Before you get worried, he’s fine, but my younger brother Josh was in a car wreck earlier tonight. Another vehicle drove him off the road, forcing him straight into a telephone pole. Josh, the tough kid that he is, stumbled out of the car and ran after the other driver, trying to catch a glimpse of the license plate as he fled the scene.

The other driver got away. There was a police officer twenty yards away who somehow missed the entire thing. To top it all off, Josh just got a new (used) car last week. His previous one was totaled when another person hit him.

I hate the overwhelming feeling of absolute terror when you hear something like that. A loved one in a horrific situation. My little brother. Fear, anger, helplessness. Josh is alright, though. Danger averted.

It’s unsettling. The nagging feeling that I can’t always protect those around me. The reminder that someone I love could be gone so easily, so quickly, without warning. All the questions that follow that thought. The need to rely on Someone else.