I know, I know. . .our
Tuesday Treasures are not supposed to be our loved ones, but hang with me, Ok? This is special.
This week's Tuesday Treasure is my soon-to-be-in-less-than-a-month-almost daughter-in-law, Beth.
John and Beth met and started dating in college. It was a crazy time in our life because our family was divided at the time. Because my husband had taken a job in Illinois and our middle son, Jake, was a senior in high school, Tom was living in our new house and the boys and I were
living in a little one bedroom apartment until Jake graduated. The first time we met Beth, it was in that little apartment. I wonder what she thought! We were living like college kids--only with the bare necessities. I knew that if we were going to get to know this young lady, we had to spend time with her because, come June!, we would be moving two states away, so we planned to spend as much time as we could with John and Beth together before the final move.
But that was not to be. Just as their relationship was beginning to develop, the unthinkable happened. It was so unthinkable, I hardly know how to put it into words without making this post into a book. So I'll try to tell this story the way it happened, and you'll have to understand that there was so much more than any of us have really had the ability to process even today.
John and Beth had plans for the evening. In fact,
it was three years ago today. Beth lived on campus and John lived off campus with Grandpa and Grandma Shenberger. She picked John up in her car and they took off for campus and whatever it was that they had planned for that night. Shortly after midnight, Beth was driving John home from their date. All of a sudden they heard a very loud sound. John's first thought was that something was dramatically wrong with the car's engine. The situation was very confused, but he quickly realized that something more had happened. Beth exclaimed, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe!" Providentially, they were just a house or two away from Beth's parents' home, so John took the wheel and navigated the car into her parents' driveway. He pulled the car all the way to the end of the driveway because by this time (just seconds) he began to become aware that someone was shooting at the car.
Folks, this is a sleepy little college town in Ohio, and in a residential neighborhood, no less. Things like this just didn't happen in Ashland, Ohio! But it happened.
John checked on Beth and found that she was bleeding. I forget all the details of how he woke her parents and got her into the house, but the police and an ambulance were called and Beth was taken to the local hospital by ambulance with a gunshot wound to her back.
I learned of this sometime after 2 o'clock in the morning when John called at the apartment. "Mom, there's been an
incident. I'm going to Cleveland. Beth has been shot and she's being transported to the hospital. I'm going up now. I'm not sure what's going on. I don't know how badly she's hurt. Mom, just pray." You can imagine my confusion. Beth? Shot?!? What? How can this be?
To make a very long story short, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. A couple of local guys were out joyriding with an AK-47 Chinese Assault rifle, shooting up mailboxes and parked cars. There were many witnesses and they were quickly apprehended. The police had already been called and were in route when Beth was shot, so things happened very quickly. Thankfully, they got help very quickly.
Beth was in critical condition and had several emergency surgeries. Her recovery was long and painful. She still lives with the effects of her injuries.
There was a trial and the perpetrators are serving jail time. The horror of it all is beginning to fade a bit, but only because Beth has recovered. And on days like this, it all comes back.
Fast forward now. . .
Picture taken at a bridal shower this past weekend. That's John with the ironing board.
Three years later, Beth and John are enjoying all the excitement and fun of all the things that go into getting married. Beth graduates next weekend and they'll be living up here--not five minutes from our home.
Our "getting to know each other" time was cut short. I thought that time was gone forever and that we'd always be playing "catch up." We never dreamed that they would be moving so near to us! I am so looking forward to getting to know this beautiful young girl better, to share in her life, to be her mother-in-law, to love her like my mother-in-law loves me.
And I am learning that she is not only John's treasure, she is ours as well.
And Beth, if you are reading this, we love you!
