Missing in Action

   I am sorry I have been MIA, but have had such a full plate. I have had kids, and grandchildren home. The last left today. So the house is finally quiet... but very disorganized. 
   My son Jake had a motorcycle accident several weeks ago. He broke his collarbone and left arm. Both needed plates and pins placed in them. He fractured his ankle and tore up his leg pretty bad. His leg required surgery and will require another surgery in a few months. He is recovering.
   Last night, I went with 3 friends to the home of another friend for our "Farmgirl Sisterhood" meeting. It was a wonderful evening with a cookie exchange. Last month when our group got together the hostess had someone come in and teach us the new CPR and another person to talk with us about fire safety in our homes. It was over an hour drive to the home of the friend hosting last nights gathering. On the way back, we commented on the full moon and our discussion drifted to one about those loved ones we had lost way too early in life. The 4 of us traveling have been friends since childhood, being raised in the same small community. Our parents were class mates. We know each other's families. I had taken the ramp to get on hwy 255 near Collinsville, Il. As we drove around the ramp I noticed a car in the grass and a body next to the road. I pulled over and started repeating "someone call 911, someone call 911". It took 3 tries to get 911 typed into a phone and I gave a report to the operator and explained where we were. My friend Loretta administered CPR. It was a horrible situation. No one else stopped to help and it took at least 10-15 minutes for first responders to arrive. There was a booster seat in the back seat but they could find no one else involved. The news paper stated that the 55 year old victim was not wearing a seat belt and that she was ejected from the car and died from severe head injuries. This is not something that the 4 of us will soon forget. Believe me, I will be the one that will nag and nag about wearing a seat belt. So please wear your seal belt. Not because the law tells you to, but because your loved ones will be the ones to suffer if you do not. I lost a brother in a traffic accident 7 years ago because he was not wearing a seat belt. I thought of my son Jake laying on the road after his motorcycle accident several weeks ago as  my friend administer CPR last night. Please, when you say your prayers tonight remember this family that lost their loved one last night. And please pray for my 3 friends and I as we deal with this experience in each our own way.