Promises in a Puddle and a Puppy

We could hear screams from inside the dental office we worked in.
We heard the crash.
As we ran to the scene we saw glass and puddles of fluids to walk through.
An elderly man was trapped in the floor of his car.
His head was pouring blood.
They took him by helicopter to UAB.
One of the medics was his neighbor and didn’t think he had family.
They were not sure he would make it.
He was wearing a cross and had a fish symbol on his car.
We hoped he was a Christian.
My coworkers helped the medics, and we all prayed for him.

I went to UAB.
At UAB we met his daughter and some others. He did have family.
They said he tithed faithfully but never knew that he went to church and never talked about his faith.
He had a severe injury to the head, broken ribs, broken collar bones, broken facial bones and possibly had a heart attack. His lungs and brain were bruised but brain activity was good. They put him on a ventilator.
His cousin was a patient in our office.
She said she had witnessed to him for years but never knew of him to pray or confess salvation.
Yesterday, his cousin called to tell us they were transporting him to St. Vincent’s East.
We went to the hospital to visit our new friend.
He was alone.
I put a hand on his arm.
Ellen held his hand.
We told him we had been praying for him.
We prayed with him.
We told him to hurry and get well because we want to have a dance in his honor, and all the girls in our office will fight over a turn to dance with him.
He smiled.
He was not able to speak due to the tube in his throat.
At the elevator I told Ellen I felt that Mr. Grigsby was a Christian.
She said, “What you don’t know, is that he was squeezing my hand when you were praying.” She felt he was communicating to us that he agreed with our faith.
We rejoiced.
As we left the hospital Ellen said, “Look Kim.”
She pointed at the puddles.
There was a rainbow in the puddles.
We looked up. It was a double rainbow.
Promises in the puddles.
God’s promises in the puddles.

That night I prayed and thanked God for always protecting my daughter.
The phone rang and a voice said, “Makenzi has been ran over. She is in the ER at St. Vincent’s East.”
The nurse said, “Don’t touch her, don’t hug her, don’t move her. Her neck may be broken. Her collar bone is broken.”
Her ear was cut in half.
I asked, “Why did this happen? Are you mocking my prayer of thankfulness for protecting her? Why didn’t you protect her?”
She had been ran over by a motorcycle while standing there.
Standing. Holding a puppy.
The puppy’s tail was cut off.
Her neck was fine and not broken.
They sewed her ear back on that was hanging off of her head.
She would have to have surgery to put a plate on her collar bone.
The next day we found out the puppy had to be put to sleep because of internal injuries.
The puppy’s name was Riley.
Riley took the blow that would have gone to Makenzi’s chest and internal organs.
She jumped from Makenzi’s arms to the right. Makenzi turned her head to the right.
She was hit across the left side of the head instead of full in the face.
I realized…
God did protect her. Once more.
Makenzi has not had the severe pain they expected after surgery.
Her ear is healing beautifully.
She has cried one time. She has laughed many times.
She has a story now of God’s protection. God’s power.

Promises in the puddles. And a puppy.
God’s promises. God’s plan. God’s power.
Glory to God.

Chaplain Kim Crawford-Meeks, 2009