July 31, 2014: As was routine during our stay at the Pine Butte Guest Ranch, the vacationers (about 25 of us that week) ate our evening meal together in the dining hall. Afterwards, we listened to announcements about the next day’s activities. There was to be a morning horseback ride to a lovely breakfast cookout. And in the afternoon, we were given the option to take a tour of a neighboring cattle ranch. I signed myself, Ella and Anders up for the tour while Nathan, Carson and some new friends decided to go out on their own for an all day hike to a glacier lake. The next day, with carefully packed lunches in hand, Anders, Ella and I boarded the vans for the trip to the cattle ranch. Enough guests had signed up that 2 vehicles were needed. Ella hopped into a 15 passenger van with our new friends Carla and her daughter Giorgia. Anders decided to ride in the other vehicle and I followed to keep him in line.
Our van driver was a kind, caring man named Dan who was volunteering some of his summer at the ranch. He and his wife had done so together in previous years, but this time, she stayed back home in Colorado while he spent a few weeks at the Montana ranch. I had gotten to know Dan some that week. One night we sat on the porch of the lodge while hummingbirds buzzed in front of us, catching some sugar water from the feeders. We stayed there chatting and enjoying the scenery until the sun set behind Indianhead Mountain. It was a nice way to end the day.
On the morning of August 1st, 2014, Dan humbly helped serve us guests during the breakfast cookout. He obviously liked being there- his pleasant and relaxed smile displayed it all the time. Only a few hours later, Dan’s time on this earth abruptly and without warning ended. As he drove our vehicle along a lonely gravel road to the cattle ranch tour, he suddenly lost consciousness and our vehicle became driver-less. We veered off the road and tumbled down a steep bank, rolling and landing upside down in a creek.
Later, it made me realize that no one is EVER promised tomorrow. Interestingly, when our boys were diagnosed with a life threatening illness, I assumed that someday, Cystic Fibrosis would be what takes their life. But after the accident, I realized we never know what life may bring. The fact that Anders very easily could have died that day is something I will never forget. Every passenger in that van had serious lacerations, injuries or broken bones. Everyone except me and Anders. It’s nothing short of a miracle. And not a day goes by that I don’t look at him and say, “Thank you Jesus that I get to hold my son today.” Every single day is a gift! In a strange way, I feel blessed by this experience because it’s a reminder that life is fleeting and could end at any moment. We need to make the most of every opportunity with every person we come into contact with; our family, our friends, and the cashier at the grocery store. James 4:14 says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”