ASSUMPTIONS MAKE LIFE ABOUT US by Bambi Lynn

The other day I was on the highway, I saw this crash with a red car turned upside down, with all the belongings to the car outside of it scattered all over the place. There was a woman and her children on the side of the road. They looked frazzled and shaken up. Which they should be since they just went through something, I am sure they didn't wake up that morning thinking that this would be part of their day or even part of their story. The cars were piling up on that side of the road, you could hear people honking their horns, probably getting aggravated because they had somewhere to be. They had appointments to keep and children to pick up off the bus and dinner to make before they took their children to some practice. What they didn't know was what was ahead of them, what they didn't know was that a mother just crashed her car with her children in it. What they didn't know was that children were on the side of the road crying and wondering what just happened, they were looking at their car upside down wondering how they climbed out of that window. The people that were caught in the traffic jam didn't have all of the facts and findings, they just knew they had somewhere to go and were aggravated that they couldn't get there. Until they drove by the wreck and saw children standing on the side of the road, their emotions started touching them as they only thought of themselves. Now they had the facts and had no idea how to process what they saw. Some of them probably felt guilty having those feelings and chances are they went home and hugged their babies.

  Every Tuesday I go out with a group of amazing ladies. A new restaurant is picked each week. This particular week we were celebrating one of the ladies, as she was celebrating her ninety-one birthdays. We were also celebrating Christmas and had to wear decorated hats, I am always excited to get together every Tuesday, I tell each one of the ladies this is therapy for me.  I mean it! has been my lifeline. The restaurant they picked had a great atmosphere. The waitress though, continued to rub me the wrong way. I felt like she was sharp and was just being rude. I made a few comments because I was just getting annoyed. Towards the end of the meal, I finally asked her, what is your story? She began to tell us that one of the young kids that had worked at the restaurant had died last night. That the team was a little off and struggling with his death. Well, I felt convicted at that moment. I told her I was sorry for the loss and now I understood why, she was a little rude to us, the other women at the table knew her, I didn't so I reacted. I didn't have all the facts and findings and judged her by her actions. A valuable lesson I continue to learn as I continue to grow. Some lessons are harder to learn than others. When I am at a restaurant, I can be a little bossy because I know I am paying for a service. This was a lesson for me, ask questions as everyone has a reason for their actions and sometimes, they just need a minute. 

About six years ago I was working in Chicago, on a swat trip for the company I work for. I was starting my day earlier to try and stop at as many places as I could. I was at a five-way intersection. My light was green and when I went to turn, I was hit by another car that was hit by someone else. My airbag went off and I was sure I was going to die because of it. I had never been in that kind of accident before. So, when the police came and opened my passenger door, I began explaining to him where to find all my children's information and what to say to them when they would come to see my body. The police officer looked confused and asked me why I thought I was going to die? I told him because of the airbag went off. He assured me I was going to live, and he wouldn't have any sad news to share with my children. I did have to go to the hospital to have the doctors check me out. I hit my knee pretty bad, and the airbag burned me pretty good.

When I was at the hospital I was given the police report. After about a week went by, I wanted to reach out to the two people who were in the accident. I sent them both cards, one was about making sure the guy was okay and the other was telling the girl, who hit us both that I had forgiven her and That I didn't hold any grudges at all towards her. I knew she had to of felt so bad and I wanted to make sure she knew it was an accident. that I didn't think she purposely didn't wake up in the morning wanting to crash into someone. I didn't plan on hearing from either of the people. but, about a week later, I heard from the girl who hit me. She was crying uncontrollable. I could barely hear her, but she told me that she was having severe migraines and that morning she was on her way to an MRI to find out what was going on. She had a migraine while she was driving and was trying to concentrate on the road and her head, when she realized she had just run the red light and was in a crash with two other people. That woman later on found out she had a tumor, and it was cancer. She had wanted me to know that my forgiveness meant a lot to her and how much grace I had given her. Another example how we just don't know all the data when something happens or is happening in someone else's life.

I met a group of ladies here in Brunswick, each Tuesday we go out to dinner, a new place every week. There is one lady in the group, whom I thought didn't like me for so long. I would make every attempt for her to like me. I would make sure i hugged her tight and get into my car and say to myself< I will get her with kindness. She always just seemed to stare at me with a frown. I was on a mission to get her to like me because I felt a connection to her, like a motherly connection and I didn't want to miss out on a blessing that I felt God was giving me.I am going to kill her with kindness. Then one day someone told me she had a hearing disability, now everything came together. She didn't not like me she couldn't hear me. I was so relieved and felt stupid now. I assumed something because I didn't have all the information. She has blessed me so much and has welcomed me into her life. will send me encouraging text messages and make me feel special. I still kill her with kindness, not because I think she doesn't like me but, because she has become a special person in my life. Someone I am so grateful for. 

I have learned a lot the last couple years how the stories in our heads are not always accurate or true. Our minds come up with so many scenarios, when if we just wait and see, we will realize we put way too much stock in what we are thinking instead what is really happening. Lot of our stories have to do with what we think, and we begin to somehow think that what is happening around us is interfering in our lives and we are way more important. I have been on this Journey of getting rid of those stories and just seek the truth. I believe so many misunderstandings have been over things that someone never said but, what you orchestrated in our minds. I heard a study one time that women tell between sixty to seventy stories a day about things that never happened, and wont happened and what we believed about what happened. We have to just be comfortable in not knowing all the details. But I still do it and when I do I get upset with myself, thinking when will I ever learn? I guess that is why Life is a journey, new lessons, new adventures, and new experiences that take you to a deeper level of growth.

 I am, so glad God isn't finished with me yet, just as much as he isn't finished with you! We are all becoming, becoming who we were created to be. God loves us so much that he doesn't want us to stay as we are. We are all growing!! Let's continue to grow together.

                       You know what they say about assuming