THANKSGIVING 2006

I know that it has been awhile since I last posted. Over a month. I have been so busy and have had so many things going on that I have not been able to focus on this project at all. I was gone for two solid weeks at a training for Child Evangelism Fellowship. Then home for two weeks and then we left again for Thanksgiving to go to my sister's in Virginia. It ended up being a wild and crazy weekend that started last Tuesday.

I had decided to go a day early so that I could go visit my elderly aunts who are 83 and 86 years old, I think. I lose track of their ages since they turned 80. They really aren't doing well. They seem a lot more feeble than I remember them. It has been awhile since I visited them. In fact, it may have been last Christmas! We really need to go see them more often, but it is getting harder and harder for me to leave with my work responsibilities.

We got up and left Tuesday last and it was pouring the rain. We didn't leave as soon as we got up, as Caroline had to go to her Math tutor. That is another story. By the time I got all of my chores and errands taken care of we finally got on the road about 12:30 PM. It was pouring or the rain or did I mention that already. It rained and rained and rained infinitum. I thought it would never stop raining. We drove and drove, up through Columbia on the way to Charlotte where we would get I-85 to Greensboro.

It was about 3:30 when I noticed that my windshield wipers were not working very well. They were on high but they were slowing down. I began thinking this is not a good sign, and began praying as well, that I was mistaken.

All of a sudden the windshield wipers stopped completely! You could not even see because the rain was coming down in sheets. It was also getting cold and I realized that we were not dressed warm enough for the change in the weather! Caroline did have on a sweatshirt, but I only had on a turtleneck and a light weight hoodie. I don't usually get cold these days, but I got cold that day! When the windshield wipers stopped, I immediately got off the interstate at the very next exit. Fortunately, there was a convenience store/gas station right there. I pulled in and went into ask about a garage. I was told there was one behind the next convenience store on the other side of the highway. We pulled in to discover that this was a trucker's stop with a garage for repairing 18-wheelers.

I went into the garage and they told me they couldn't help but gave me directions to another garage down the road. I got back into the car and told Caroline that we needed to pray about this situation, not that I hadn't been, but I felt like hearing us pray for protection, comfort, assistance and so on would be more soothing. I did feel more calm after that. I carefully backed out of the place where I was parked and turned the truck around and then, I stopped to get my bearings as this was a huge trucker parking lot and there were no apparent markings on the pavement for spaces, etc, not that I could see them anyway, because of the rain.

I had been looking to my left and then immediately looked up only to see a huge truck about 2 inches in front of us! If I had not stopped at that very instant that I did, that truck would have creamed us! It had not been even 5 minutes since we had prayed for protection. I thank God every time that I think of how close we had come to a tragedy.

The 18-wheeler was gone and we continued back out to the state highway. We were going away from the interstate, because I knew that I could not get on with my wipers not working. I turned on my flashers and drove very slowly about 15-20 miles per hour. There was a line of cars behind us that began passing us. Every time one passed I slowed down more to let them.

We found the garage that we had been told about, but the worker couldn't fix the motor. He checked to see if it was just a fuse, under the hood and in the dashboard, but it wasn't. I left the door open as he told me directions to another garage and by the time I got back into the car the seat was soaked. I was soaked, my hoodie was soaked and I was so cold. I turned the heat up inside the truck and we started slowly down the road again to the third garage.

I was getting worried I have to admit. By this time it was after 4:00 almost 4:30; it was getting dark and the rain had not let up. In fact it was probably raining even harder than it had been. I was worried that we couldn't get the truck fixed and I didn't know where we would be able to stay. We did pass one "roach" motel on the way to the third garage, but I was hoping we wouldn't have to stay there.

On the way to the next garage, the other guy did not tell us that the road came to a turn that you had to go either right or left. The road actually curved around tothe right to the intersection and I was trying to figure out where we might be able to spend the night and looked up and just barely stopped in time before hitting a road sign in the median. It was like it popped out in front of me. There were several cars on my tail again and I have to give God the credit for not allowing what could have been a terrible wreck and a several car pile up.

Anyway we shortly found the garage, right behind the auto supply store. I pulled up, got out and stuck my head in the door. The owner came over and spoke to me in his SC backwoods drawl. If he had been wearing a red jacket and hat, he could have passed for Santa Claus. There were two other men in the garage working on a car. I was a little uneasy, but I felt that since God had protected us this far, HE still would. After they pulled the truck inside the garage and checked it was sure enough the windshield wiper motor. They put the new motor in, and I went up to the auto supply store to pay for it, we were back on the road and it was nly 5:00 PM. It was a miracle that we got all of that done in only an hour since the motor had died. Only by the grace of God.

I was hungry, tired, cold and very whiny by that point. We got back on the interstate at the next exit after the one where we had gotten off. We drove on a for a few more miles. We were still in SC at this point and it was dark and it was still pouring the rain. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel to eat and get warm. There were several motels near by and so we stopped for the night and got a room. We had the dog with us so I had to pay extra for the dog. And the next day it was still raining. My hoodie that was lightweight to start with was still soaked and I had to get the desk clerk to take it to housekeeping to put in the dryer. After I had walked the dog in the rain again and loaded everything up in the truck, it was soaked again and so were my shoes and Caroline's sneakers. We had to go buy new coats and boots. By the time we finished shopping and added in the motel room, and the repairs this little escapade cost me an extra $360.00!!! We still didn't get to my aunts' house very early - it was about 6:30 the next day.

We spent the night with them and because I hadn't seen them for awhile, I hated to rush right out on Thanksgiving day and leave so we lingered over breakfast and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV which we had not actually seen for a few years. Caroline was glad. We watched most of it. By the time we left it was 1:00 PM. We were late to my sister's for Thanksgiving dinner at 3:00. We didn't make it until 4:00 but they have a family dinner with her inlaws and sister-in-laws and all of their families so there was plenty of food left when we got there and some of them were still eating. I don't think they started right at 3:00 which was to our advantage.

By the time we arrived, I was very thankful, to not be driving anymore, to have a warm house to go into and plenty of food to eat. I know that many people don't have the bare necessities of a warm home, a bed, food to eat and have to deal with the elements on a daily basis. I know that many people have to live like this for long periods of time. I don't know how they survive, not knowing where their next meal is coming from or where they might lay their head that night. I just thank God that we have not had to be homeless. We could have been, but God in His lovingkindness has provided for me and for Caroline time and time again, so that I can keep my house and have food on the table. And I am also thankful that if I did become homeless, I have family that would take me in until I could get back on my feet.

I am ever grateful for His goodness to us.