Hey fellas, hopefully this will start your day off right. Today, I almost experienced the greatest tragedy of my life.
The family was getting ready to go out, (wife, 3 kids, myself) so I sent the kids out to the truck first, while we got the last stuff locked up, turned off, etc. A minute or two later, I hear the crash of metal. Immediately, I knew it was a vehicle hitting something. Running to the door, I see my truck had rolled about 15 feet down my sloping driveway into our large steel gate, which probably weighs over 1,000 pounds. The gate was visibly pretty dramatically bent from the momentum of the truck crashing into it.
Quickly scanning the yard, I see the three year old at the top of the hill, remember my oldest is inside, and right about the time I think, "Where is John-Michael" (aged 5), I hear him scream from behind the truck. Ladies and gentlemen...that moment, untold fear gripped my heart. What was I going to find behind that truck? My boy under a my back tire, broken legs, a crushed chest... my God!
I jumped off the porch, still wearing my socks with no shoes, and ran around the truck to see him pinned between the bumper and the crushed gate. I threw myself between the gate and truck and pressed with all I had. Stinking socks were giving me no traction, but I pushed that SOB and moved it a few inches back up the hill while forcing the gate off of my son. My wife had run out by that time and pulled him free as I held the truck back.
We really don't know what happened. The parking brake (stick shift) was still engaged. My son (who has had a steady diet of Iron Man, Captain American, Spider-man & Jesus) said he saw the truck rolling and jumped behind it to stop it.
I tell this story to give credit to God. I'm telling you, that child had not a single scratch. Not even a bruise. The gate, which was hit so hard it bent the steel angle iron, bars and broke welding will need to be repaired. How on earth he was pinned between the two and walked away... I give credit to God alone.
Needless to say, I was, and am emotionally exhausted from the experience. I'm going to get that truck's parking brake looked at and park it in 1st gear from now on.
Now, back to football.
