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| Topsail Island, NC Summer 1010 |
Some of my favorite memories with my family are flying up to our lake house in Northern Michigan. My dad is a pilot and owns a small airport in our hometown. My brother, Austin James and I are the most fond of flying with our dad. It is a small little plane, which is not as enjoyable for my sister, brother, and mom. Mom tends to get sick so she rather drive, but my dad's motto is "why drive when you can fly". :)
On June 24th my brother, Austin James, mom, dad, and our two doggies (shown below) all flew up to the lake house for a weekend getaway. I opted not to join because that Monday I was driving back up with mom and Great Grandma for the week of the 4th of July. Mom had called me that Friday to talk because she had just got back from serving in to Joplin, MO with some of the small group girls she leads. I remember our conversation very clearly as we were planning for the week ahead at the lake. We talked about working on the flower garden and decorating for the 4th of July. Mom is my dearest, deepest, and closest friend so spending time together is always so enjoyable. We are constantly talking, laughing, and hugging.
Before they took off for their weekend getaway, mom sent us this text: "Love to all as we are taking off to the lake. Will be thinking of you. ox". I quickly and jokingly replied back, "stop leaving us!" I knew I would get my week with her starting that coming Monday so I wasn't too concerned about them leaving for a short weekend.
That evening my husband and I had a romantic evening planned. I was so distracted by cleaning the house that I didn't realize it had been hours since I have heard from my mom or dad, which is not normal. At 11:30PM I received a call from my Papa, which left me deeply concerned. I had missed the call but received the voicemail that asked me to call him immediately. My Papa was in Spain on his 50th wedding anniversary. For him to be calling me in the middle of the night was not only unusual but horrifying. As I went to call him back, my phone went dead. The five minutes it took to charge my phone seemed like five hours. I started pacing the room as I tried to reach him. I knew, I just knew but I couldn't believe it until I heard it. I didn't get a hold of him the first few times calling, so I started screaming and crying as I became frustrated and scared. I was shaking so heavily that I thought I would collapse. "Lord why, not this, not this!" I finally reached Papa..."Maria, there has been a plane crash. Your mother and father are dead". I started wailing, "Papa no! No!" All I remember is him telling me to be strong and to go over to the house and tell my siblings. I hung up the phone and fell to the floor, screaming, and crying. Jason walked through the door a few minutes after. He heard me and ran into the back room. As I sat on my floor limp all I could get out was, "My parents are dead". We both sat there for as long as I let him hold me, crying and weeping. "How can this be" is all we could get out of our mouths.
We calmed ourselves down as much as we could and drove over to my parents house where I found my sister. I saw my younger brother's (Austin James) car in the driveway and asked Jason to go in the house, find him, and bring him outside where he would meet my sister and I. We had to call Austin Thomas home as he was at a friends. Jason never did find Austin James. We figured he was at a friends so we called and left him a message. After I gave Brittnee and Austin Thomas the news, three men pulled up and started walking up the driveway, who turned out to be close friends of Dads. They hugged us immediately and just let us cry. I told them we can't find Austin James to give him the news. They looks at me a little stunned. "Maria, Austin was on the plane with your parents. He is in critical condition. We are waiting to hear if he is going to make it through the night." At that point, I walked over to the grass and about lost it. "How much more, Lord! Our family is gone!"
As I gathered myself together, I went into the house to find it empty, which you would think is what I expected; however, we have two dogs that are loud and do not tolerate people entering their home. I just wanted to collapse. I remember looking at Brittnee, my sister, and asking, "the dogs were on the plane, weren't they?" She cried and shook her head yes. My "how much more, Lord" turned into "are you done, yet!". Lord have mercy on my soul as I write this.
On June 25th, 3:30AM what is left of our family and some of our close friends stood in the kitchen, looking around the house and envisioning where mom and dad used to be smiling and laughing. We just look at each other in disbelief. The worst hours of my life ~ a nightmare.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A Glimmer of Hope
As I said, we have two dogs. One was a 10 year old sheltie named Ali and the other is a rather large goldendoodle/laberdoodle named Braidy. Two days after the accident my sister couldn't stop thinking about the dogs. No one mentioned if the dogs were okay. I told her they were gone, but she couldn't accept that because she didn't hear it from the people at the site. Without any of us knowing, she called 911 and inquired about the dogs in the plane accident. They were able to confirm the death of the sheltie but never found a goldendoodle. When she told me this, we were both in shock because he is a big dog and you can't miss him. We all kinda laughed and joked, "wouldn't it be like Braidy to survive a plane crash?!" Well friends, he did. After days of looking for him, some of our dear friends who live in Petoskey were able to locate him (thank you microchips!) Braidy dog has been on the news and is now known at the miracle dog not just because he survived a plane crash but because he has NO injuries (interior or exterior). >FMI www.indianasnewscenter.com/home/Hatch-Family-Dog-Survives-Plane-Crash-124606364.html
A perfect stranger told my grandpa, as he shared the survival of Briady, "you don't understand...if this dog survived this means your grandson will live." I shared the same thoughts with this perfect stranger. I am confident in what God is going to do in and through that boys life. He is currently making huge progress and getting a lot of care at an amazing hospital. (FMI www.caringbridge.org/visit/austinhatch)
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| Braidy and Austin James up at the Lake House 2010 |
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"Time will heal" ~ I would like to say this is such a false statement. Time, in this situation, only makes it harder. I am expecting my first child and every day I want my parents with me on this journey. I don't ever see time healing, nor do I want to heal. However, I know and have to believe God will unfold this nightmare into something beautiful.
I cried out to God last week, 'Lord, I don't want to be a part of an event that will impact lives for a season. I don't want to be the family that people look at and say what an example and strong family ~ look at all they have been through yet no lives are changed. I want this to wreck your kingdom or I want NO part of this. Take me home.' He hasn't taken me home, so I trust he has plans that will be unfolded. It is no coincidence the Lord encouraged me to start this blog a while back and title it Beauty from Ashes. He has brought so much beauty from so many ashes with this family ~ I don't intend him to stop now.
We need prayer warriors for the rest of our lives. As you read this story, please take it upon yourself to pray for this family as we embark on a life that we never anticipated, pain that we were so unprepared for. Thank you, thank you for your prayers.
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| Braidy |
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| Ali Girl |
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