Speaking of Angels
Not to live in the bliss for too long, as I was driving home from the orchard, there was a severe accident on the road. A car coming from the other direction had gone off the road and head first into a tree. There was an ambulance, two fire trucks and at least 5 police vehicles at the scene. A man was being loaded onto a stretcher, but I don't know if there were others involved or not. It was a terrifying scene.
Just a mile or two down the road, the car up ahead of me put on his signal and turned right. I wasn't too close behind, but stepped on my brakes to slow a bit as he turned and had little resistance as my foot went slowly to the floor and the car only slightly slowed. I pumped the brakes, thankful that the car ahead had already easily made the turn, but to no avail. Brakes seemed to be absent.
I slowed the car a bit, pushing the pedal all the way to the floor and doing a tremendous amount of praying and found that in a pinch, I could bring my car to a crawl, but any sudden need to stop was completely out of the question.
Fortunately, I had turned off my usual path home to bring my sister a taste of heaven (a peach or two) and wasn't just discovering this problem as I tried to slow on the exit ramp off the highway. I called my sister, asking if she'd meet me at the mechanic in her town so I could drop off my car hoping they could work on it in the morning when they opened. I explained the problem and as Bear listened in, Jules said, "Bear says to bring it here. He'll look at it first."
I prayed and crawled the last ten miles or so to my sister's house. Thankful for plenty of room in front of me and for patience for the driver behind me. I had to peel my hands off the steering wheel when at last I parked in her driveway (thankful that her drive is UPhill).
Bear came out, took a look and then said he wanted to test drive it. I cautioned him, concerned my Taurus would become part of the corn field at the end of their drive, but he buckled in and took it down the drive and down the road. He returned proclaiming, "I think you're just low on brake fluid." And off he went in his truck to fetch some. He was back before I could blink, filled it up and tested it out and all was fine and perfect.
I cannot express my gratitude. Not just for Bear, which was no small thing. He saved me a mechanic's bill, the hassle of swapping cars and shuffling around while I work to get mine fixed. But as all the 'what ifs' run through my mind tonight, I could sit here terrified of what might have happened. What if I had gone home on the highway? What if I hadn't had so much room between that car in front of me when he turned? What if I had been rounding one of the many curves when I needed my brakes instead of out on the straight road? What if I had been in PA, without Bear to calmly and easily solve the problem?
I know that I am always in God's hands. But tonight He gave me a reminder of just how carefully He holds me. I won't soon forget.
Just a mile or two down the road, the car up ahead of me put on his signal and turned right. I wasn't too close behind, but stepped on my brakes to slow a bit as he turned and had little resistance as my foot went slowly to the floor and the car only slightly slowed. I pumped the brakes, thankful that the car ahead had already easily made the turn, but to no avail. Brakes seemed to be absent.
I slowed the car a bit, pushing the pedal all the way to the floor and doing a tremendous amount of praying and found that in a pinch, I could bring my car to a crawl, but any sudden need to stop was completely out of the question.
Fortunately, I had turned off my usual path home to bring my sister a taste of heaven (a peach or two) and wasn't just discovering this problem as I tried to slow on the exit ramp off the highway. I called my sister, asking if she'd meet me at the mechanic in her town so I could drop off my car hoping they could work on it in the morning when they opened. I explained the problem and as Bear listened in, Jules said, "Bear says to bring it here. He'll look at it first."
I prayed and crawled the last ten miles or so to my sister's house. Thankful for plenty of room in front of me and for patience for the driver behind me. I had to peel my hands off the steering wheel when at last I parked in her driveway (thankful that her drive is UPhill).
Bear came out, took a look and then said he wanted to test drive it. I cautioned him, concerned my Taurus would become part of the corn field at the end of their drive, but he buckled in and took it down the drive and down the road. He returned proclaiming, "I think you're just low on brake fluid." And off he went in his truck to fetch some. He was back before I could blink, filled it up and tested it out and all was fine and perfect.
I cannot express my gratitude. Not just for Bear, which was no small thing. He saved me a mechanic's bill, the hassle of swapping cars and shuffling around while I work to get mine fixed. But as all the 'what ifs' run through my mind tonight, I could sit here terrified of what might have happened. What if I had gone home on the highway? What if I hadn't had so much room between that car in front of me when he turned? What if I had been rounding one of the many curves when I needed my brakes instead of out on the straight road? What if I had been in PA, without Bear to calmly and easily solve the problem?
I know that I am always in God's hands. But tonight He gave me a reminder of just how carefully He holds me. I won't soon forget.
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