July 15, 2011

This past Tuesday evening, we decided to drive into town - Sonic's deal of the evening was burgers at 1/2 price!
No other  choice for supper! :-)
On the way to Sonic, we noticed (couldn't help but notice) the bouncing of the  pickup  truck. Rick said that one or more tires were out of round, that they were beginning to show their age some. And that we needed to be looking at getting new tires put on.
We got to Sonic, ordered and ate.
While we were eating, I saw in my mind or spirit what seemed like a bad movie. It was us having a wreck while going home - that night. I pushed the thoughts away, thinking it was just due to our conversation over the tires.
We finished eating, and decided to take Hiway 11 East - go thru Como and get the mail from our post office box.

We were just enjoying the company of one another.  Making light talk.

Just  a few miles out of town, a LOUD noise from the rear of the truck - and then, it sounded like the truck was literally
coming apart in a thousand pieces. Rick had been driving 70 mph. Now, he was going about 65 or 70 mph SIDEWAYS into the OTHER lane of traffic. The truck began to tip towards my side.
I glanced over at Rick and every muscle in his arms were bulging. It looked like he was standing up holding onto the steering wheel. 
I was so scared I could not say a word - even tho inside my head, my heart, my spirit I was screaming "O GOD!!! O JESUS!!!"
Suddenly, Rick regained control of the truck at the  very absolute edge of the highway - and eased it back onto the shoulder of our  lane.

Now just moments before we  had commented on the number of trucks and the heavy traffic on Hiway 11. But for those 15 seconds - NO traffic at all coming in the other lane. How the one pickup behind us missed hitting us? Only Heaven knows!

Once Rick got the truck stopped, and we were able to breathe again - we got out and looked at the damage. What happened? The tire threw the rubber off. Never went flat, just threw the rubber off. And in the process, beat about $2000 worth of damage into his 1993 F-250 pickup!!!

We were pulled onto the shoulder of the road just at a driveway. A Hispanic couple backed down into the driveway. She got out and asked if we were ok. "Yes, shook  up, but ok. Truck beat to hell - but ok." Her husband got out and asked the same. Rick gave the same answer. :-) Her husband then said that he saw us going  into the other lane, only we were going sideways - he didn't understand that then. But after looking at the tire and the damage - he understood!  :-)
They asked if Rick needed help  in changing the tire. Rick said that since it wasn't flat, and it was 100*+ - he  thought if he took it real slow he could cripple it home.
The guy said, "No, if  you will come up here to the shop, I will help you change it."
So, Rick drove up to the shop - it is a shop that works on big trucks - and together, they changed it.
Rick said that the guy did the most of the work. Which was good - considering that Rick has been sick for 2  months now with severe bronchitis! Rick offered to pay him - and he said, "No.  Just find someone else sometime that needs help, and help them."

We made it home safely.
Realizing that only God could have intervened.  Cause what should have happened, what could have happened, didn't. There is no  reasonable explanation as to why no traffic for those 15 seconds ... no  explanation as to why the truck did not
turn over after beginning the tipping  ... no explanation as to why the front wheels never touched the grass. We could  have, and should have, rolled the truck - possibly even crashing into the line  of trees. Would we have lived thru it? Possibly, not probably tho. And had we  lived, we would have certainly been
damaged! Potentially damaged for the rest of our lives.

But, God spared us. He gave us grace and mercy. He had compassion on us, our kids, our grandkids, as well as the family and friends.

May we not take one more day, one more moment for  granted! But be thankful and grateful for God in our hearts and in our lives. Be  busy counting the blessings!

It  has occupied a lot of our waking and sleeping hours these 4 days. Just thinking  of it all. And wondering for what purpose did God intervene? What does He have  for us to do?