The Lord has given me a story, a song, and I will sing it loud!!
Four years ago, on a Sunday afternoon, my life was changed forever.
The Lord used my beautiful sister and this tragic accident to draw me closer to Himself.
Before I go any further, just let me stop and say PRAISE THE LORD!
He is the ultimate HEALER, PROVIDER, and PROTECTOR.
And I am so grateful that I am His child!
When I was in the second grade, I realized that I was in need of a Savior. So, at a very young age I called on His name and I was saved (Romans 10:13). At this point was when Jesus entered and began living in my heart. My parents raised me in the church and for that I will be forever thankful.
Fast forward to my junior year of high school. I was driving home from cheerleading practice one day going around the curve at Mr. Henrys and just started praying "Lord, if You are real... show me You are."
The next Sunday I was sitting at home in the recliner eating a ham and cheese sandwich and potato chips when I looked at my phone and I had SEVERAL missed calls and voice mails from some of the girls I cheered with. I called one of them back and she said "Hillary has been in a bad wreck and y'all need to get here fast". I jumped up and told my mom that we had to go and I ran (without shoes, jacket, anything) and got my Tahoe turned around so that when my mom got out there we would be ready to go. So when she got in the car, off we went. When we got to the end of our road there were multiple firetrucks coming FAST and cars were already backed down the road. I don't exactly remember how we got up to the sight of the wreck, but we did.
I do not remember much about what went on at the sight of the wreck except for my daddy. My daddy was on the ground sobbing uncontrollably. I had never even seen him cry until this that I can remember. One thing is for sure... he loves his children.
Right before we left the wreck sight they asked us (mom, dad, myself) if we wanted to see her in the ambulance. I still have vivid memories of that day and one of them was when I stepped up on the back of the ambulance. My daddy just kept telling her that it would be okay and my mom kept repeating "Hillary, can you hear me?"
As we were standing on the back of the ambulance, they told us to leave because they were about to land the helicopter in the median of the highway. Now, if you know anything about Opp you know that when they life flight somebody they take them to the stadium by ambulance and load there. I really knew it was serious at this time. My daddy got in the truck with somebody and they took off right after the helicopter. I went with my momma and my Aunt Gail met us at home to pack some bags. While my mom was in her room my Aunt Gail came in and told me that I had to be strong for my momma and that I needed to pack clothes for my sister because she might be there for a little while and she would need something to wear. She had already left for Troy (she was on her way back to school when the wreck occurred) so I started putting some of my clothes in a bag.
This picture was framed on my dresser so I took it out, folded it up, and stuffed it into my pocket.
When we finally got to the emergency room at the hospital in Dothan, I went to the bathroom. I took this picture out of my pocket and started to pray for my sister. When I did, The Lord started revealing Himself to me. He was real. He had just answered my prayer. He was showing me that He is who He says He is.
At this point, I didn't know whether my sister would make it or not. But I knew one thing for sure, it was time. Time for me to surrender my life to Him and make Him LORD OF MY LIFE. Not just my Savior. Maybe it's time for some of you to do the same. We are not promised tomorrow.
It felt like the whole town of Opp was there when we arrived and if they weren't, they came shortly after. These are the moments that I am proud to say I am from Opp. When tragedy hits, everyone pulls together. I really do love my small town.
They let my family and Tyler go back and see her in the ER and shortly after that they moved everyone to another floor because there were so many people taking up room in the ER. That night, my Aunt Gail told me that I needed to go home where my parents could just have time to talk about everything that was going on. So I did. It was probably a good thing for my parents, but for me not so much. The next day when we woke up, I packed my bags and meant I was not going back home until my sister came with me. So, for the next week I stayed with my parents in the waiting room of the hospital. Through this time, I met some wonderful people. There was an older woman whose husband was also in the Critical Care Unit and he had two children (both grown) who also came in and out. The daughter shared with me 2 Corinthians 5:7 and that verse was what helped me through this trying time. It says "For we walk by faith, not by sight". And that's just what I did... I did not focus on the fact that my sister was unconscious and laying in a hospital bed (sight). Instead I had faith that the Lord was going to do great things through this. And He did. She had no broken bones, no scratches on her body except for what was on her head, and she still to this day does not remember any of it. Praise the Lord!
No words are needed. I think these pictures show that we have the best mother in the world!
I would be lost without her and I know Hillary and Holt would agree!
The staff in Dothan were all so good to my family. There was one afternoon when things were kind of slow and I was just walking around in the hall way. The CCU has visiting times when you can have like two or three people back there at a time. On this specific day, the nurse saw me out there waiting so she opened the door and let me go in to see Hillary. I was just sitting there and when I started to get up to leave I said "I love you". Out of nowhere she said it back. This caught me off guard and I asked her "Do you know who this is?" and she replied "Hayley". Y'all, my heart had probably never been so full! I ran out of that unit and into the waiting room where I was sobbing and could hardly catch my breath. My parents were asking me what was wrong and I couldn't even get it out because I was crying. That moment meant so much to me. When they finally moved her out of the CCU and into a normal room, we had more visitors because people could actually go in and see her. I think that it really helped her recover for people to come in and talk to her just like they would normally.
So, a pretty funny story for these next few pictures. I was sitting on her bed with her and a nurse came in and told me that I couldn't be on her bed with clothes that had been worn outside. Are you kidding me?? So, as soon as the nurse walked out what do you think I did? Not only sat on the bed but got up there and made myself comfortable. And had a photo shoot :)
I'm so thankful I did because these are some of my favorite pictures...
So they decided to send her to Atlanta to Shepherd Center after I think ten days in Dothan. There she had a Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Speech Therapist. This is when The Lord began to lay on my heart what He wanted to do with my life. Both of my parents followed the ambulance all the way to Atlanta. They both stayed for a while and then started alternating. There were two or three weekends that me and Holt went to Atlanta and I spent my week of Spring Break there with my mom and sister.
One of the most trying times for me during this was cheerleading try-outs. I honestly did not know how I was going to do it without my mom and sister there. Cheerleading try-outs were supposed to be on a Friday so my mom drove home that Thursday afternoon and came home and picked me up from clinic. We were told that day that it was supposed to snow on that Friday so we would be out of school and cheerleading try-outs were postponed. I know that all of this happened for a reason. We very quickly packed some bags and mom took me and Holt back to Atlanta for the weekend. I was able to show Hillary all of the try-out material and she of course told me what I was doing wrong. LOL!
I love that you can see where I wrote " I love my sister" on the dry erase board.
Probably wasn't supposed to do that, either. Oooops.
One of the weekends we were in Atlanta, Holt and I decided to let Hillary show us around and tell us what all she was doing during the day. She had a schedule of where she was supposed to be at what time and she told us all about it. She was supposed to be wheeling herself around in the wheelchair but she asked for help so Holt and I had a pretty fun time with that! ;)
There was also one time when we were sitting with her while she ate in the cafeteria and she was having a hard time locking the wheelchair with her right arm. She kept looking at me for help, but I refused. I knew she could do it so I didn't give in. She was mad at me at the time but this is one of the reasons why I am so excited about being an OT one day. The Lord has blessed me with the gift of exhortation and I plan to continue to use it as an Occupational Therapist to help people reach their goals!
We really have the best parents in the world!
My family also went to Six Flags closer to the end of Hillary's time in Atlanta. She obviously couldn't do much of anything and most likely wouldn't have anyway, but we had a great time just getting out as a family.
The day she came home, I threw a "Welcome Home" party for her. I made the sign at school because I didn't do much of anything else. Hardly went to any classes and just stayed in my Aunt Gail or Lorrie's room and did my work. My teachers were all so understanding and that's just another reason to be thankful for my small town!
This picture means so much to me. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful woman that I call my mother. She has always done whatever she could to give me the things that I not only need but that I want. I really hope that my kids can say the same about me one day.
... & these two. They say that this was the moment they knew that they wanted to spend forever together. I pray that they will keep Christ at the center of their marriage and seek His face daily. I pray that they will be open and that the Holy Spirit will soften their hearts and reveal what the Lord wants to do in and through them. I pray that they will come together as one to glorify and further His kingdom. I pray that when trials come, they will turn to The Lord and know that He is their ultimate satisfaction and as much as they love each other, know that He loves them more. God, bless them. Bless their marriage and use it for your glory. Amen.
I love you both and I cannot wait to stand beside both of you on June 28th.
I know that this has been a long post, and it has been all over the place. But I just needed to sit and ponder and write this morning. I am sure I left some things out, but the most important thing for you to know from this whole post is that HE IS WHO IS SAYS HE IS. Romans 10:13 and Acts 2:21 tells us that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". I am standing on this promise this morning.
Lord, if there is someone reading this that does not have a personal relationship with You I pray that You will speak to them through this post. Holy Spirit, soften hearts and let them be open to what the Lord wants to do. Your Word tells us that today is the day of salvation. I pray that the ones who are living in darkness will soon follow you, the light of the world, so that they may have the Light of life. God, your Word also tells us that you loved the world (which is us) so much that you sent your perfect son who knew no sin, that we may have eternal life with you. You are good, God. I will praise you. Change lives through this story, Lord. Amen.
Now, let me clarify that I do not have it all together. I went to bed crying last night and I woke up crying this morning. I am human. I have emotions, too. And that is okay. In Ecclesiastes 3, we see that there is a time for everything... "a time to weep, and a time to laugh". I can't help but think of one of the nights on the way home from the hospital in Dothan with Holt and Tyler. We sang "Victory in Jesus" and then Holt was going to preach. He opened the Bible to John 11:35 and said "Jesus wept" and it's okay for us to cry, too. And indeed, it is. I want so badly to be with my family today but I am so thankful that everyone else is at home and well.
This is MY STORY, This is MY SONG.
Praying that The Lord will use my story to bring other people to salvation.
We all have a story, and we all have a song. I choose to sing mine loudly so that many people will know what Christ has done for me. Thank you Father for sending your precious son, Jesus, to the cross where His perfect blood poured out and covered all my sin.
He has done the same for each of you.
If there is someone reading this that has any questions, my email address is hah1201@jagmail.southalabama.edu. Please email me anytime and I will be more than happy to talk to you. If any of you have any prayer request, please send them to me so that I can be praying for you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:26
