caught on the tracks

Every morning Lewis and I take a walk. It has been so hot lately, but we have still managed to go almost every day. This morning ended on a shocking note when we approached the train tracks crossing over Main Street downtown. We saw an SUV pull onto the tracks. Immediately, the young man driving quickly got out, walking off into the distance. Soon after, a young woman, obviously 4-5 months pregnant, exited the passenger side door, screaming and somewhat hysterical. Someone in the car behind let her use his cell phone to call the police. While she was still on the phone, a train became visible, approaching from the North. The poor girl became more upset as a gentleman began waving his arms to the train, and as the police pulled up to help get the car off the tracks.

All the sudden, cops were everywhere, trying to find the young man. Standing there in shock, I had been waiting to see what would happen to the car as the train got closer. No one saw what happened to the driver, but the police were in pursuit. I called Justin, who works for the Daily News, and he said their photographers and reporters were on their way. Later he said they thought it was an attempted murder because the driver locked the car and took the keys with him. Fortunately, there are other ways to unlock cars, and his passenger maintained enough composure to figure that out. Still, it reminded me of an episode of CSI where an angry man pushed another car onto some train tracks just as a train was approaching at full speed. Thankfully, this situation ended much better than that. The train had time to stop, and I'm assuming they got the car off the tracks eventually with no one hurt, at least not physically.

Watching that poor girl standing there crying made me rather upset. Pregnancy is supposed to be a wonderful time, though often it is full of nausea and exhaustion that make it less than enjoyable. But having someone try to take your life in the middle of all that is the last thing an expectant mother should have to deal with. My heart absolutely sank for this girl who undoubtedly has entered into the hardest phase of her life. I can only guess that the driver of the car is the father of this baby, and probably does not want the responsibility. My hope is that she has some others who can help her through this, and that God will reveal himself to her in the midst of her pain. I can't help but hope that the young man is found and dealt with justly too. Of course, the baby is on my mind also, and just how this situation will surely have consequences throughout his/her life. It's heart breaking!

Thank God today for your many blessings.......especially your husband, who is undoubtedly a much better example than the one above. I'm so glad that the Lord created things in such a way that babies are given to couples, rather than individuals. Certainly there are cases where becoming a single parent turns out okay, but that is not God's original plan. Raising children is a team effort, and today I'm really grateful for my "team."