Catholic Family Vignettes

Eight stitches.

That’s what it took to repair my dear boy’s ear today, after it was nearly severed in a bizarre accident.

Galahad and Gawain were playing golf in the backyard.  Galahad had placed a ball on a makeshift tee, stepping away quickly to allow Gawain to swing.  The ball rolled off the tee.  Galahad ran back to place the ball back on the tee, while Gawain (unaware) continued to swing.  My poor boy was hit full force with the club, nearly ripping his ear off from the outer rim to mid lobe.

Much blood, excruciating pain and fear.  The ear was badly mangled.

The worst of it?

I wasn’t home when it happened.  Sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for the ambulance to deliver Grandma for the consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, I received a call of pure panic from Arthur.  The synopsis:  Much blood.  Come home.

That’s all I heard.  Blood.  Come home.

I have no idea how I managed to make it home…the trip was a blur.  Literally.  I think I did no less than 85 mph the entire way.  It took ten minutes.  It felt like thirty.

Fear.  And prayer.  Then a strange sense of peace.  Then incredulity that I could dare feel peace while one of my children was bleeding.  Fear again.

Seeing the anxious face of my oldest son, the tears in the eyes of the injured child, and the worried faces of my little ones, I felt only relief.  I was home.  There was no longer the horror of the unknown.  Assessing the situation, I knew that the injury was serious, but not life threatening.  Next stop, the emergency room.

Five hours later: no broken jaw, no concussion.  The stitching process was rather horrific, as it was not a simple straight cut.  The doctor did his best to minimize the potential for scarring, but he will most likely come out the entire process with a pretty good “reminder.”

I don’t think any of us will forget this little accident for quite some time.  I held up pretty well until I saw my husband.  The stress of the day, the fear and finally the relief that all was well was enough to open the floodgates.  The unknown is one of my greatest fears.  Today, I had to once again acknowledge my weakness, my vulnerability, my inability to cope with that particular fear.  I think I’d rather face a lion in the daylight, than a mouse in the dark.  What I can’t see always scares me more than what I can.

So…I’m counting my blessings.  My daughter Elizabeth, shared a sad story regarding a tragedy in her community.   Another family is grieving the loss of their child, in an accident not too far removed from what we experienced today.  How easily we could’ve lost Galahad.  How fragile, the life of a child!

Praising God for His boundless mercy.  Thanking Him for life of my child…for all my children…Deo Gratias!