Blessings in the Midst of a Car Accident

Two weeks ago I decided to take some time off work.

I requested to take Wednesday-Friday off (24th-26th)

On Wednesday I met up with my Mom and we shopped until we dropped!

Literally. I met her at 10am and I didn't get home until almost 8pm!

Usually when I go shopping, my Husband always wants a fashion show for

me to model what I purchased. It's too cute!

This time I didn't really feel up for it. I was tired, hungry and my feet hurt.

One thing I did notice was my throat was really sore.

I don't know about you but I can ALWAYS tell when I am about to get sick..

and it never fails...I ALWAYS get sick at the worst possible times.

That night I took some Vitamin C and some medicine and went to bed at a decent time.

The next morning I opened my eyes and stretched.

Body aches.

Fever.

Stuffy nose.

Sore throat.

Massive headache.

I had an event to work that night so I HAD

to get feeling at least a little better.

Come closer to the time I had to leave I still wasn't feeling good

so I decided to go to the doctor. Based on time, my Husband was

just going to meet me at the event in Phoenix and get everything set up.

By the time I left the doctors, I had been there for over 2 hours.

That is the worst when your sick and you have to wait to be seen

and you have to sit in the uncomfortable chairs and just wait for your name to be called.

I remembered thinking to myself.....

"Wow. It would be so nice if they had rooms with beds that patients could lay on while waiting!"

Finally....

I was on my way to see my Husband and bring him packs of batteries for Laser Tag that

one of his employees was running.

He had called me and told me that when the first event was over, he would

be able to cover the next event (wedding) with my friend Jessica so I could just go home and rest up. That was a huge relief because I would have not lasted that if for sure!

I'm driving along the freeway listening to Alex Boye'

and trying to get my mind off of how crappy I was feeling.

My GPS chimes in and says " In 1 mile, take exit 5 for Glendale Avenue"

I get over into the far right lane so I can get off the exit.

There are two right-hand turn lanes ahead.

Right as I am about to slow down and take a right, in the left hand lane a woman in

a Honda CRV cuts me off to get in my lane and then slams on her brakes. I didn't

have enough time to stop so I slam right into her from behind going about 10 mph.

I have NEVER been in a car accident before.

All I can remember is everything happened SO fast.

The air bag deployed and hit my left

hand and arm which was tingling and brusing up by the second.

Smoke filled the truck. I sat there in complete shock

 for a few minutes not knowing what to do next.

I said to myself "Kimberly...you have to do something"

I snapped myself out of it and had to pull the truck off the off ramp onto the right

hand side of the road so other cars could get by.

 Try driving while an air-bag is deployed..yeah...thats interesting.

The woman who I hit was on her cell phone outside of her vehicle.

I asked her if she was alright and apologized. She said she was fine but her neck was sore.

We have On-Star in both of our vehicles which I am so thankful for.

Immediately after the accident an On-Star agent called into the truck.

"Mrs. Bonham are you alright? Do you need medical attention?"

I informed her what happened, where I was located and told her that my arm and hand were achy and brusing up.

For a few minutes I felt like a baby trying to learn their first words.

They stayed on the phone with me the entire time until a cop could arrive on the scene.

Thankfully my Husband was a mile up the road working.

I called him right away and told him that I got into an accident.

He freaked out and told me he would be there in a few minutes.

When my Husband arrived the first thing he did was kiss my face all over and

told me how much he loved me and that he was so glad I was okay.

I started crying and just hugged my Husband.

Not knowing what the front of the truck looked like, I finally stepped out of the truck and took a look. Wow! To my suprise the front of the truck was a wreck especially compared to what little damage had been done to the Honda CRV.

We both just looked at one another in shock.

The cop finally arrived took the report and our truck got towed away.

$8000 worth of damage to our truck!

In the midst of this terribly situation, I really feel like Heavenly Father

was watching over me the entire time. Based on the looks of the truck and

the impact of the air bag, it should of been alot worse than a little bruise on my wrist.

Another thing I was thinking about is the fact we carry the photo booth in the back of our truck when there is an event that we have to work. Well that morning, my Husband drove out to Phoenix to set up the Photo Booth for that night. We NEVER do this...EVER!

Can you imagine what might of happened if that was in the back of the truck behind me when I got into the accident? That wouldn't of been good.

Well it's been about a week and I am feeling pretty good other than I am still sick!

My ticket that I got was $168.

Just two days ago we got two unexpected refund checks

in the mail from our insurance company.

 One for $100 and one for $25, which means we only owe about $40!

If I had to look at the situation overall...yes it was horrible that I got into an accident,

but the great thing is we are seeing the hand of God at work and see how

much He is blessing us and continuing to bless us in the midst of this situation.

God is good ALL the time.

Sometimes we just have to look for it in

 the midst of our trials or difficult situations that occur throughout our lives.

I promise that if you really look for the blessings...

even the smallest ones...you will find them.

My challenge for you...

Whatever you are going through right now,

try and look past that trial, tribulation or "stuff" for just a small moment.

Really try to think and ponder...

What is God teaching you?

Is this going to make you stronger?

Is your trial maybe blessing someone else?

What are you learning from this?

Do you feel the need to draw closer to God or further away?

Is He using this trial to set you up for something bigger?

Are you being patient through this trial?

Are you trusting Him? 

I love this quote from Elder Holland:

“On this upward and sometimes hazardous journey, each of us meets our share of daily challenges. If we are not careful, as we peer through the narrow lens of self-interest, we may feel that life is bringing us more than our fair share of trials--that somehow others seem to be getting off more lightly.

But the tests of life are tailored for our own best interests, and all will face the burdens best suited to their own mortal experience. In the end we will realize that God is merciful as well as just and that all the rules are fair. We can be reassured that our challenges will be the ones we needed, and conquering them will bring blessings we could have received in no other way.”

- Jeffrey R. Holland -