MN to TN: So, Did We Die???

“I’ve got a blow out!”

My heart stopped for a full minute while I tried to stay calm over speaker phone as Derek tried desperately to retain control of the now three wheeled truck and unsteady, pull behind u-haul trailer. He waited for the 18 wheeler to pass.

Now, if you know anything about these mountain highways, you know that there are many times where you’re stuck between two cement walls and if a tire blows, a pile up is a huge possibility. There isn’t always a shoulder to pull off on and if there is one, it isn’t always very wide.

Funny thing though… as soon as the 18 wheeler passed on by, low and behold, to the right side of the highway, at that very moment, a generously wide shoulder opened. Like, seriously, RIGHT THEN. Ten feet earlier there was no place to pull over… and then there was suddenly more space than we needed.

Coincidence? I think not.

Derek quickly maneuvered the truck and trailer onto the shoulder. I wanted to stop right there with him but was afraid of causing an accident myself if I pulled up too quickly, and (another funny thing), there was an RV pulled over with a flat just 30 feet or so ahead of him and I didn’t want to come in too quickly on them either, so I passed them as well and pulled to the shoulder.

We were still on speaker phone and I knew Derek was frustrated about his flat brand spankin’ new truck tire, but I said the first thing that came to mind.

“We’re alive! Whew! Babe, we’re ALIVE! This is good!”

I’ve heard enough horror stories about blow outs to know what a blessing it was that things hadn’t gone south. Plus, just the day before, Derek had plainly told me that the trailer was so wobbly that if he had to jerk the wheel for any reason, things could be bad. I knew God had surely protected us by keeping that trailer steady and offering a shoulder for a pull off.

Annnndddd, not only was there a shoulder, there was a guard rail. Far enough off the road that I felt comfortable to grab the younger two boys and walk on the other side of it the 1/8 of a mile or so back to where Derek was getting ready to change the tire.

Now remember that RV I mentioned? Well, as I walked up on it, a truck and trailer repair vehicle pulled up to help them. (Apparently these RVers had AAA… what a novel idea!) As I walked by, the repairmen and the travelers turned to look at me… I have no idea why. I mean… what’s weird about a young woman walking alone along a busy mountain highway with a one and a three old in tow??? Nothing to see here! Ha!

Anywho, to make light of the moment and still feeling a bit giddy to be alive, I turned and said in my most cheerful voice:

“Lovely day for a flat, isn’t it??”

I pointed up the road toward to where Derek was just beginning to jack up the truck.

“You too??” They asked in surprise.

I nodded and kept walking.

Next thing I knew, one of the repairmen was speed walking past me and reached our truck and trailer before I did. I saw he and Derek begin to chat before he headed to the back of the truck to get the spare. (Derek later told me that the guy just happened to have the EXACT same truck and knew the best way to retrieve the spare… another coincidence… right??)

So this truck and trailer repairman, who just happened to be one of the guys on a call for an RV flat (that just happened to get a flat exactly where we did), who happened to pull up just as we pulled over, who happened to be willing to take the extra time to help us (and refused ANY compensation whatsoever)… yep, I’m still pretty sure he’s one of those angels we were entertaining unawares. At least I wonder.

So, y’all, within about 15 minutes, the spare was on and we were ready to roll. Seriously! When we broke down I was sure that this could mean a set back of at least a couple hours but no, we had the blowout and were back on the road in a matter of about 30 minutes total.

It really could have been much longer. Derek told me after the fact that when he bought the truck a few weeks back, the man he bought it from hadn’t had a spare for it until Derek insisted that it have one, so the seller made sure of it. And good gracious am I glad! Can you imagine my little “lacking any truck culture” self driving miles up the road to the next town to get the correct spare for my husbands Ford F150??? Y’all… we’d a been there for DAYS!

Coincidental circumstances? Coincidental timing?

Absolutely not.

As our boys looked on from behind the guard rail, I wanted to be sure they knew one thing for certain:

“Guys… look how God provided for us! Look how he kept us safe! See how he sent us help. And so quickly too! He didn’t have to do that, but he did. God has really blessed us today. Isn’t that awesome?”

So… there it is. We survived! (Just in case any of you were concerned.) And as we drove away, I realized we were more blessed and in awe of God’s provision with the blow out than we would have been without it. Funny ole world, isn’t it?

And as I currently sit and reflect on that day, you should know that I’m munching on M&Ms and staring at the ocean from the balcony of our condo.

How did I get here? Wasn’t I headed for the mountains??? Next week, y’all, next week. There is simply too much fun to be had to write more now.

Much love!