I had an auto accident a few days ago. 

Pulling out of the gym parking lot I, somehow, did not see a car in the second lane, and it hit me broadside on the driver's door. 

Accidents happen in an instant, and then we try to relive them and what happened. A split second before the impact, I realized I was going to be hit. Then, there was the impact, the air bag, the smoke, and the bounce. Then, silence. Quickly I realized I had to get out of the road. The car started, and I was able to get to the side of the road. Then, I crawled out the right hand door. 

My concern turned to the person who hit me, and to find out if she was OK. I was the responsible party, and I sure did not want to hurt another person. In this situation, she was OK and most cordial. 

Friends from the gym stopped to help and to drive me home. Friends, we can't live without them.  

As I write this I am sore and black and blue. But, I am fortunate, most fortunate. The car was a total loss. I could have been very seriously injured. 

But, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason. There is a value and a lesson in all that happens. I believe it, but, at times, it is sure hard to believe and difficult to find the lesson and the value. 

The accident has slowed me down for a few days. It changed my schedule, my plan that I follow. I have had to rest and heal. 

Perhaps in my case the message is to slow down. Maybe I'm trying to do too much, packing too much into a day. So far that's the best lesson I can find in the accident. 

It's interesting I was not hurt more than I was, and that the woman in the other car was not hurt. 

What 'accident' has happened to you in life? What was the lesson? Reflect back and think. It's not always easy, but with patience you can see and feel the lesson and the value. What did the 'accident' bring to you, teach you, or how did it end up changing your life for the better?

The 'accident' of sickness is the same. It stops us, it changes us, and we wonder why. Why am I sick? Why did it happen to me?

I've been 'sick' several times, and it sure knocked me down, slowed me down, and also taught me. I must be a slow learner as it's happened several times. In life, if we don't learn the lesson, we get another chance. 

Embrace your 'accidents'. Learn the lesson in them so that you don't have to repeat the lesson. Everything happens for a reason, and there is a lesson and a value for us. The secret is to find the lesson and the value.