Empathy

As I was sitting in the waiting area of the SafeLite glass repair shop while they replaced my shattered windshield, I was overwhelmed with a feeling  of empathy.  I was looking at my windshield and I thought, my windshield is broken in the same spot of that of the Ford Focus that hit Haylee. I had glass on the inside of my car, just as it did.  Then I remembered how scared I was when I heard the sound of the impact of the huge rock that hit it.

I thought of the driver of the Ford Focus.  She must have heard a similar sound.  It was like a boom, I felt it in my stomach.  I didn't know what happened.  I didn't see anything hit my car.  I only know that I had glass on me.  I was frightened. I slowed down from the 45-50 mph traveling speed.  In that split second, I was already more than 200 feet from the bridge which the debris fell before I even realized that the sound came from the impact of something hitting my windshield.  I didn't really know what to do.  I wasn't physically hurt, just in shock.    I continued to drive just as the driver of the Focus did.

So as I sat in the waiting room, feeling as if God was turning my unfortunate incident into one that helps me to have empathy for the 20 year old driver of the vehicle that struck my 30 year old daughter, tears streamed down my face.  I miss Haylee terribly.  Sometimes I just ache with wanting to hug her.  I weep for all the relationships that have been affected by the tragic way that she died. I weep for the other driver as I truly understand how scared she was.