"Hardships Often Prepare Ordinary People For An Extraordinary Destiny"

C. S. Lewis was an extraordinary gentleman. One of his quotes: "Hardships Often Prepare Ordinary People For An Extraordinary Destiny", so true.

My youngest daughter, Carmen, was, actually, extra ordinary before a freakish accident left her paraplegic at the age of 42. Will you give me double hardship? Now, she is double extraordinary.

Without shame, we are a Christian family. Carmen, dedicated her heart and soul to Christ at the, young, age of six, after her Sunday School teacher described what Heaven was like, from the Holy Bible.

This had a lasting impression and impact on Carmen. From that point on she was as close to a perfect child as possible. No, she was not goody two shoes, she was a real, honest-to-goodness Christian. She lived her life, as such, and was not ashamed to witness to her friends, acquaintances or even strangers. She had a very friendly personality and made friend easily. She was a cheerleader, active in drama and fashion.

When she went to College, she chose a double major, Speech and Broadcasting. After a short time, she knew that broadcasting wasn't in her future. She felt called to some area of the ministry, so she enrolled at the Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington, Kentucky. She graduated with a Masters Degree in Christian Education.

Long story short; After a dozen years in that work, she followed another passion of her's, Fashion and started a business as a fashion consultant. By this time, in her early forties, she met the man for her. Terry was also in his early forties and had never married so they got married on July 4, 2004.

Terry's home was in New Orleans, Louisiana but had moved to Nashville, Tennessee pursuing a career in the Music Industry. His dad had died a few years earlier and left a citrus orchard to be managed by Terry, his mother and brother.

When Carmen and Terry would visit his mother, back home, they always maintained the orchard by mowing, cleaning, etc. Hurricane Katrina had blown through and left a mess. Part of the mess was a large, two tons, steel tripod at the edge of the orchard. Carmen was never one to sit around when there was work to do, so she jumped on the commercial mower and began to mow while Terry did the weed trimming. She had completed the mowing except for "one more pass" through the tripod, to "clean everything up". Not knowing there was a chain attached to the tripod, when She passed through, the mower grabbed the chain and pulled the two ton tripod onto her back, severing her spine and crushing all her ribs. It also punctured the diaphragm, rendering her paralyzed from the chest down.

Carmen and Terry made the decision, from the beginning, to be victors not victims. So, after healing, many surgeries, more healing and rehab, Carmen is driving her van carrying on life, as it is and speaking to Churches, social groups, etc. giving people hope after hardships which she was prepared to do before her Extraordinary Destiny.

-Carman