Priceless

When my son Bradley took his first steps, I worried that he would fall and injure himself. And until he mastered the art of walking, I often followed behind him so that I could catch him if he stumbled and hopefully keep him from getting hurt. The truth is, however, that I couldn't always prevent Brad from falling ... sometimes he simply fell. He always got back up and tried again, and eventually he learned to walk and run and skip and dance. But before he became graceful on his feet, Bradley had to take his first steps ... and he had to stumble and fall a few times along the way. Brad is now 24 years old, and he recently graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in film. I have no doubt that my Bradley will one day be a famous filmmaker, and I've been blessed to watch him grow in the knowledge of his craft. As much as I worried when Brad began to walk as a baby, that level of motherly concern paled in comparison to the anxiousness that sweeps over me when my son hits the road to film his latest project. I know that some of you will say that I shouldn't worry about him ... but come on, friends ... this is the son who bungee jumped off of a bridge over the Grand Canyon to film a video for a client. I have every right in the world to worry about my Bradley ... every right in the world.

Brad drove to Texas last Thursday night for a Friday morning shoot near Dallas and then stayed over on Saturday to meet up with one of his friends from high school who happened to be in Dallas for the weekend as well. I knew that he would be driving home yesterday, so when my phone rang around 9:00 p.m. and I saw that it was Brad, I assumed he was calling to tell me he made it home safely. Brad's good about that ... giving me a call when he returns from a trip so that I can stop worrying because he knows I do, worry, that is. When Brad instead asked if I knew if his car insurance had rental car coverage included in the policy ... oh, yeah, my heart skipped a few beats for sure. He told me what had happened and assured me that he was fine, promised to call me back and hung up to talk with the policeman who had just arrived. I'll spare you all the details, but I will tell you this ... Brad was on a two-lane highway and was forced to drive off the road to avoid a head-on collision with another car, hitting a large pothole on the way and blowing out two tires and breaking a wheel on the rental car he was driving. The driver of the car that was following him also hit the hole on the side of the road as she tried to avoid hitting Brad's car and chewed up one of her tires as well. After several phone conversations and several hundred dollars charged to my credit card, tonight Brad is back at his house and enjoying the company of his big dog Max and his girlfriend Shelby.

All day I've thought about the MasterCard commercials ... the ones that listed several things and the amount they cost, and then ended with an emotional experience that couldn't be measured in dollars and cents. So here's my closing for this post, MasterCard style. Tow truck to haul Brad's rental car to the nearest town in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma ... $143.00. Hotel room for the night ... $65.00. Repairing the tires and the wheel of the rental car ... $323.00. Knowing that my son is back home safe and sound ... completely and totally priceless.