THE WIND PHONE
The Longest Night and Lessons Learned
What sitting a death watch vigil teaches us
Getting a call that someone in your family has been badly injured is a shock. These accidents happen to other people, not to me. Certainly not to my healthy sister, seventy-five and running a small acreage, a growing business, and holding the title of “most favorite aunt” to dozens of nieces and nephews.
I learned that being the favorite in a large family does not protect you from the world.
My sister was hit by a pickup while walking across a parking lot. She was going to take down a sign by the highway advertising her Antique Mall business. A young man, seventeen, suspended license, in a truck not legal to be on the road, turned in from that highway into the parking lot without looking ahead. He ran into her and knocked her on the pavement. I learned that young people act recklessly without considering the consequences.
The convenience store next door caught the entire scene on video. I wish I had never watched the video. Such a mistake to do so. But I wanted to understand what happened. How this happened. Could anything have prevented this tragedy? Did my dear sister act recklessly? I learned that just because a video exists does not mean you should watch it.
