Please pray for the MN families and victims...

My parents and I were on our way to the Twins game in Minneapolis. We were just over a mile from the bridge where you exit to the Metrodome. Traffic was backed up because of construction, and we heard police cars, and we thought, Hmm. Must be an accident. But as they raced by, they had their megaphones on and all we heard was, "...down!" We thought something must be going on, so we turned on the radio only to hear these awful chilling words,
"We have just received reports that a few minutes ago, the Mississippi River bridge, near Washington St., has collapsed, and there are cars in the river at this time."

My heart stopped. Aaron was coming from St. Paul, and I thought that he was going to be crossing that bridge. I fumbled for my cell phone and started shaking, and when he answered, I started bawling. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life. He was a mile from the bridge too... but he didn't need to cross it to get to the Dome. I could hear sirens in the background on the phone and he said, "WHAT? The BRIDGE is down??" We were a mile from crossing that bridge.

There were probably 7 other cars that must have turned on the news at that time too. They drove over the grass median and got on the other direction of 35W. We had no other choice but to do the same.
I could not stop crying.
I'm still trying to process it all.

All day, I hadn't done one good amount of work from home, and I couldn't
figure out why. I drank caffeine to help me focus, and I just couldn't
at all! I was so mad at myself! My mom showed up at my place at 5:10pm,
which I hadn't expected... I thought they weren't getting there till 5:30 to
pick me up for the game. Apologizing, I told her I had to jump in the shower still.
I also had to iron my shirt. Things I should have done earlier today, and normally would have already done. I also had to run downstairs and make sure the iron was off, one last time, even though I knew it was. It only threw our evening schedule off by 10-15 minutes, and we still had plenty of time to get to the game.

Had I stuck to the normal day routine of showering in the AM, focused all day on work, and then was ready to go when my parents got there, that 10-15 minutes would have put us right next to or on the bridge. We would have seen it or been a part of it. I know I can't be selfish now... so I'm trying not to think, "Why not me??" I know I'm not the only person wondering this tonight.

I need to turn this question into praise to God, and prayers for the victims and the families. There are still people trapped under the rubble...

I drive over this bridge to work many days.
It could have been any of us who do. At any time.
It will be months before they know why it happened, and it will take forever before they rebuild that bridge.. a major vessel into the city. It was a huge, wide bridge. 65 feet about the water. There was a school bus of 60 children that went down. Can you IMAGINE being a parent???

This man's fiance received a phone call from a friend who was on the bridge:
http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=51335&sid=261140&bw=

"Seconds made a difference tonight."

In regards to the bus being at such a safe position, my mom said, "I think angels were pushing up that bridge so that it didn't tip."

The Star Tribune online(our local newspaper)headline says:
"7 dead, 35 injured, 20 missing after dozens of vehicles plummet into river."

Here are photos:
http://www.startribune.com/10136/gallery/1338445.html

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Please pray for the victims and families of the bridge tragedy... What a scary thing to happen. I keep picturing it, happening before my eyes... And that's what it could have been... I will be doing some re-examining of my purpose in life... and I might need to drink a 2nd cup of Sleepytime tea before bed for awhile.
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