Part 6:

Wednesday has the family heading back towards normal. The wife to work and the boys back to school. I am not ready for the outside world yet. As everyone is getting ready to leave, my friend Tom comes to visit. Tom, as I think I mentioned earlier, is also the pastor at our church.

Once the family is out the door we start talking. Mostly it is a lot of me jabbering, crying, angry, confused, all of that. Tom helps me with the biggest question I am struggling with:

Why me and my family?

Often you hear of terrible things happening to good people. The family does not make it, the bullet kills someone, etc. Why me with these amazing results?

Tom helps me gather some clarity. And I provide him with some material for his sermon the next Sunday as in the middle of all this I do a radio interview for a station in Davenport, IA. They are in shock about the whole event. Of course, they already know the story but as I have found, hearing it from me or my wife makes it all the more terrifying for the listener.

Tom was beyond helpful during our conversation and I feel I am not giving it it's due. I intend to contact him to expand upon it in Tom's words. Look for that update in the coming days.

As Tom leaves I am felling a million times better and I am totally emotionally exhausted. I think I will sleep tonight. A few more phone calls in and return a few from the machine and suddenly it is mid-day. Both boys have called from school upset and both know that if they need to came home I will be there in 5 minutes.

The seven year old tells me he is thinking of what could have happened. Readers, I have also struggled with this and it will always be lurking around the corner but I know that how it happened was God's plan and his plan is perfect. After talking with my oldest son, he still wants to eat lunch and go to recess and since today is PE he does not want to miss that and by the time we finish talking there is no way he is going to come home early. A call from the 4 year old is almost the same and happens about three minutes after the first call. We agree that I will pick him up early today at 3:30.

Christine from church calls and tells me she is bringing dinner and when will I be there so she can drop it off. Her way of helping. I tell her I will see her at noon. And if you get the chance, the baked spaghetti pie is delicious.

My cell phone rings again it is the Montel Williams show. Note to readers: All of these shows have blocked caller ID so if that pops up, you can guess they are from one of the national shows. There is your tidbit of weird info.

Anyway, Doug from the show has me tell him the story, asks a few questions and let's me know that he is going to run it by his boss and we can go from there. He too has gotten the two rules about the story. The kids are not to be part of it and we are going to share our message about God watching over my family. We have not heard back. My wife and I think we still might. we can be one of those people on the 'Amazing Moments' shows or something.

As the everyone gets home and while we have had a dinner delivered, my 4 year old had, for some reason, decided he really wants to go to the new Culver's. After everything that has happened, we load up and head to Culver's. When we are there we run into a few of my olders son's classmates with their parents. I know some of them know what has happened but I get that look I am now used to, it is the 'I want to ask but I do not know you that well and I cannot believe it even happened to you and I am so glad your family is ok' look. I just smile.

Wednesday night finds the boys in bed a their regular time and my wife retires a little early. I am downstairs later and I finally hit the wall. I know I will sleep this night because my body has nothing left. The adrenaline is gone, the emotions out, the event has replayed so many times in my mind that finally, for brief periods, I can think of something else. Anything else.

As I make my way to bed, I close my eyes and sleep. No dreams, good or bad. It is a deep, restful sleep as God has provided for me yet again that which I needed.

Tomorrow I plan to go to work, God willing.