What could have been...

Do you ever stop and think about things that could have happened but didn't? You have a near-miss with another car on the road. A child takes a bad fall but doesn't get hurt. Someone has an illness that could have been fatal but wasn't. How many times God intervenes to spare us and give us more life! We have no idea how many close calls we've had in the course of a lifetime.

This morning was one of those times. In a most bizarre accident, Fred ended up once again in the emergency room. It was scary-- but it could have been much, much worse.

At 6 in the morning Fred was getting ready for one of his jobs and had a sneezing fit. He has allergies this time of year. As he inhaled sharply to sneeze, his dental appliance was forced into his throat. I awoke to him shouting, "I HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW!"

Yes, he was speaking. A good sign that his airway was not blocked. Of course, I didn't know what had happened but I jumped out of bed and into my clothes. Then he said he swallowed his "tooth." This tooth is attached to a plastic, sharp-edged plate about the size of a half dollar. Even if the plate wasn't in his trachea, it could not be good to have it in his esophagus. The girls woke up and we all headed to the hospital.

Thankfully, X-rays determined the plate was not anywhere in his throat or chest. So it had to be in his stomach. "It will pass," the doctor said. On the way home we kept thinking of what could have happened. If he had inhaled it, instead of swallowing it, he would have choked to death. That plastic would have sealed off his airway and prevented any breathing. God is merciful. We are grateful.