Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Derailed

Well...

So much for my list of "want-to-do's" during my 2 week break from school. I think my computer is feeling neglected from lack of use and attention. Oh, well. I'm glad we're busy at work ~ that means more $$! And when I'm not working, I'm keeping my promise to my kids that this time is theirs and we're playing games, watching movies and having Wii marathons. Family tree will have to wait, the blogs in  my head will have to wait and my FB friends ~ yep, feeling neglected, too! No apologies. I have my priorities. :)

Saturday, December 18, 2010

God's Hand

This past Monday morning I saw a glimpse of God's hand in my life. I was on my way to St. Cloud to  work at the hospital. A few miles before my exit, I noticed that the truck was sounding funny and when I had to slow down for a car in front of me - it started to speed up again....without my foot even touching the accelerator!
Needless to say, I got a little excited. I kept playing with the gas and brake pedals hoping that the throttle would become unstuck and began praying for help. As I neared my exit, I started to apply the brakes and by the time I was near the end of the exit ramp, I was literally standing on the brake pedal with both feet. The truck wouldn't stop and kept going at about 20-25 mph.
Of course, at the bottom of my ramp was a stoplight - and it was Red and we were at the height of morning traffic. A row of cars to my left, a semi in front of me and a semi in the right turn lane. All stopped.
Fear bubbled to the surface and began overflowing as I started calling on the  name of Jesus and asking, "What should I do?! What should I do?!"
Just as I was coming to terms with the fact that I was going to have to crash into the back of the semi in front of me, the semi in the turn lane made his turn. I swerved over and got behind him, turning through a red light while the opposing traffic was turning into the same lane.
The semi in front of me came to a dead halt as he waited to make a left turn into the truck stop. A quick look told me I had no choice but to chance it and go between him and the snowbank. So, with wheels part way up the snowbank - I rambled right on by, dodging cars and trucks coming and going in and out of McDonald's and the truck stop.
By this time, I was near hysterics. So many thoughts going through my mind, trying to find a solution and praying for a miracle. I glimpsed a huge hotel parking lot over to my right and decided that it was my goal. But right after passing the semi, there was a stop sign. Another semi was turning towards me and a city bus was stopped in front of me.
Quick thinking - 1. crash into the semi  2. crash into the bus or 3. squeeze between the bus and the stop sign and take the right to the hotel.
I chose option #3 and whipped my truck around the bus.....only to see, there in the dark, a person STANDING in the space I needed to go! I only had one option left. I jerked the wheel to the right and slammed into the snow bank.
I tried shutting the truck off and starting it back up thinking that somehow it would now be unstuck. Nope.
I turned the truck off, called my Love and just started bawling. I was shaking, thankful, alive and in one piece. While I waited for my Knight to come and rescue me, an Angel in a big, black truck knocked on my window.
I must have looked like a blubbering fool. "I'll just go ahead and pull you out."
He thought I had wiped out because of the glare ice on the road. I giggled through my sobs, which I'm sure sounded anything but ladylike, and explained what had happened. So he pulled me out and parked my behind at McDonald's to wait.

The entire ordeal lasted less than 2 minutes and as I sat at Mickey D's and waited, I couldn't stop marveling at how I wasn't hurt, the truck had not a scratch on it and I had managed to not hurt anyone else.  All I could do was sit there and thank God over and over.

The kicker? Ford KNOWS about this malfunction but since "not that many people have been affected by it" they haven't placed a recall on it. WHAT?! Excuse me ~ it shouldn't matter if it's only been 5 vehicles or 1,000....it's a safety issue. I guess that's an entire issue unto itself. So much for Made in America.

My God is an awesome God! There's just no other way to say it.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.~Psalm 91:11-15