my super hero...

like many girls, i have always had one man in my life who has always been a constant, whom i have always looked up to.  the one man i know i can call no matter what the situation may be, no matter what time of day, someone i can always count on.  i know he will never judge, never criticize and always do what he can to help.  he is a man who has always found it easier to express his love with helpful advice and a helping hand, rather than the more emotional things in life.  but for that very reason, i have grown up believing him to be solid as a rock, there is very little that can break him down, and even less that will keep him down.  that man is my dad, my super hero...my invinsible one.

well today my dad sits broken, physically, in a hospital bed.  and that very fact fills me with so much joy because to be broken, means he is still alive.  i still have time to count on him, to hug him, to thank him for all he has done and continues to do in my life. 

my dad was in a motorcycle accident last night.  he crashed into the side of a car, driven by a man who wasnt paying attention.  my dad had no time to react and knew exactly what was happening to him before it even happened. 

he and beth were on their way home from Gowanda Harley Davidson, they were picking the bike up after having it in the shop for a week getting some repairs done on it.  less than 10 minutes from their house, my dad was approaching a right hand turn, where the two vehicles ahead of him were turning, he slowed down behind them..and beth was just a few seconds behind him.  she saw the whole thing happen.  she saw the black car blow through the stop sign, she saw my dads bike crash into the cars left front fender.  she saw my dad fly acrobat style over the top of the car.  the next thing she saw after putting her car in park, was my dad laying on his side in the middle of the road.  he wasnt moving, he wasnt making any noise, she really couldnt even tell if he was breathing. 

all the meanwhile, she had been dialing my phone number, the first thing i hear when i answered the phone was "bri, stay with us!"  she was frantic...my heart sunk.  the rest became much of a blur for both of us i think.  in a matter of moments, she was surrounded by witnesses and police. i had called frank, who left work and headed straight to the scene.  my neighbors came over to keep an eye on the kids until i figured out what i was going to do and where i needed to be. 

after much to do, my dad was taken by ambulance to ECMC, where he sat in the ER until nearly 7am this morning. the guy who pulled out in front of him was sent off with a citation - "failure to yeild to the right of way"...

after multiple CT scans, it was determined (thankfully) that there was no internal bleeding, there was no brain or spinal injuries...what he does have is his life, 3 broken ribs and a broken pelvis.  no fun, for sure...painful, without a doubt...but he is alive, he will recover and someday this will be just a memory.  surgery is not completely ruled out at this point, but the good news is, if they do operate it will only be to help his recovery.  surgery may enable him to get up and out of bed and moving around a bit sooner.  so we wait.  we wait and see what the doctors recommend and what decisions are made from that point on. 

i went to see my dad this morning, when i picked beth up to bring her home.  she needed to pack up some stuff for the two of them and make the necessary phone calls before she headed back.  but i have to admit, i was scared.  i cried most of the way to the hospital, partly because i was scared but mostly because he is alive.  i am so grateful that his injuries are so 'minor'.  God has such a way of being so wonderful in even the scariest of situations. 

i know it will be a slow process, but my super hero will be back soon enough.  taking my boys for rides on the John Deere (a much safer man toy in my opinion!), helping and teaching frank to do work on our cars, offering me words of wisdom and financial advice and finishing up the work on the house of his dreams.  i pray not only for a speedy recovery, but for my dad to have a chance to see life through a different perspective.  i pray that he lives life for today and stops worrying about what he "should have/could have" done.  he is and always has been such a wonderful man, a loving provider, a hard worker.  now i think its time he sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.  enjoy the many blessings surrounding his life.  enjoy the opportunities to do the finishing work on his house, to be grateful for the chance to do these things himself and be proud of it.  life is much to short to be anything less than happy! 

thank you to everyone who has been praying for him and our family in the last (nearly) 24 hours.   there are a lot of details that will take a while to unfold regarding so many aspects of this situation, so the continue of prayers is very grateful!  i will keep you all as updated as i can, with as many details as i know.  and if there any ways that "help" can be accepted, i will be sure to let those who have offered the details of those situations as well! 

and for now, my dad will rest and heal and gain an understanding of what it means to do "nothing"!  in time he will again be my rock solid super hero, but this time, i may be encouraging him to reveal his softer core!  i love you dad and thanks for the scare - i know now that i need to "bother" you during the day with the most random of phone calls, just to know i have heard your voice one more time.