In An Instant

I am comfortably sitting on the carpet of Logan Airport Terminal B awaiting a flight home. But, how I got here today was not so simple. I was with someone when they're life changed in an instant.

My dear friend, Noelle, and I hopped into a cab to go to the airport today. We chatted about going home, our relationships with our parents...the typical hummings of pre-departure. The roads are packed this day, as they have been for the past few, as thousands of students exit the city in hopes of a spring break to remember. Amidst our buzzing conversation, our cab collided into the car in front of us in an swift moment. Brakes screeched. Air-bags deployed. Seat belts stretched taut.

See, a person two cars ahead of us had come to a dead stop, for no particular reason. The car in front of us did as our driver did, slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting the one in front of us. Well, neither of the cars brakes were good enough and hence the collision. Here's the cherry-topper--the first car in the build-up, yeah, he split, leaving two car-fuls of people without words.

Our driver drove out of the tunnels with the people we hit. They exchanged information and we continued to the airport. We asked our dear driver if he was alright. He said yes, but this meant the end of his job. One accident=no more car in the cab-driving industry, or at least the cab company he worked for. As he raised his hand to scratch his head, we noticed a hospital band on his arm with the handwritten word "BOY."

"Have you had a child recently?" Noelle asked.

"Yes, just two hours ago. A boy," he replied.

A picture of his daughter hung from the sun-blinder just above where the airbag had deployed. We did our best to encourage him. When we got to the airport, we saw the real damage. The front of the car was completely smashed in; the back of the SUV we ran into had simply glided over the cab's bumper and taken out the front half of the car. We said our goodbyes and then stood in the airport to pray for that man, to praise God for getting us to the airport safely, that God would help this man with two children. This man's life changed in an instant, and we were there for that instant. His life will not be the same from that point. He has no job, a recovering wife, and two children to care for. Needless to say, the social worker in Noelle and I both rose to the surface, but all we could do for him in that moment was pray. So, that's what we did.

I still don't really know what to make of this moment. Not everything comes to easy conclusions, nor does everything wrap up into perfect packages with sparkly bows. Maybe, if you could pray for this man. Maybe if we realized how quickly things can change, instead of drumming along through life. I don't know. Take what you will.

And as a side note, I'm perfectly fine. Praise God. That's really all it comes down too.