I’m depressed today. Downright blue. Let me tell you a sad story that was a pivotal point in my life.

As a young mother, I was very concerned about my children’s safety. I was serious about my responsibility as their protector. Of course they got hurt sometimes, but I am happy to admit that neither had any broken bones until my son broke his collar bone playing sports as a teenager.

We were living in scary times as kidnapping of children seemed to have become an everyday occurrence–even in the small town where we lived. A beautiful little blond-haired 3rd grade friend of my children, who lived one street over, narrowly escaped being kidnapped while walking the two blocks home from school. I knew that I had to answer to God for my actions with these precious gifts He had given me, so I was always at school early to pick them up. They were safe.

One Monday morning the horrible story that left a huge impact on me was broken to the public. On a nearby highway, which I used regularly, a teenage boy had lost his life. Sneaking out of the house, he was “tearing up the night” with his friend who had a car. His family had not known he was gone from his room. His friend was driving way too fast on this straight highway and crashed the car. Passers-by called 911, and though critically injured, the driver’s life was saved.

No one knew of the friend who had been in the car with him. No one knew until sometime the next day when his body was found in the median. Rescue workers had not seen him during the dark wee hours of the night because he had been ejected from the vehicle many yards from the accident scene. It was determined that had he received medical care, he would not have died.

I could not understand where this boy’s parents were. Were they not looking for him? This story gripped my heart so deeply, I promised God that would not happen to my children, that I would know where they are. With His help, I would protect them. Because I drove that highway regularly past the white cross in the median, that incident never lost its impact on me.

My two kids were never allowed to stay out all night. And they knew that if they did not come home by their curfew, or at least call, it was deep trouble. My husband would get in the car and go find them. My son admitted to me once that he resented how strict we were as parents. My response? “You’re still here, aren’t you?” Even now, I make no apology for that. I kept my promise to God and to my children.

One night my daughter was very, very late without calling, which just never happened. We waited for a while past her curfew, then knew that something had to be wrong. DH jumped in the car and told me to start calling the hospitals. The E.R. personnel at the local hospital answered my inquiry by asking me what color hair my daughter had. I nearly fainted. When I said “brown”, the immediate answer “no” came back. They had a girl with blond hair. I was shaking so badly I had to sit down. I continued to pray. It wasn’t long till my husband called to tell me he was delayed by a terrible wreck with fatalities, but our daughter wasn’t in it. He had spoken to the sheriff who described the vehicles involved. I don’t remember all the details, but come to find out, our teenage daughter was on the other side of the wreck. She was first on the scene when it happened right in front of her. On the dark country road, she nearly became part of the accident, hitting the brakes when she saw fire under one of the vehicles just ahead of her.

A beautiful, blonde 16-year-old girl died when hit by a drunk driver, who also died. But, his passenger’s life was spared by my daughter who kept him from bleeding out through his neck. God not only spared her life that night but empowered her to act and protected her from disease when covered with this man’s blood. She had always wanted to go into the medical field, and this situation confirmed to her that she could handle it. She was calm and clear-headed in the crisis.

My children were always in God’s hands. But I made sure to keep my vow and do my part.

After that incident, we broke the budget and bought cell phones for the kids.

God, you have been so faithful to this family. Thank You, Father, for Your mercies.

On that note, I’m going to bed. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.