How could this have happened? Why? WHY?!? Especially Austin, who is a wonderful man and comes from a great Catholic family. He, of all people, does not deserve this one bit.
As Father's Day weekend came to a close my parents put on a movie for our family to see called The Vow. It is a great movie. I loved it! I saw it in theaters before with my friends, but as I watched it back over again it really hit me hard when Channing Tatum's character Leo started talking about "moments of impact" in our lives. Moments that hit you hard all of a sudden which you can't control. In the movie he says, "The moment of impact. The moment of impact proves potential for change. Has ripple effects far beyond what we can predict. Sending some particles crashing together. Making them closer than before. While sending others spinning off into great ventures. Landing them where you've never thought you've found them. That's the thing about moments like these. You can't, no matter how hard you try, controlling how it's gonna affect you. You just gotta let the colliding parts goes where they may. And wait. For the next collision."
As I see it, in moments like these, friends and families either come together, stronger than ever, or begin to fall apart...(referencing the colliding particles, as perviously mentioned). In the The Vow, Leo was entirely dedicated to his wife... willing to go above and beyond the duty of a normal husband because he loved her so much. I can see with Austin's situation how supportive all of his friends and family are for him!! Prayer warriors across the globe are praying for him day and night. He has a whole fleet of angles at his beckon call! I can see from going on his website and his Facebook posts from friends just how much everyone cares for him. I, myself, have been constantly keeping him in prayer throughout the day, during Mass, and in my rosary intentions. If anyone can get through this it WILL be Austin! :) What a testimony that would be! Such a glory story for the power of the Almighty God if he is to have a full recovery.
I'm sure if you have read my other blog posts you know that I believe God can do impossible things. Miracles do happen! In fact, they happen everyday if we open our eyes. It's a miracle that you are alive and breathing right now, right? Everyday is a gift. Every moment is a miracle. We must never let the little things in life be taken for granted. Just the thought of walking right now is beyond what Austin can bare at this moment. He is taking it day by day. One step at a time. Which is the right thing to do for his recovery.
Reading the verse Philippians 4:6-7 gives me a peace of mind and a hope for Austin. So in situations like these that are very traumatic lets not become panicked or flustered. God wants us to take a deep breath and relax. Worrying is not going to make it any better. Once we have surrendered our anxiety over to God we need to be faithful in prayer and place all of our trust in Him. Through this we will experience God's peace in our heart and mind that will get us through all of life's trials that wait ahead.
If you would like to send a prayer message to Austin please visit his website http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/austinjsmith. Even if you have never met him before I'm sure he'd love to hear of your prayers and support. Thank you so much! God bless!
