Lauren’s Accident July 30, 2008
Written August 3, 2008
Lauren attended her ward’s Young Women Camp some of this week. She asked me to tend her children for a few hours on Tuesday and all day on Wednesday, so I did. Wednesday morning, I drove to Ryan and Lauren’s house about 8:15 in the morning. Ryan had fed his children breakfast and they were all dressed for the day. Dallin was practicing the piano. Ryan was cleaning up breakfast. When he was ready to go to work, he called his family around him and they had family prayer together. Then he reminded Dallin and Cameron that he had asked them on another day to start reading the Book of Mormon every day, one chapter a day. Dallin complained that it would take too long to read a chapter a day and Ryan was patient and talked and listened to Dallin until Dallin agreed to read a chapter a day. Then Ryan hugged and kissed each child and left for work. Cameron went into her room and read. I read on the couch with Dallin. It was a good day. A realtor called and asked to show the house between four and five o’clock that afternoon. Just before four, Dallin and I straightened up the house and were just going out of the house just after four, when Lauren drove up from Young Women Camp. I told her about the house being shown and she hurried in to do a couple of things and then we decided they would come over to our house for just a little while. Lauren backed out of the driveway and left and I turned my car around and followed her out of the neighborhood. As we approached our street off of the highway, Lauren didn’t turn, but passed our street and then pulled over to the right and was preparing to make a u-turn. Then I turned right and went on to our house. Looking back, I didn’t see her coming, so I continued on around the back to park in our garage. When I came in the house, Lauren wasn’t parking in front, like I thought she might have done, so I got my keys and decided to get the mail and check out what she was doing. She hadn’t called me to tell me she had changed her mind. I was wondering what she was doing. I got my mail and started walking to the corner. A man was walking his dog and said, “I heard it”. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but as I looked at the highway, there were cars backed up in the northbound lane waiting for something. Then I turned the corner and Lauren had been in an accident. The front bumper and hood of their van was off and debris scattered over the road for about fifty feet. What a shock! Another car was banged up, but I mostly paid attention that Lauren was standing out in the street talking to other people and the children were all safe in their car seats. She saw me and walked over to me and said it was all her fault and that she had just not seen that other car coming from behind me and it hit her when she started to turn around. I hugged her and she said she was trying to hold it together. She said someone had called the police and her phone battery was dead and she couldn’t even call Ryan. I handed her my phone and we decided that I would take the children to my house and she would stay there until everything was taken care of. Dallin and Cameron seemed to be calm, Eden was a little shaken, but Austin kept saying, “Mommy broke car!” We walked up the block to my house and went in. Austin just kept repeating it over and over and seemed really agitated. He wouldn’t eat or drink and cried and worried. I tried to tell him that Mommy was OK and they could get a new car. We heard the police sirens. I told the children that when bad things happen, Heavenly Father makes good things out of them. Cameron reminded us that they had had their family prayer that day and had read their scriptures. Austin continued to fuss and worry, so I took him back to the scene of the accident to show him that everything was alright. Ryan was there, the police had finished their investigation, the tow truck arrived and the men had started sweeping the street. I helped Ryan and Lauren unload their van of their belongings and they comforted Austin. Austin was willing to let me take him back to my house and he calmed down a little. Grandpa came home from work, and Ryan and Lauren came to get their children and take them home. We are all extremely grateful that no one was hurt. Everyone was safe. Thank Heavenly Father for his kind and watchful care over us. I’m thankful for good sons who love Heavenly Father and are obedient and teach their family to be obedient and the children are obedient. What a wonderful day to have our family safe! I pray that all our children and grandchildren will have soft hearts and be willing to listen to the Holy Ghost and do what is right. I love each one and want us all to be together in the Celestial kingdom, no exceptions!