God’s Abundant Grace

October 3, 2015 – A day on the calendar I will never forget, yet a day I cannot remember. The year 2015 began with a sense of renewal for me. After struggling with years of weight gain and now being 150 pounds overweight, I made the decision to undergo bariatric bypass weight loss surgery. The process entailed six months of nutrition counseling, among a myriad of tests. August 18, 2015 I underwent surgery and was recovering well with good results. I was due back to work October 12, 2015. I took this time of recovery to visit my daughter, Sarah and her family in Southern California, followed by a trip to Missouri to visit my six siblings and their families. All was good in the world and I certainly felt a sense of renewal of body, mind and spirit. My husband, David, is a private pilot who is very passionate, always learning, and takes great care in everything he does. I suppose the morning of October 3, 2015 found me to be excited, I would imagine even a bit giddy. After not having flown with David for over one year due to my excessive weight, we were taking a flight together. I suppose David wanted to take me somewhere I had not been before…. Benton Field in Redding, CA. Several days later, I awoke in a hospital bed with David holding my hand and looking into my face. He told me we were in a plane crash, I was in the hospital, but I was going to be okay. He told me he had been doing a lot of thinking and if I did not want him to fly anymore, he would not. He got a lot of enjoyment out of flying but he would give that up. I was in a confused state. What plane? What crash? I stared into his face thinking “You are okay. You are talking to me. You are not hurt.” And I felt a sense of relief knowing that. I was heavily sedated and was in and out of consciousness. I awoke with my daughter, Sarah, at my bedside holding my hand. “What was she doing here? She and her family had just moved to Michigan Why is she here?” My daughter, Rachel, was at my bedside and stroked my hand. Everything is so confusing. I overheard nurses talking. I was in a plane crash, had been ejected from the plane. I suffered fractured left ribs to all but two ribs, one fractured right rib, punctured left lung and was on a ventilator, fractured left clavicle, fractured left scapula, subarachnoid hemorrhage, facial and scalp degloving. “What?! What did all this mean? What are they talking about? Who are they referring to? Was it me? How is it that I’m hurt but David is okay?” All these thoughts raced through my mind. I have no recall of the airplane accident, nor to anything from October 3rd. I don’t remember waking up that morning or getting into the airplane. In fact, I have very little recall of my 10 days in ICU. Rachel has shared with me things I had said, which I do not recall having said them. She had told me she was not ready to lose me. She asked me how I coped when my mom died? I told her, as she relayed to me, “You rely on faith, family and friends. They will see you through.” My friend, Sue, had sent me a text message which Rachel read to me. Again, I have no recall of this. I responded to Rachel to tell Sue, “Dearest Sue, your words mean so much to me right now. Our lives are a glorious unfolding and we have much to be thankful for each day.” Even in my confused state, I was giving encouragement to my family and friends that I know was divine in nature. God’s abundant grace shining through.