MOTHER'S LOVE

MOTHER'S LOVE

A front page article in the Local section of Thursday’s (11/13) Cincinnati Enquirer brought me to tears before I could even get through half of the column. “Mother has sobering advice for young drivers” by Cindy Kranz detailed the horrific loss of Christy Bishop’s 23 month old son, Ian, due to a car crash involving a driver with a suspended license who was also on cocaine. It has only been a year since Ian’s death, yet Christy has been able to summon up the strength and courage to speak to groups about the dangers of driving under the influence. She is a 2004 graduate of Amelia High School and went back to her alma mater to deliver her message with the hope that her words would somehow impact these teen listeners and cause them to make the right decisions about their actions while driving.

Her message is so heartfelt- straight from the gut and the listener is left with a heart-wrenching feeling inside. Bishop told the audience: “She took his heartbeat away. She took the breath from his lungs because of her dangerous driving…..No parent, no aunt, no uncle, no grandparent, no daddy, no mommy, no brother, no sister, should ever have to celebrate a baby’s birthday in a cemetery.”

Cold hard punch right to the heart. Ms. Bishop’s message will surely have an impact not only on her teen audiences, but on any person who hears her story. As a mother, I recognize the agony of the loss she is going through. As a parent of a 14 year old, it brings the reality that in less than two years I will have a new driver. He will need to focus not only on making right decisions for himself, but also on being wary of the other drivers around him. He will need to learn how to be a defensive driver. You never know what type of mental or substance-abused state exists in the oncoming traffic and we all need to be prepared and cautious of those around us.

Ian was singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in the car as they drove along on November 3^rd, 2007. His last words to Christy were: ‘Mommy, watch. One, two, three, above the star.”

Please say a prayer for this courageous young woman as she shares her message with others. Go out and hug your child today just one more time.

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"Hush now baby

One day we’re gonna ride

Hush now baby

Our white horse through the sky

Hush now baby

Let every angel sing

Hush now baby

One day we’ll ride again"

- “White Horse” by Over The Rhine