After BlogHer I came down with a virus. And for the first few days of it, it was just annoying. A hacking cough, low grade fever, aches and chills. Not serious, but it certainly put a crimp in my daily routine.
But two nights ago it got worse and the next day I ended up in urgent care to get some meds that would make me more functional. And I’m happy to say that I’m feeling a bit better. Not 100%, but well enough to tackle things that need to get done.
As you know, when mom gets sick things tend to spiral out of control.
Of all weeks, I need a measure of control this week. Aidan and I were summonsed to testify later this week in the accident trial.
The trial *should* be the end of this whole ordeal. Although I find it laughable that there has to be a trial to begin with. The facts are as follows..
I was hit by a car.
I was not walking on a road.
According to the police report, my body was found thirty feet off the road.
There doesn’t seem like much to debate here. But that’s not my decision to make. A jury of seven will make that decision later this week.
This whole thing is very aggravating to me. I don’t mind taking the stand, but I do mind that my son has to relive the accident.
It took a lot for him to move past this and now we are reopening the wound. And the idea of a defense attorney tearing my son apart on the stand makes my heart hurt.
I was told that this could go either way. That even though the facts are clear, any judgement is possible. But no matter what happens, this I know…
One day I went out for a walk with my son, and a month later I came home in a wheelchair.
In my mind, case closed.
I’m not looking for vengeance. Only a just verdict.
But I do have some good news. You know how I’ve always joked that I’m the grim reaper of plants? Well, not anymore! I plucked a bunch of healthy, plump, red tomatoes off the vine today. I’m feeling pretty darn good about it.
I don’t know what the rest of this week holds. Heck, I don’t know what the rest of my life holds. The only things I’m sure of are that I’m alive, my family is healthy, and I have a handful of tomatoes.
Surely I can do something with all of that.
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I’m very sorry that you are ill and even more sorry that you and your son are having to relive the accident. From what I can tell from your blogs, you are an excellent mother and will no doubt be able to love your son through whatever negative emotions crop up as a result of the trial. Let’s hope for a just trial.
Congrats on the tomatoes! They look wonderful.
Thank you Krista. I’ll be so relieved when this is all over. It’s been mentally exhausting. I keep telling myself that either way it goes, I’ll accept it and move on. But the truth is, if they come back with an innocent verdict, I may lose faith in our judicial system. It’s already iffy. Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me.
I know this is a horribly personal event, but I do hope you keep us posted!
Thank you Priscilla. I’m hoping to wrap this all up by the end of the week. At that point I can share the outcome and put it to bed. Finally.
I served once on a jury and, I hate to say it, but I hope I never do again. It was so hard to deal with a juror who just wanted the attention that comes from objecting to the obvious. May that not be the case with you and Aidan, but how terrible that you have to go through another ordeal. Love the tomatoes, but the basil in the background deserves a shout-out, too! I’m going to try your Blueberry Brunch Cake to take on a visit to our friends this week. See–you DO make a difference and that’s what’s important!
Yeah, that jury thing could be a crapshoot. That’s what worries me.
I hope you love the cake. It gives such consistent results and yummy ones at that. Let me know what you think!!
Melanie, hopefully this week justice will be served!
Congrats on the tomatoes! Apparently your luck with plants has changed, st least for awhile!
Lana
Lana, thank you. That’s the thing about luck, it’s always changing. Today it’s plants, maybe tomorrow something even better.
Ooo! Tomatoes AND basil!! Look out caprese – here we come! : ) At your house at least…so far my plants are producing bushels of tomatoes, but none are red yet. They’ll probably freeze before then. *sob*
Strength and support to both of you this week. We’ve had that bug going around our house too and it’s no fun. May the trial be swift and just.
Yes, the basil is glorious. I’m fixin’ to make some pesto later this week. Maybe pesto topped tomatoes on top of crusty bread? I’m getting hungry.
Thank you for the support. It’s much appreciated.
I have to say, you are an amazing woman. I first started reading your blog while you were in the hospital after the accident & you’re friend & husband were writing in the blog for you. I cannot believe how far you have come from the accident. I love to read your blog, I even read your Poise Cooling Towelettes episode to my parents because I thought it was so funny (they laughed as well). I hope all the accident troubles end soon so you & your family can put it behind you. Thank you for all that you do.
Blush! You read it to your parents? Gah! I didn’t even want mine to read it. Lol. Thank you for the kind words. It’s been a wild ride. I’m so looking forward to this part being over. It’s been lingering far too long.
Glad to hear you’re feeling better from the virus. I hope tgectrial is wrapped up soon and has the outcome you’d like. It’s been a very long year and you should be able to put this behind you once and for all.
It has been a long year, and I look forward to this being a part of my past. I will always bear the scars of the accident, but once this part is over, I hope to put in on my mental shelf with the rest of the bad stuff. Only to be thought of when I need a reality check on how lucky I am to be alive.
You’ll win that case and you deserve to win it. I’m just sorry that you and your son have to relive it again in court.
I hope so Liz. But you never can tell with a jury. Thank you for supporting me. You are a good friend.
“I’m alive, my family is healthy, and I have a handful of tomatoes.” From this statement I would say you are a very blessed woman eh!!
Be very thankful that your son is in court giving his testimony in defense and support of his mother instead of something worse which is all to common these days for young people…….
Yup, you’re correct in two ways when it comes to my son. He’s a good egg and is on the right side of the law. The other thing is that if he had remained walking on the right side, instead of moving to the left like I instructed, we might have been going to court for vehicular homicide. And I can’t even imagine my life without my son. Or any of my kids, for that matter. Blessed indeed.
We do not have a yard that cooperates with gardening. Anything that needs sun would need to be planted on the strip between my driveway and the neighbors. So alas no garden to us. Your tomatoes look great and that basil…yum. Good luck with the court date this week. Keep that attitude that no matter the outcome you will move on. The person who hit you has taken up far to much of your life, your sons life and your families life don’t let them have any more of it. The act of a stranger can change your life in an instant. I know from experience. The anger has to go away at some point or you can’t live your life. And for your family it’s a life you fought hard to get back. May you have peace at the end of this journey.
Thank you Kris. I’m sure that a lot will be put to rest once the trial is over. It’s hard not to be angry when the person who hit you is claiming innocence. I’ll be less angry when I don’t have to deal with this anymore. And most days I don’t really think about it much anymore. So that’s a good thing.
Melanie, prayers for you later this week. I’ve worked in the judicial field for over twenty years and still can’t figure out how juries work!! I hope that whatever the outcome it will be something that will ease some of the pain slightly. I know nothing will take away the horrificness (sp?) of that day and each day since but hopefully you will have some justice. I watched my daughter (18 at the time) testify against the man that threw hot coffee at her while she was working at DnD’s. This is no worse pain then watching your child go through this horrible process. Prayers for Aidan too. Good luck and keep us posted please!
Theresa- You must be a local. I remember that crazy coffee incident. Who does something like that??? Ugh. I’m sorry your daughter had to testify. I’m obviously not looking forward to mine taking the stand. Where’s the fast forward button when you need it?
Melanie,
I am a local!!! You may see me in the audience today if this case forward as a trial. Know that your supports are close by!!
Wonderful looking tomatoes! I had to go back and look again to see the basil too after some excited comments above. Good luck to you and your son this week. I know how this must have been a very trying year plus since the accident and I do hope that justice will prevail. I am anxiously waiting for your update later this week.
Thank you. I’ll certainly provide an update when it’s over. Hopefully it won’t go longer than a day.
It blows my mind that you have to go to court at all!!!! Crazy. Serious prayers for you and Aidan and the rest of your family as you go. Praying for clarity of thought for the jury and the judge, and for the DA to be fair and sensitive especially as he talks with Aidan.
Thank you. That’s my prayer too. And clarity and sensibility for the jury. Since they get to make the final decision.
Hi Melanie,
I have been reading you for years now. You are the first friend I go to every morning with my cup of coffee and my comfy robe. I’ve won a few contests here and there, chatted through comments (by the way this new system is so much better!), cried, laughed, and prayed for you and all of your kids. You have raised a good, creative bunch of kiddos there. I believe that is directly due to your honesty, faith, and openness. I will be praying for you and Aidan this week, but know this – whenever you have posted a trial, I have always prayed for you – stopping right at the computer keys to utter out a plea for mercy and grace in your life. I thank you for your willingness to share your heart with us – in this, bullying, Nina, in IT ALL. You are a true woman of faith (and REALITY) who I admire deeply. God’s got you in the palm of His hand and I’ve got you covered in prayer.
Blessings to you!
Hope L from OH
Hope- Oh my. You made me cry. Thank you so much for praying and supporting me. I know I’ve been a bit of a whine bag over this, but I’m trying to move past it. My hope is that once this trial is over, I can walk forward and not look back. I really think that my recovery has a lot to do with your prayers and others like you who have lifted me up in prayer. I truly believe in prayer and know that I have a lot of intercessors on my side. That gives me much peace of mind. Thank you.
I witnessed an accident once where a driver hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk. It was blatant but still I had to give a deposition and testify in court as a witness. The attorney told me that my testimony was the most important because I was just a bystander who saw the accident. Tell your son to breath deeply and do his best. Most judges will understand that he is a minor who witnessed a terrible accident involving his mother. Hope all goes well and that this does not injure you or your son again. By the way, great tomatoes!!
Yeah, I hope so. The facts are the facts, so I’m not sure how they could trip him up. I’ll share more after the trial, but suffice it to say that there is strong evidence that supports the driver’s negligence.
I hope all goes well with your trial. I served on a jury once, and it is not easy. There was this guy who could not agree with anyone. He felt that although the person was guilty, it was up to us to give him a chance because he was young and it was his first offense. But justice did prevail and it should in your case. No one should be given
‘a chance’ when they are blatantly wrong. Your son will make out ok. Sons are much stronger than mothers think they are. We still look at them as our babies who need to be protected. Let him begin to protect you. He’ll do fine.
Love the tomatoes. Sometimes they just need the right conditions, and this year seems to be a tomato year.
And you just nailed the problem on the head. I’ll elaborate on that after the trial.
What a long, hard journey you and your family have been through, I pray that the jury sees this . My prayers go out to you and your son .
Thank you!
Those maters are gorgeous! Yay for you! I hope you feel better each day and that the trial ends the way it so obviously should. Praying for all of you, Melanie.
Thanks Jen. I feel quite a bit better. Hopefully I won’t be hacking away while giving my testimony, lol.
I’m glad you are on the mend with the virus.
I’ll be praying for you and your son during the trial, for a just outcome.
Thank you Sonya. I appreciate that.
Melanie, I’ve been following this blog for a while… and I’ve been wondering… was the driver drunk? I’m sorry if you don’t want to answer this question, please just delete if that is the case.
No, the driver wasn’t drunk. I’ll explain more after the trial is over. I know there are unanswered questions.
Thank you for answering that. I was afraid to ask. I found your blog around two years ago, I checked it now and then. Then my family faced some tough times, medical issues, and when I got back to reading blogs, etc again… this had happened. I read old dozens of old posts to understand what happened, this was one of the biggest questions I’ve had. Anyhow, since then… I’ve read your blog religiously.
So sorry that you have to go to trial for being hit by a car and that your son has to too! So awful BUT GORGEOUS TOMATOES!!!
Thanks! They were delicious!
Ripping a child to pieces, a minor, even though he is man-sized, will only sway a jury to your side. So, they will probably go easy on your son. I realize you probably cannot talk about it per instructions from your lawyer, but I wonder how any of this can be your fault since you were not in the road.
Good luck with the trial..
Yup. It’s hard to comprehend. I’ll explain more later this week. I’m not even sure how it can be disputed, but I’m sure they are going to try to blame me for walking that day. They will try to blame a lot of things. But in the end, I wasn’t on the road when I was hit. Not even close. And there’s evidence that supports this. So, we’ll see.
Melanie,
Strong prayers from us that this will be over in every way and justice will be served. Yes, it will be hard for Aiden, maybe it will help for him to remember that you are now ok and are thankfully here with him.
Maybe it’s a sign, the fact that the tomatoes came out beautiful and strong after your past experiences with attempting to grow them..
Feel better and take care of you. You have countless people who support and love you. Remember to lean on them if you need to. <3
Thank you so much Michelle. I’ll take the sign from the tomatoes. That’s a happy thought.
Glad your starting to feel better! I’ll be thinking about you over the next few weeks!
Melanie, be sure to know that you have lots of people on their knees praying for you and Aiden this week as you have to relive the accident. I am praying it will soon be over for you both and justice will be done.
I started reading your blog a short time before the accident and know you are a strong, brave woman.
I am also one who has tomato envy! Those are beautiful toma tos and my favorite summer treat!
Thank you Ginny. That means so much to me and also my son. We appreciate your support.
I love your comments on life and your recipes! I just don’t understand the law. It drives me crazy that time is wasted and feelings have to be relived for something so black and white. I will keep your family and you in my thoughts.
That makes two of us who don’t understand the law. Lots of gray in that area. I’m not much of a lover of gray, lol.
I think Wil Wheaton calls being sick after a convention ConSARS caused by Con Crud. It’s just from being around all those people and shaking hands. Get some sleep, and get lots of Vitamin C. I got a horrible case of ConSARS after comic con this year.
And for the trial I will try to send good juju your way. You and your son are very brave for reliving this whole case to bring it to justice.
Good luck! And feel better soon!
I hope everything is going well for you, Melanie. It’s a shame that you even need to be worried that it won’t go in your favor. Good luck!