If you thought you were having a bad day, think again.
Yes, yet another Oprah viewing has left me shuddering with fear and shaking with tears that such terrible tragedies can occur. In the time it can take you to flick a light switch, your life, as you know it could vanish in a plume of pain. But, the irony in all the agony is that we also learn, magical miracles can also re-light your once darkened world…
We meet Chris & Lori Coble, who, 3 and a half years ago, endured the most unimaginable heartbreak when a semi trailer smashed into their mini-van, killing their three children inside. 5 yr old Kyle, 4 year old Emma, and 2.5yr old princess, little Emma. Gone. One minute Lori had turned around to tickle the toes of her sleepy toddler, and in the next breath there was the sickening sound of crunching metal. In a split second their whole world, the thing the lived most for, their family, shattered like a millions shards of glass.
You might wonder just how a parent could survive this throbbing mass of agony & grief. Indeed, they had to make a pact that they would not suicide and leave the other alone, because, truly, they were the only people left who understood the depths of the anguish and needed each other, like oxygen, to be sustained.
To think they could pick up the pieces as they did is remarkable in itself. Because you cant help but put yourself in their shoes and think, well, I’d never survive to see the light of day again if this catastrophic event was befallen to me. My chest heaves and constricts at just the slightest imagination of this and I have to squeeze my eyes tight to banish the thoughts from my brain. And suddenly, the lightbulb goes off … You, me, we’re all guilty of sweating the small stuff again, of allowing the trivialities of life to colour our day as bad, when in all honesty IT.COULD.BE.SO.MUCH.WORSE.
I watched, as I so often do, these harrowing Oprah episodes, not so I can be voyeur to someone’s pain, or even just because I am somewhat addicted to this show. No, its always because I know I will come out the other side, with my tears stained face, heeding some wisdom and hope.
And this is it. In the face of utterly incomprehensible disaster, miracles do occur. Because almost 1 year to the day that this horrific accident took place, the Cobles were blessed with the birth of triplets! And, you guessed it; there were two girls and one boy…
So let’s never forget while we all suffer the indignity of bad days, we are all at the mercy of the unknown lurking in our future; that you have only this second to make it count. Hug your babies, hold those you love tight. Tell them they are adored. And don’t ever think that your life is over because calamity has shaken you to the core.
Because the Coble’s have showed us that you can endure the most horrendous tragedy and have your world rebuilt with happiness and filled with hope once more. May we all experience similarly amazing strength and faith if ever faced with such adversity, and honour the present moment for what it truly is: a gift.
I saw that episode too and was really moved by it. In fact, I can’t stop thinking of it.
I didn’t see it (they don’t have Oprah here…??) but even just reading about it here moved me to tears.
The thing is, having kids, it IS imaginable…just…and you’re right, too unbearable to think about too long.
Nice wake-up call too to read it when I was jacked off that the sandwich place had run out of tuna sandwiches. THE TRIVIALITY!
Poor, poor, poor, poor people. Too tragic.
so, so true – and a wonderful reminder about how precious our kids are x
Oh my! Donna! How harrowing! They have been to the depths of life and also to the heights. I can’t imagine how they have survived it. I shudder at the very thought. I feel quite sick and weak. But I guess we don’t know what we’re capable of until we are in the thick of it. That’s the biggest miracle of all. x