For Nick

My last post was dedicated to all teens because of the wonderful teens who have sat by my daughters' bed side while they recovered from their terrible ordeal. I've always known that my daughters are special, but it's great to know that there are kids their age who think the same thing about them.

This brief post is dedicated to one of their most faithful friends. His name is Nick, he's 17, and he has been a real constant during these two weeks of fear and hope. He was one of the teens who sat with my friend Madeline, whose daughter was also injured in the accident, while we waited for so many hours for doctors to tell us how our children were doing. He held our hands, hugged us, and cried for both girls when he first saw them.

He is such a good kid. Before we met him, he'd already been through things that no teen should have to endure. When we met him, he was basically homeless because his parents have to deal with a lot because he has siblings that require a lot of care and attention. He bounded up to us one day, got all happy when he saw our dog Lucky, and he has basically become my foster son since that time.

He's passionate and strong, and he and I have had words before the accident, because I, too, am passionate and strong. But, last night, instead of chasing down his friends and hanging out with them, he stayed at the house so that he could help Madeline rearrange furniture in our house so that Anna could sleep downstairs in what we're now calling "Anna's suite." He talked to Madeline and me for hours and put up with all our rants about men. He tried to do back flips and front flips for us and was climbing around in trees with the energy that teenaged boys are famous for.

His will is strong and he's tough, but he also has one of the best hearts I've seen in someone his age. He's sworn to protect all three of us (Mary, Anna, and me) from harm and pain and I believe him. When I saw him cry over Anna and Mary, my heart melted completely. I hope that one day, life will bring him everything he wants. He truly deserves this.

For those of you who read this and are praying for my daughters, please offer up a special thanks for bringing him into our lives. He's a terrific man and he gives me hope that when kids his age are old enough to run this world, it will be a much better place than the one we have now.

Thanks, Nick, for being our friend. All three of us are so glad you're in our lives.

Every Teen is a Miracle

(I apologize for all typos and misspelled or misplaced words in advance, but I don't feel like proofreading this emotional post.)

On September 22, 2007, an alleged drunk driver going more than 100 miles an hour in the middle of two interstate lanes rear-ended my daughter Mary's Honda Accord, pushing them 411 feet into the guard rail, where it bounced off and hit the guard rail again before landing in the median. My younger daughter Anna was critically injured and had to be airlifted by helicopter to the hospital. Mary broke a rib and suffered a bad cut on her head, which resulted in blood on her brain.

It's now been more than 10 days since the accident and Mary's already home. She's doing really well, although she tires easily and her head tends to bleed mysteriously but not in any way that's dangerous, according to the doctors. She's chatting with all her friends on line, getting text messages from boys, and doing just about everything she used to do before the accident. It's terrific to see.

Anna has amazed all the doctors and nurses in the hospital with how strong she is. Many people who were injured like like she was (broken ribs, smashed mouth and mandible, lacerated liver and spleen, broken back, and a hole in her lung) don't live. Well, she has not only lived, but she's completely herself. 100% Anna. If you know her, you'll know what I mean. She got to keep her spleen, her liver's fine, her lung is staying inflated, and today she walked up and down the hospital hall with her back brace on. The doctor told her today that if her physical therapist gives her the okay, it's possible that she could come home as early as tomorrow.

The girls' dear friend Taylor also had a visit to the ICU where a problem with his lung and pneumonia caused him to flatline at least once. Well, he too has surpassed all expectations. He's home now and doing just fine.

My sister Emily wrote about how wonderful teenagers and young people are. She couldn't be more right. For anyone who has a teenager and been irritated by the seeming self-centeredness or the arguments, stop and think, "Suppose this teen almost died today." It makes a big difference how you view them. I don't know if this 47-year-old body could have lived through what Anna, Mary, and Taylor lived through. I credit the zest for life, the passion, and the feeling of invincibility that is part of the nature of teenagers as the reason these three young people have made such excellent progress and continue to do so.

So, I dedicate this brief post to all the teenagers out there. Y'all are an inspiration and bless you all for being yourselves--lost or found, good or bad, straight or high, sober or drunk, smoking or organizing anti-smoking campaigns, praying to or cursing God, singing hip hop or neopunk or country. You are truly miracles.