Trish Lawson's Blog

Hello again friends! I have to say, I am really loving this blogging thing! Being able to share my thoughts, ideas and stories has brought me such joy. This one, however, is one that I have been struggling with; but I know that my church family is a safe space to express what I am feeling, so here it goes…

As this blog goes into publication we will be just shy of the one-year date since the lives of all four of us Lawsons will have been forever changed. It is the date of the horrific Colorado car accident. That day started like any other vacation day - breakfast in the hotel lobby, showering and getting ready for the day. I, however, was nursing a very uncooperative foot and knew I was not going to be able to do much of anything that day. How I wished I would have pushed for everyone to stay with me at the hotel and go swimming instead! It was such a heavy rainy day, just long and slow as I waited for my trio to come back and show me all the overpriced souvenirs they suckered John into buying for them, but instead I got a knock at the door that completely froze time. “Your family has been in a serious car accident, and I need to take you to your son,” the officer proceeded to tell me. In the moments that followed, a total blur is quite the understatement. I think I forgot how to tie my shoes because the officer had to do it for me. “My son, wait what about my daughter and husband! Why just my son?” I asked, crying and shaking. The answer was one I was not expecting to hear but was relieved it wasn’t worse. “They have been airlifted to other hospitals, and I have no other information at this time.” At that moment, I went into auto pilot and just focused on getting to my sweet brave Johnny and locating John and Molly. The longest day of my life got even longer as it took over two hours to get any news on Molly let alone hear my sweet girl's voice and that “I am OK, Mommy.” Knowing that John took the hardest impact that day, it would not be until almost midnight before I would hear his voice and know just how extensive his injuries were.

In a moment where it would have been so easy to curse and lash out at God with “how dare you” and “why my family” instead as I told Molly goodnight over the phone while holding my pain filled boy in my arms, I thanked God for not taking my family from me. I vowed to do whatever I could do in my physical, mental and emotional capabilities to get my family back together and as healed as possible. Reaching out that day to Ken, and he then reaching out to Pastor Kim who then worked her Presbyterian Pastoral magic reaching out to the incredible community of Central Presbyterian Church in Denver, I was no longer a stranger in a strange and unfamiliar place, I was among new friends who were going to get us through this. From Emma Moore sitting with my girl in Denver's Children's Hospital to Pastor Dana who sat and held John’s hand until he went into surgery as Johnny and I journeyed with the Chaplains from the hospital where he was to be closer to John.

It was a chain linked in love starting with God, his protective heavenly angels (one being my amazing dad), and every single one of you! From the phone calls offering to fly out, to the abundant amount of prayers to coming home to a community that rallied around us as we healed and found our way to navigate through the fear and still do. YOU ALL are our chosen family to which this blog is my way of thanking you for loving us then and now. I truly don’t know how this would have ended if we did not have the support from all of you.

I cannot change any of the events of last July and as awful as that memory is, I take comfort in knowing that my faith in God was stronger than any rage that I could have allowed in.

Thank you for being the loving extended faith family we always wanted.

Trish