(Kris Halstrom has designed, ordered, equipped and started, from scratch, a new gift shop at Horseshoe Indianapolis. It is worth a visit the next time you are in town / Photos submitted)

It was about a year ago, or so, that the worst nightmare one could imagine nearly came true. In one of her many travels along life’s highways — both literally and figuratively — Kris Halstrom found herself in her car and in a real predicament. Seems as if another driver — hellbent on getting to wherever he was going; hellbent on going to hell faster than anyone else; and hellbent on taking more of the rode’s way than anyone else, along the way — swerved into Kris’ direction. At a serious rate of speed.

Unfortunately, it was a sudden change in path that suddenly changed life’s path for Kris. Too.

In an attempt to avoid a serious car collision, Kris tried her best. So did her car. But together they collided into a guardrail or two. A tire, or two, were punctured along the way. Steering became nearly impossible. Damage control was about all that could be done. When all was said and done, Kris had sustained some serious injuries — some of which caused a deeply-imbedded concussion. Migraine headaches ensued. Life as she knew it and loved it had become tougher and more difficult.

When the news of the accident reached the phone and ears of Kris’ husband, the affable and reliable Eric Halstrom, at his normal post at Horseshoe Indianapolis, where he serves as the amenable and talented Vice President and General Manager of Racing, it meant that Eric was off to the races, too. Off to the scene. Off to the side of his bride. Off to survey the damage. Off to tend to his life’s love.

Eric had sustained some injuries, too. His heart was broken. His faith was severely tested. His mind, racing about as fast as his car would take him, was flooded. The love of his life was hurting. And, for the first time in his life, he didn’t know how to fix her or, better yet, help Kris fix herself. There were enough tears to irrigate the turf course. But the scars on the inside were deep and wide. His internal grass course was rutted. Down to the very roots.

It was a tough day, to be sure. It was the kind of day, one would love to forget. Immediately. Unfortunately, it is the type of day that never leaves the bank of the memory and floods the mind.

It was a terrible day.

Yet…thankfully, wonderfully, miraculously…and gracefully….

Thank God, Kris had managed to survive the crashing of the metals. But the road to recovery has been long and hard, from the banging of the brain.

Thank God Almighty, too, Kris is now managing to do more than just survive. She is learning to fully live once again, too. And, live is what this beautiful young lady does best. Her steady smile always uplifts others. Her dedication to service always helps the ones that need helping the most. Her commitment to her family always brings joy, jubilation and reunion. Her work ethic always means that she does more than she should, always; but always brings her awards. Her talents — so boundless — are producing bounty, once again.

Thank God Almighty, thrice, that Eric is recovering, too. Never one to show much outward emotion, he is now able to breathe in and breathe out, with less worry and lesser concerns. The man — who has always played this life like Rod Crew, Harmon Killebrew, Zolio Versailles, and Kirby Puckett all rolled into one — is now fielding questions as adeptly as before. He is now hitting the ground running, ensuring that Horseshoe Indianapolis is running. He is now able to throw out the bad, and hang onto the good. He is now able to see his Kris walk out from the corn fields and play  the game of life in their own field of dreams.

You see, both Kris and Eric went to the University of Minnesota at the same time, back in the day. Kris was in school there, having grown up playing softball and loving the game. Eric was on the Minnesota baseball team. Yet, for some strange reason, they never met at those schools. In those hallways. On those fields of dreams.

It was later in life when they were introduced. And, they realized they were destined to be teammates. For life.

Eric is the man Kris loves with all her heart. Eric is the man who loves Kris with all of his soul.

I know. I have seen them. I have seen “IT.”

A few years ago, after a horrid tornado tore through Mayfield, KY just a week or so before Christmas, I got a call from Eric and Kris. On their own, they had gone out and asked for donations of clothes, toys, essentials, everything to help those suffering a light-year away from their home and for people they would never know. Together, on New Year’s Eve, they rented a storage truck and drove from Indy to Lexington to drop them off for us to pick up. It was loaded to the gills. And, the two of them, together, unloaded it all and had to rush back to Indy for a New Year’s Eve Party at “The Shoe.”

Never once did they complain. Always, together, they gave.

On one of their few “off days,” both Kris and Eric have been my guests at other racetracks. They drove to Ellis Park to watch the races on one of their few days away from their own racetrack duties. They drove to Churchill Downs to celebrate Thanksgiving with me and the lovely Leigh Ann. And, once again, to watch the horses run.

Never once did they complain about the drive. Always, together, they came to enjoy.

Recently, Kris came to Eric with an idea of her own. She wanted to see if the racetrack would lend her enough space to build out a new “Gift Shop,” so that customers and race fans, alike, could purchase merchandize, swag, clothing and memories from Horseshoe Indy.

Eric ran the idea up the flag pole.

But it was Kris…always Kris…who hung the flag. Waved the flag.

Casesar’s approved the project. Came up with a little seed money, too.

And now…Horseshoe Indianapolis has a gift shop full of new, sparkling, bright, sunny and shinny things that can warm the bones, and the heart, at the same time.

It is a Gift Shop, true.

But it more than a Gift Shop, too.

It is truly an amazing “Gift.”

Kris is our Gift. And, if you see this place, whether she is there or not, she is on full display.

Her spirit and her smile are embedded in every aisle.

Healing comes slower than what we want and wish, sometimes. We and this human race of ours are an impatient lot.

But healing is coming.

Our gift of life is never to be assumed or taken for granted.

And, our new gift shop in at Horseshoe Indy is a reminder of that.

It is a Gift Shop. But it is more than a Gift Shop, too.

It’s a Special Gift. Made by a Special “Gift.” Given by a Special Lady.

And, all of those things are worth celebrating at “The Shoe.”

Let’s go shopping. At Horseshoe Indy, of course. In our own lives, too. We may find our own gifts. Worth keeping. Worth celebrating. Worth loving.