My birthday - Independence Day

Today is my birthday. It's definitely a weird one.

First a quick update on everyone.....

The Munchkins are doing fine. Black eyes, a broken arm, and a lost favorite stuffed animal. All in all we came out of the crash so very lucky. Hubbie had to go try to salvage some luggage and things from the van. He took pictures. I looked at one. I will not look at the others. My babies are safe and practically unscathed, that's all that matters to me. And Hubbie has been wonderful through it all. He's driven countless miles taking everyone to and from hospitals, dropping off clothes and necessities, and providing errand running for everyone.

My sister and niece are well on their way to recovery. My sister is still sore. My niece had her surgery. Her jaw is repaired and her leg is in a cast. She'll be using a walker for the next 6-8 weeks, but she'll recover completely. They are this minute on their way home from the hospital. And although the people at the children's hospital were some of the nicest we met, my sister said she never wants to see the inside of Scottish Rite again.

My mom and dad. My mom is ok. She's sore and she has gotten some rest. She's going to have a long road ahead of her with my Dad's recovery. My Dad has a spinal cord injury. His back broke in two places. He had surgery yesterday to repair the broken bone. The chances he'll walk again are very slim, but as the doctor said, every patient is different. There's no way to really judge how injured the nerves are so it's going to be a matter of time and physical therapy before we know.

Now a Melissa thought...a few weeks ago a video was played endlessly by the media of a woman being hit by a car and the bystanders and witnesses who didn't stop to try to help. Since my family's tragedy, my faith in people has not been shaken. From all the people who witnessed the accident and helped my family at the scene, to the very nice man who stopped and pulled my daughters from the van, to my friends who dropped everything and came to the multiple hospitals to help juggle all the chaos, to the other beloved friends, family, and acquaintances who have offered over and over their time and assistance to help us get through these messy days, to the people that Hubbie and I work for who have told us to take the time we need to get things sorted out, and to all the other people who have heard our story and offered to help and kept us in their thoughts and prayers, the massive flood of concern and love has touched me. People are good.

So I guess that's my birthday present this year....to know that people are good.