Yesterday I wrote about our trip last week to Colonial Williamsburg. Again I must say that my wife and I had a delightful time while there. But on the way home, things got a bit dicey! In fact, we had been on the road for only about ten minutes when a near disaster hit. Here's what happened. We were driving on Interstate 64 heading toward Richmond. We were in the right land moving right along at the posted speed limit (which I believe is 65 on that stretch of road). As I looked ahead, I noticed a lot of brake lights. So, I did what I was taught to do back in driver ed class in high school - I began to apply my brakes. As I did, my speed dropped to about 35 mph. Now something I always do in this sort of situation (and if you don't do this - I highly recommend that you begin to do so) is to look at the traffic behind me in my rear view mirror. I want to make sure the vehicles behind me are also slowing down. When I glanced into my mirror - what I saw stunned me. A large truck, hauling three vehicles on its bed was bearing down on us at a high rate of speed. He had been in the left lane and, realizing if he stayed in that lane he would hit the car in front of him, he had cut over into my lane. My first reaction was to get off the highway by heading to my right and onto the shoulder. But I realized that given the truck's angle, he was also trying to do the same. Therefore, since I had to move somewhere - my only option as I saw it was to go left (I am talking driving here ... not politics!). So I turned my steering wheel left to begin moving into the left lane. Unfortunately, there was a car there and boom - we collided. The truck missed me as it did make it to the shoulder of the highway. But then ... without missing a beat ... the truck got right back on the interstate and kept on going - never to be seen by us again.
As we pulled off the highway onto the grassy median to our left and came to a stop behind the vehicle we had hit, my wife looked at me and said. "Wow! We're OK!" As her words sunk in ... I felt the fear of being waffled from behind by the speeding truck and the frustration at colliding with the other vehicle replaced by a sense of peace and calm. We were spared from what could have been one very nasty accident. So after giving our information to the other driver (who could not have been any nicer) and a state trooper (who informed me he would not be issuing me a citation for a lane violation given the circumstances of the accident), and a quick stop at a Lowe's (to pick up some duct tape to reattach the driver's side side-view mirror) - we proceeded to drive the remainder of the way home without further incident.
My wife reminded me of a very powerful lesson I have learned: that even in the most difficult of circumstances, there is an "up-side." Situations are rarely as bad as they could be. And even in our most difficult situations, we know that
"God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). And that is something we can find strength in!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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