Gratitude

On Thursday night I texted Cooper goodnight and reminded him to lock up when he got home from a party with his friends.  The thought came to me that Cooper would be at a party with drinking.  I considered asking him to come home, but new he was 18 and it was no longer my responsibility.  We got a call at 7:00 on Friday morning.  Cooper was in the ER and had been in an accident.  He had driven home a friend who was drunk.  Another friend came to pick him up to take him home.  Cooper argued with the friend to let him drive, but ultimately gave in.  That was the last thing he remembers.  Coop walked in the cold for an hour before finding a house and asking for directions to the highway.  He thought he had been in a fight because he was all bloody and bruised.  The lady who deliver the newspaper found the driver and the police found Cooper shortly thereafter.  They were taken by ambulance to the ER.  Coop had a severe concussion and a compression fracture of T5 in his back.  The driver miraculously had no broken bones.  The car was totaled.  Both of them should not have survived.
This is the third life threatening accident Cooper has had.  It seems very obvious to Tony and I that Heavenly Father has a great plan for Cooper yet in his life.  Our prayer is that Coop will know this too.  Tony said we are not going to talk about lessons, regrets, woulda- shouldas.  We are just going to focus on gratitude.  Gratitude that Cooper’s life was preserved, that the driver has an opportunity to address alcoholism without terrible consequences, that we aren’t planning a funeral at Christmas.