Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2017

       Each year Martin Luther King Day is a day of reflection in our house, but not for the reasons you might imagine.  Yes, he was a great speaker.  Yes, he was a great leader.  For my husband and I however, this day 24 years ago was a watershed moment in our lives.
         We were living in the Philippines and gone up to Baguio for the long weekend.  Baguio is a beautiful city up in the Philippine tropical pine forest highlands.  It was so cool and pleasant, but getting there was another story.  This is the road up to Baguio.  One would think this is the place where our troubles began.  One would be wrong.  We navigated this crazy, twisty, windy road up and down the mountain with no problems (other than the fingerprints I left in the door handle by griping it so hard).

       Once we got back down to the plains there was a tremendous traffic jam in the middle of rice paddy country.  We were wondering what could possibly cause this kind of traffic so far out in the country.  As we inched forward, we saw it was road construction!  It may have been the only time we ever saw a road being fixed the entire time we lived in the PI.  Turns out, the Filipinos didn't see road construction often either.  After we passed and began accelerating up to highway speed (about 35 mph), a bus going the opposite direction decided he didn't want to wait in line any more and pulled out into our lane without checking for oncoming traffic.
        It was a nearly head on collision.  About four feet of the vehicles overlapped, so we struck one another, then our car pivoted around the impact point, the car flipped and we skidded down the highway upside down.  Thankfully we both walked away, but it is a day that will live in our necks forever....
        The pain (and long term chiropractic visits) have become life long friends and like all friends they bear many gifts.  For me the biggest one has been my lifelong interest in body movement and health.  Without that horrible crash, would I have learned yoga and had my 14 year teaching anniversary?  Without the crash, would I have found reiki?  Without the crash would I have helped so many heal themselves?
        On each Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I find myself thinking of the driver of the bus and blessing him and his family because I am so grateful for the life I now lead.  It is my answer to "life's most persistent and urgent question, what are you doing for others?"  My prayer for you this day is you notice your answer and bless the people who helped you get there.