It was like watching one of those scenes in a movie, the one that turns the character’s lives upside-down. It’s that scene, where the eeriness and normalcy of watching an ignorant family taking a turn on a familiar street, when you realize something isn’t right. And suddenly, out of nowhere a huge truck slams their luxurious car and you scream and though you knew it was coming. The only difference this time was that this wasn’t a scene in a movie, it was real.
People don’t understand, but going through a car accident feels as if nothing can get worse; it feels like every happy memory is sucked out of your soul forever and nothing will ever be the same. But if I am here, typing up this essay and writing about this experience that I had, I guess things did get better.
The day started off like any other. After school, my 10-year-old-brain decided that it was a necessity to go to the library. It was February, it was cold outside and there was nothing else to do but read books. The library went as it always did and soon we were ready to go home. My mother drove up to the exit of the library and proceeded to make the turn onto that busy, main street. I will never forget that one moment, the moment when I grasped what was actually happening. It was as if time slowed down. I remember seeing that truck coming and not stopping, I remember thinking “Why is she not moving?!”, I remember a blood-curdling scream, and then everything went black.

After that, pretty much everything was a blur; hospitals, friends, family, presents, Valentine’s Day, wheelchairs, get-well-soon cards, physical therapy, yummy food- it all meshed into one. The funny thing is that when I think back to that time, I only remember good things. I remember things like getting to stay at my friend’s house for 3 whole weeks and getting to miss school for a month. I remember thinking that it was so cool that so many friends and family were coming to see me, and the fact that I was getting cards and gifts and delicious cookies from all these wonderful and sympathy-filled people. But, I mostly remember a little rock that one of my neighbor’s gave me. That little, clear rock had a four-leaf clover in it and these unforgettable words- “There is light at the end of every tunnel”. And as my wonderful neighbor gave me that rock she said “Listen to me baby, this hard time, it will pass, don’t you worry’. Then she bent down to me, pointed her hand out, and said “Look over there, don’t you see it?
“See what?” I asked curiously. I’m pretty sure that as a 10 year old I thought she was delusional, because the only thing I saw was a get-well-soon balloon and a plate of cookies.
“The light at the end of this dark tunnel?! There will always be light at the end of a tunnel don’t you ever worry.” And then I understood. I believed that quote she said as if it were my lifeline, as if having faith in those very words would get us out of this affliction. And thankfully, we did.
If I fast forward to now and think back, I see so many countless good things that came out of that dreadful time. That car accident brought my family together. We appreciate each other, care for each other, and are always there for each other so much more now. The tough situation even tightened our relationship with our friends. They were there for us constantly, bringing us food, helping us get family in and out of the hospital, and even letting us stay in their houses for weeks at a time. We are so close to them now and can always count on them for being there for us. For me, I got to see so many people and snagged so many presents it was like my birthday everyday! And how could that not be amazing!? In the long run, the car accident helped me as a person. That time helped me mentally grow. I became a young lady rather than a young child. During that period I matured and became strong. I decided that it was time for me to make good decisions and not let bad things affect me. Even now, I can endure so much more than I think I could’ve without the experience of the car accident. I feel like I can work through hard things and that at some point every terrible time will pass. Today, if you were to look at our family and even get to know us well, you would never know that we went through a tough, and traumatic experience 4 years ago.
I believe that that one little rock, guided my family through and away from that hard time. From then on I have always believed that there will be light at the end of every tunnel. And how could I not; so many amazing things have happened since that time, it would be ludicrous if I didn’t live by the saying.
I met up with that neighbor a couple months ago and she asked me how life was going. I told her how I was great, school was awesome, and everything just seemed to be perfect. She looked so happy for me and said words that I will never forget-
“Well, now honey, I told you that I saw light when we were stuck in that tunnel!”