A Drunk Driver Killed My Husband in 2015
A Drunk Driver Killed My Husband
By Melinda Campbell (Reflections from the Kitchen Sink)
The trial date of the woman who murdered Michael was January 8, 2016, almost a year to the date the car she was driving while drunk hit his car head on. I purposely scroll quickly past some memories on Facebook a lot. This one I didn’t. I shared it today for just a few reasons…well, six…you know I have a tendency to be wordy.
One, I will be a fervent advocate against drunk driving and for stiffer sentences as long as my mind and body allow. It may simply be these two thumbs typing pleas on social media, or it may be in some more significant way. I will keep trying though.
Two, I’m a few years closer to the “then what?” I still don’t have a clue. My boys are cranking it though, so I guess I better get on it.
Three, I’m still dumbfounded she never expressed any remorse for what she did. I can still hear the litany of excuses and her sorrow over losing her job. She served way under a year and paid nothing else but the loss of her job. Her retirement was protected.
Four, the bitterness over some people’s words and actions still flares from time to time. I am not an “angry” type person, so the bitterness is most often a deep, quiet sadness. Michael always said I was too naive, so the fact I can still be surprised about these things even now, I guess, makes him right again.
Five, the sting is much, much less. The sobbing spells are much fewer. Yes, moments sneak in and take my breath. Yes, I sometimes cry. And, yes, I hide a lot of that from my boys, but the scab is healing.
Six, the Lord has been the true source of my strength. He has pushed when I couldn’t. He has encouraged. He has sat with me at my lowest, and He has nudged me in the directions I have needed to go as a mom and as a person. I mess up every day in some way, but He helps me come up with a new plan of attack for every day following a Melinda flub. He has been a gap-filler placing people on our paths to take spots others abandoned. He has been a provider never once allowing us to be hungry or unclothed. He has been everything. I guess today’s ramblings are meant to be a little bit of a grief encourager. It is totally okay to process feelings and thoughts. It is okay to feel what you feel. Just don’t sit there for too long. There is some growth and healing when the time is right. I’ve got a lot more growing to do, I think. P.S.I am forever thankful to the friend who said, “I have someone I think you should talk to.”
Therapy isn’t a bad word. #griefjourney#widowed#trauma#movingforward#madd#nomorevictims#reflectionsfromthekitchensink
To read more about the cost of drunk driving click here. And for Melinda’s first column about losing Michael, click here. May no other woman ever have to say the words…My husband was killed by a drunk driver.
Melinda Campbell – All Reflections from the Kitchen Sink posts are written by Melinda Campbell. Melinda is a retired educator who currently focuses her efforts on raising her two teenaged boys, advocating for individuals with special needs and against drunk driving, and serving in her local community. New Kitchen Sink Merchandise-Click Here?
