June 13: SLOW DOWN/WHAT?!

First of all, let me just say, you know something big must've happened today when the title is in ALL CAPS.

I started my day early. I rode my bike, I walked the dogs, I ate breakfast, I showered, I had my "God-time," all in two and a half hours. Then I had rehearsal, ran a few errands, had lunch, did some packing, got ready to go sing at a girls' choir girl's wedding, and on the way, my speediness was slowed. We got stuck behind a moped, going 5-10mph below the speed limit. I got the memo--I needed to slow down; I'd rushed through my entire day, stressing about the next part, when all I'd needed to do was slow down.

And so, I did. The wedding was lovely. It was beautiful. Nearly everyone was moved to tears by love's simplicity and beauty. And so today I learned that God wants us to enjoy our time, to live in the moment, and make the most of it.

And everyone lived happily ever after. The End.

Just kidding. We haven't even gotten to the interesting part:

As a prequel, today was a day I will never forget. Also, my family can tell you all that I tend to tell stories in so much detail that the retelling of an event is slower than the event itself, but I'll try not to bore you.

So, I sang at the wedding. There were 7 girls singing, plus Mrs. Piacente, our conductor. Several of us had carpooled from Mrs. P's house, so we returned there after the wedding. My friend Lauren and I carpooled to her house from our houses, so then we got in the car and she started driving. We turned right out of the neighborhood and started down the road. We would pass two stop signs before our next turn. We passed the first one, and as we came over the hill that would lead us to the second stop sign, we watched as a biker hit the curb and went flying and rolling into the sidewalk and surrounding grass. We both saw it (it was hard to miss).  And I remember the first thought going through my head was, "do we stop at the stop sign or keep driving to get to him?"

The car stopped briefly at the stop sign, but my mind was already plunging into what to do next.

We pulled up beside him, and he was conscious. Phew! And he was standing up. Oh good, then he probably isn't too badly injured. I rolled down the window and called out to him. "Do you want some help?" He turned and looked at us, the entire right side of his face was drenched in blood which also covered his hands, shirt, and shorts. I didn't wait for an answer. I got Lauren to find some napkins or tissues, grabbed them, and hopped out of the car. I handed them over to the man who quickly put them to his nose which looked broken, and was a source of a lot of blood. He looked a little woozy, so I got him to sit down, which is when I noticed the huge gash across his forehead. With his permission, I pressed a ball of tissues to it to stop the bleeding.

My thoughts: Ok. Most of the bleeding is stopping. Now what? Does he have someone to call? No. Do I call 911? Ummm.... Oh! God! Yes. I'll call Him.

So I said a quick prayer, and within minutes, another biker came. Go God! He stopped and helped us figure out what to do, calling an ambulance. The fire truck, ambulance, and several police cars did arrive, and I had a chance to step away and breathe. He's in good hands. And after explaining what happened to the police, putting on lots of hand sanitizer, and watching the man, Rick, get into the ambulance, Lauren and I continued on our way home. WHAT?! Wow. Intense. Apparently after an adrenaline rush, the only thoughts you can form are single words.

During the 10-20 minutes or so we were helping Rick before the emergency personnel came, many cars passed by. Everyone would look, seeing a man covered in blood and two teenagers in black choir dresses attempting to help him, and with the exception of the biker (who obviously couldn't ignore it), no one stopped. They all kept going. WHAT?!

I'm reminded of the Good Samaritan. Why did no one stop? Is it that much of an inconvenience? Is where you're going that much more important? I don't think so. Don't get so caught up rushing around that you pass an opportunity to be a good neighbor. Also, don't hesitate to call an ambulance.