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Tragedy


Wednesday...May 19, 2004... I sat at the computer playing pinball waiting for my 14 yr. old daughter, Erickah and 3 yr. old granddaughter, Desire' to come home from church. They went with another sister, 21 yr. old Alicia, and her daughter, 2 yr. old, Kameron.
My husband, Adam, arrived from working on his truck...and asked me where Erickah was. I told him she went to church with Alicia. His face transformed! He further said, "Becky, they had a bad accident and Erickah didn't make it and the others went to hospital in critical condition."
I cannot explain with words how I responded. This was my baby of 6 children. The last to raise.
This was the beginning of a horrible, yet strengthening experience.
We waited at home to find out where Erickah's body was taken. In the meantime, my husband called her siblings to tell them what has happened. The oldest, Joey, was offshore. Michelle, the oldest girl, is the mother of the 3 yr. old, Desire'. Adam, who was at Fort Polk, Louisiana, where he was stationed. Ryan was at a friend's house. Of course, there is Alicia...the driver of the car.
The two little ones were rushed to Lafayette and there Desire' had her parents waiting for her arrival. Alicia would be transported to Lafayette shortly after to a different hospital.
I had my husband immediately call, my brother, Pastor Vern Sundberg, who happened to be in town for his son's graduation.
I believe at that time, I was in disbelief that my baby was actually gone and never coming back home. This came as such a shock, I felt like I was in a nightmare.
I told my husband I needed to go see my baby. He called to find out where she was. The officer told him what morgue she was at and we had to go identify her because she had no identification on her. He saw the desperate need I had to get there, so we all left to go to the morgue, which happen to be at the same hospital Alicia was still in.
Believe me when I said to my husband..."Drive extra slow".... I found out at that time how scared I was to be in the vehicle.
When we arrived at the hospital...it was a great surprise to me to see how many family and friends were there to support. Amazing! It was almost like a gathering in front doors to a concert! All waiting to give the support of allowing me to know I wasn't alone in this. During all the hugs and the I'm so very sorry and I'm here for you.... My only thought was to see my baby.
I found my husband through all the people gathered and told him, " I want to go see my baby!" He then brought me inside the hospital and found out where she was. The officer told me of what to expect (in his version) and if I chose, I could let someone go identify her for me. I'm sure by the look on my face he knew that was not an option. I needed to go see for myself it was actually her lying in that morgue. I asked God for His help, took a step in the direction of the officer. I won't lie...I was terrified to what I may see, since she was the one who got the hit from the vehicle.
I was informed by the coroner not to remove the sheet that covered her. He mentioned he left some uncovered and that I can touch if I wanted to.
As I took that first step into the doorway and saw the blonde streaks of her bangs...I turned and told him that was her...that is my baby girl lying there. I went further in and stood by her side just looking at my child lying on a cold steel table as if she were sleeping. I wanted so badly to hold her, but ask God to help refrain me from this, because if I would have put her in my arms...I wouldn't have let her go. I touched her hand that was just as cold as the table she laid upon. I told her that I loved her and walked out. That had to be the hardest thing I ever had to do.
In the next room sitting at a desk was the coroner with all Erickah's belongings in a bag. I sat across from him as we went through them all. I gave the information they needed for identification purposes, then left from there. As I walked out of this building, I turned and thought how I was leaving Erickah to be put into a cooler until the director of the funeral home was to pick her up. I stood there with streams of tears coming down my face asking God to help me from this place. Not the place of where I stood, but the place I was mentally. As hard as it was to walk away, there were other needs I had to tend to.
Alicia was fixing to be transported to a Lafayette (near by city) hospital and they were allowing me to see her before they transported her. Another hard situation to face....another daughter barely holding on. The possibility of losing another was more than a nightmare. She laid on the bed with a breathing machine, punctured lung from broken ribs. Her brain was swelling and they had to hurry to get her to the next hospital to be treated by the specialist there. As I left her side, giving all the words of encouragement to hang on that I could utter....I took a deep breath and thanked God for His hand in all the their lives.
My husband and I drove to Lafayette undecided on which hospital to go to first, the one with the grandbabies or the one where Alicia was. I felt so torn and didn't know where to go. Then decided to go where Alicia was to sign any papers needed for her incase of emergency surgery or any kind of help she would have needed. Then we went to the hospital where the two little one's were. All on breathing machines. No one could do it on their own. It's hard to see all these lives laying lifeless with machines helping them stay alive. I loved on each one in their separate rooms and shared the love I had for them. The strength I had I knew didn't come from anything of my own. God was with us all the time. We managed to make it home for 5 am. and got up to start all over in the next 45 minutes.
To kind of shorten this long story....Alicia remained in the hospital for 3 weeks...a very speedy recovery for this type of damage done. Kameron was out of the hospital on the 24th in time for the services for Erickah and Desire', which we didn't allow her into. She had already been through enough...no need to let her see her Auntie and best friend (cousin) the way they were.
God is not going to allow me to write further, for an every day example of all went on for 3 weeks...now we will talk about what He has done to get us all through and learn to trust Him and to accept the deaths that no one could change. If God allowed it...who am I to question it? He knows the whole story....and we only knew to focus on one day at a time. I don't sit and grieve over all this any more. God has helped me to continue each day as before and trusting Him with it all. I was and am comforted by Him and Him only. I miss them very much...but I would miss them if I didn't see them everyday! I know I will see them again in heaven....but most importantly...I will see Jesus! I want to encourage all who have lost and possibly help them to accept it and try to cope...not as a heaviness, but as the joy of knowing all we have known and left this world. God allows us a grieving time...but not to last our life time, in hopes of helping others through such tragedies. It is a comfort for me to know that many people have come together in this and were touched by God through it all. I rejoice in the fact knowing Erickah made it to heaven...a place she wanted to be. She is now rejoicing and chillin' in the Heavens! In the arms of our loving Father...who can ask for more than that?
I pray, God touches each heart that reads this story. That He fills each heart with His love and understanding. May He lead you as you travel each day as only He can. May you trust in Him to guide your every path. Allow His son, Jesus into your heart and trust Him with all that you have...it is His anyway...we are only on borrowed time...God's time!
God Bless and may you be strenthened by His hand in your tragedies.

In Jesus,
Rebecca
_________________
*God Bless* Prov. 13:4








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