Thankful

I was just completing a letter to a former student, Barry Stoddard, last night when the call came. Having gone to the "Lost in the '50s" parade and seeing another former student who had worked this past summer in the Stoddard Lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, I felt compelled to write to Barry. The last time I'd seen him was back in the '80s when he headed off to Whitman College.

My other student, Jillian who'd met him through her summer internship, informed me that Barry was the head honcho in his own research lab at the Center. She had gotten to know him and had even given him a copy of my book. So, of course, I was enjoying a burst of pride while sending that email.

Suddenly, Call Wave popped up, and I could hear Debbie's voice telling me to call her right away. It was an emergency. Pride instantly changed to apprehension.

I called her immediately and learned Willie had been in an accident near Cascade. He'd slid off the road in a bad hail storm and ended upside down in a ditch. She told me that he was okay and had refused an ambulance. We both fought back tears while discussing the details.

She had just received this news from some good samaritans who'd happened onto the accident right after it happened. They stayed with Willie, later took him to their cabin ten miles down the road in Cascade and went to very caring efforts to help him out anyway they could.

Later, I talked to Courtney Priest, one of the good samaritans. She told me the car, though banged up a bit, was not damaged as badly as it first appeared. Her dad had just taken Willie to the Cascade airport where the car had been towed so he could retrieve his suitcase and satchel. In the meantime, he had called Debbie to let her know he was okay.

Through our phone conversations last night, Willie, Debbie and I learned that we had all experienced weird feelings about this trip. I hadn't made a big enough deal about saying good bye to him yesterday morning, and as soon as he rolled out the driveway, I sensed something that didn't feel right. He told me he had worried about making the drive, and Debbie said when he called her from Coeur d'Alene, she felt uncomfortable.

Last I heard last night after we'd all calmed down, Debbie and her mom were headed from Boise to Cascade to pick him up at the Priest's cabin. Debbie told me she would probably drive back to Sandpoint with Willie tomorrow and they'll decide what needs to be done with the car. Thankfully, it is well-insured. She'll fly back to Boise Monday or Tuesday.

Debbie, Bill, Annie and I, along with other family members who know about the accident, are very thankful that this special person whom we all love so much is all right. We're also very thankful for the Priests who went the extra mile for a perfect stranger.

This morning, we're all counting our blessings.