So our car would be the one in the front that has all the cracks and dents.  A Hyundai getting rear-ended by a Suburban with a hook on the front does not constitute a fair fight.  One, I never saw it coming.  Two, the Suburban rammed into us with such force that the hook dug itself into our bumper, requiring a tow truck to rip the two cars apart. Let me just tell you about how I don’t handle car accidents well.  Days later I can sit back and be grateful we are all okay.  But I myself was a wreck for at least an hour after the accident.  At first I was furious.  I have no patience for someone putting the lives of my children at risk with their distracted driving.  I may have yelled at the young woman that hit us (I may regret it a little also).  I then just stood with my children on a patch of grass by a highway feeling all 200 miles we were from home and 60 miles we still had to go to get to our cabin, wondering what in the world to do next. Our car was too damaged to drive.  Since the crash happened around 5 pm, we had one hour to call a tow truck, get a cab, rent a new car, and retrieve our luggage from the jammed shut trunk of our poor Hyundai . . . or else be stuck in Gainesville, GA.  And let me tell you judging by our three hour adventure, you do not want to be stuck in Gainesville, GA. There were so many moments during this ordeal that I just wanted to give up and go home.  I thought we would be too sore from the crash to enjoy our vacation.  It was too hard to pry our belongings from the trunk of the car.  Vogel State Park’s office would be closed by the time we arrived to pick up our key. But thank God there was someone else at play in this adventure that did more than burst into tears while talking to everyone she encountered.  That would be my husband, the resilient one.  God love him, in a crisis this man snaps into action.  He took crash photos, called insurance companies, and negotiated with rental companies.  At one point when we thought we couldn’t get our belongings out of the car and would have to return home, he went at that trunk with a crow bar like nothing I’ve ever seen.  Too bad I was too busy crying to get a picture. You see it had been several months since we had gotten away as a family and we were headed to one of our favorite places.  He knew we really needed this rest.  He knew it was worth fighting for.

In a moment of difficulty, sometimes what we need is to dig beyond our emotions and find the strength to push through to the good.  Sometimes we need to exercise resiliency.

Thanks to the resiliency of my husband and children, and ultimately myself, this is what I woke up to the next morning.

And then we got to experience this. [caption id="attachment_433" align="aligncenter" width="300"] apple picking in Elijay[/caption] And then there was this. I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on the side of the rode in Gainesville.  I’m so grateful I have a partner who understands resiliency (and how to use a crowbar). Life is not always easy.  Sometimes it throws you curve balls and sometimes it just slams you in the rear.  The point is to pick yourself up and keep going as best you can.  Because something much better is waiting around the corner.]]>