Good Morning Todd

by Kay Heitsch

It was Saturday, February 6th, a cold day like today, the last time I saw you. I watched you walk to the backdoor and give Brandon a little hug.

Do you remember, I was standing at the sink, trying to defrost a frozen chicken in cold water? You said you wanted baked chicken for dinner that night.

I looked over at you going out the door. You smiled and said, "Later, Mom." Little did I know then how much later that would be.

It was about an hour after you left when the phone rang. On the other end of the line was one of the friends you had gone sledding with. He was calling to tell me there had been an accident.

At first, I thought you had had an accident on the sled. I asked where you were. The caller gave me the location, but I had no idea where that was.

I called your dad and gave him the location of the accident. Next, I called Shannon, who was over at the neighbor's house. Then you know me, I started to vacuum.

A few minutes later, the phone rang. It was Judy. Since she knew you had taken the car, she asked if I needed a ride to the hospital. I said yes, and asked her to send Shannon home to watch Brandon.

Todd, when I walked into the hospital ER and gave my name, no one asked for my insurance card. I thought that was odd. I noticed other people were standing around. When I said my name, they all looked over at me. When I looked at them, they seemed to look down. It wasn't hard to read body language that day. I knew something was seriously wrong when the nurse asked me to wait in a small room where a doctor would come and speak with me. I knew you were gone.

As I walked out of the hospital that day, the sun was shining. I didn't know how it could. Now I do know! God was going to bring some fantastic things out of the tragedy of that day. I want to Let the SON Shine! in your memory. This year I gave a friend the book Have a Great Day Every-Day! that has the letter I wrote Dr. Peale in about you.

I will always love you and thank the Lord for the good times we had together. You are thought of and loved by many people Todd.