Are You Sitting Down?

     Jeremiah has been in Afghanistan for a couple of months now and life back here on the homefront has been nothing short of extremely busy.  I have been wanting to blog but there are so many things  I have to be careful of when my husband is deployed;  I would not want to accidentally say something about where he is or what he is doing, or where he is going that could potentially get him into trouble or lead him into harms way.  Since he has been gone, we have welcomed our second baby boy, Asher Jeremiah Cartwright, into the world, and my mom and I have started a new company called Trinkets.  We do trunk shows full of fun and trendy costume jewelry and other accessories.  I will write more about these happenings later, but for today, I will tell you about one conversation I will never forget.
     It was a warm Saturday morning and we had all just finished up breakfast on the back deck when the phone rang.  It was Jeremiah calling from Afghanistan.  It is always such a relief to hear his voice but this particular morning, there was something different about it.  Between trying to bounce Asher and keep him from crying in my arms and the static on the phone, I vaguely heard Jeremiah say, "Are you sitting down?"   I thought to myself, "Either he is going to tell me something really good or really bad,"  I just wasn't sure which it was going to be.  So, I sat down on the couch, still trying to calm Asher down when Jeremiah told me he had been blown up twice by two IED's that day.  My heart sank, and after thinking, "Okay, you're talking. This is a good thing."  My mind, in a matter of moments, raced through how my life may quickly be turned upside down.  I wondered if he had his hands and legs.  Would he be able to walk or would he be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, or was he calling me from a hospital bed, knowing he might not make it at all?  I quickly got up and trying to hold myself together took Asher to my mom so I could more easily focus on my conversation with Jeremiah.  Nervously, I asked him if he was okay, and thankfully, he said, "Yes.  I am having a little trouble with my vision, but the doctor said it should return to normal in a couple of days."  With my heart about to beat out of my chest, I felt the lump in my throat slowly begin to dissolve.  The IED threw him about 10 feet, but thankfully he was only left with temporary vision problems, a concussion, and an achy body.  I have known he has been in an "active" environment, but that was a little close for comfort. 
     As I got off the phone, I continued to replay the conversation over and over in my mind, recognizing just how quickly life can change in the blink of an eye.  I am so thankful for God's protection on Jeremiah's life.  I know that while he is fighting one battle over there, we will have a whole new set to battle when he comes home.  Fortunately we serve a God who loves us and doesn't leave us to fight the battles by ourselves.  As each day passes, I feel I have a little better understanding of God's grace, not just for my salvation, but His grace for my everyday life.