I'm sure you've all heard me go off on my boys and how they put their lives in danger.
Yesterday after Sunday dinner Matt said, oh so casually, "Oh, Mom, I don't think I told you my latest adventure."
No, you didn't.
Matt is back in school but is still working two days a week at a small hydroelectric plant high in the Cascades. To get to the top of the channel or whatever it's called, where the water is diverted off the McKenzie River (or is it the Santiam?) he drives off the main road and up several miles of twisty logging roads.
Recently he finished his job up there and was driving down these narrow, twisty, steep, gravel roads, going about 35 mph. Suddenly he realized he had been riding his brakes without thinking about it. Up ahead was a sharp curve to the right. He stepped on his brakes and nothing happened. He knew he couldn't make that curve.
At this point he explained that the road had been cut out of a mountainside, so the "cut" was like a wall on his right. On the left side was a tree-covered embankment going down.
He briefly considered using the emergency brake to slow down, but he knew from previous experience, when he had done this on purpose, that it would make him spin out.
So he decided to sideswipe the bank on his right, hoping this would slow him to a safe speed.
He deliberately headed to the right and was very surprised when the side of the car didn't scrape, and instead, the right wheels went right up on the bank. For a brief moment, the car was somehow driving along on its side, and then a few angels gently set it back on the road on all four wheels.
He was able to stop the car. The only real damage was a flat tire. Oh, and there's dirt and gravel in the driver's-side hubcaps to prove his story.
This was one of those times when I listened and my mouth opened but not many coherent words came out.
Quote of the Day:
"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."
--the Bible
oh my. chills and goosebumps. hanging open mouth.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord does take care of his own!
Thank God for his protecting care! I always felt like my family kept the guardian angels busy overtime!
ReplyDelete-coleensr
Thanks God he is ok
ReplyDeleteAnd a good driver too!!
I read this with chills down my spine. My son doesn't talk about his escapades. Mothers are so vulnerable!
ReplyDeleteI am still hearing stories from my boys who are in their 30's now!!
ReplyDeleteThank for you speaking to us at Bethesda about "God in the Ordinary". You have such an insightful way of connecting your experiences to the bigger picture. I enjoy reading your blogs and then seeing how you develop ideas from there into your monthly "Letters". Thank you.
I saw a car that did this on the freeway to work. It somehow got all hung up on the median, leaving black track marks up to 20 yards behind. It looked like a caterpillar straddling a stick except it was not a caterpillar. It was a car precariously perched with its two driver's side wheels hanging over the top of the median and the other two on the lowest slope of the concrete barrier.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what it sounded like when they pulled it off of there.