Sometimes it’s just okay to have someone in front of you - driving slow!!

This is a letter I recently wrote to my children. Thought it might be a helpful share. 

“I have said many times to be thankful for what happens on the road. I have prayed for angels to surround you as you each got your licenses to drive. And now with spouses and grandchildren, the prayers are continuous. 

Saturday night we ended up driving home in the dark. Never a big fan of driving in the dark anymore. And I really dislike Hwy 97 between Redmond and Bend. 

I’m writing this at 2:51 in the morning as I am still haunted by the events. 

We had a wonderful time at the beach. We stopped by Rachel and Ryan’s and then Dan and Jenn’s. We were tired and ready to be home. We had a little extra precious cargo as Jonathan decided he wanted to come play with Grammy and Papa for a few days and of course we had sweet Lola too. 

We got behind more than one vehicle that caused us to travel below the speed limit coming over the mountain, Steve was not amused. And as always, I made some comment, about “you never know what God places in our path or why”.

As we were making our way through Redmond about 7:15 pm the emergency lights of fire, police, and ambulance were passing us at high speed. 

As we were just south of Redmond we saw all the lights culminating up ahead. I quickly googled an alternative route to see if we could avoid the accident and traffic pile up because I was sure there must have been a fatality and the road would soon be closed for hours. The map showed an accident and location of, so we THANKFULLY detoured and were able to get safely around. 

As I watched the map on my phone there was another accident just south of the first accident. And within minutes the map showed the road was closed. 

Two people lost their lives Saturday night. Two additional accidents occurred because of that first accident, and those two people were cited with a dui and no serious injuries. One of them actually hit one of the rescue vehicles.

Photo by NHP&Co: https://www.pexels.com/photo/chicago-ambulance-driving-15571631/

My purpose in getting this on paper and out of my head is to hopefully reiterate the importance of resting in TIME and travel. Sometimes it may take you longer to get somewhere. Sometimes you may be late to an appointment. Please know that prayers may be getting answered and that arriving safely to your destination may be the reason for any delays you encounter. 

Your grandmother prayed every morning for each of you, (and your children), out loud and by name. I am so grateful for my sister catching it on video before she left us for her heavenly home. I pray she is now the fierce Angel that perhaps interferes in your travels. Be amused at the slow driver. Be okay with construction delays, pray for others having car trouble or that seem to be lost. 

Jenn recently shared with me an article she had read about how we people weren’t wired to travel in a fast moving vehicle and how our bodies go into a form of anxiety each TIME we ride or drive. We are complex and need to stay grateful. 

Steve and I are incredibly thankful for our safe arrival home with our precious cargo!”