As promised the post I know all of two people are waiting on...the account of my ice road trucker story.
My friend, Sharolyn, and I left Jackson early for two reason...1 the weather was to be bad...2 we needed one more stop by Target. We hit Target and then headed home. We laughed, sang, talked theology, life experiences, and just caught up the way only two women can do...
About Grenada it started spitting snow..nothing more than a few flakes. I called my dad to check in and get the weather report...he watches the Weather Channel a lot.
He said it wasn't that bad and we had plenty of time...
Pops has been wrong a lot lately with his weather predictions...and guess what...he was wrong...by the time we were at Batesville, the roads were getting white. From the Batesville ramp to Oxford we saw about 7 cars off the road. At this time my stress level was rising. Not for fear of not getting home just knowing I was responsible for another person.
Instantly Shar starts calling her family-making sure everyone was safe and at home...yeah not one person had called me to check on me...So we continue on the road..keeping a distance from others and just past the Oxford red light on 6 like right before the Coliseum Exit sign...all traffic stops.
My stress turns to absolute panic. The snow if coming down and a trailer had jack knifed...stopping four lanes of traffic. Lots and lots of things raced through my mind.
-why has my mom not called?
-where could I stay in Oxford?
-How could i possibly get up an exit ramp?
In the midst of these thoughts the car to the front left of us...slides off the road...
we scream and grab hands...why like that would help. Checking my surroundings I look in the rearview mirror...guess what the GMC truck behind..quickly moves to the side of the road...yep stopping right off the road...I look to the right..and there is a ravine. So as we sit I think to myself..hmm maybe we should have stopped in Grenada to potty.
I want to throw my hands in the air in despair...but no I should really keep them on the wheel was my next thought. Okay so to add to the stress...Sharolyn's phone is blowing up... my phone has begun to blow up and we are still in the snow..inching forward..
But we were passed on the right by MDOT trucks and a wrecker...yep the wrecker slid off the road...so then as the road clears and traffic begins moving we have been put beside and somehow behind an 18 wheeler that can not get traction...so the cab is going back and forth the wheels are spinning and the trailer itself is swaying..and guess what the ravine is till on the side...ahhhhahhhahha..
A sweet little police officer skates across the ice to see me..and my panic. .. he says he'll drive me home...to Pontotoc...he laughs and says don't worry...I worry, I panicked...I almost cried but didn't. My girl Sharolyn...she did what she knows works..she kept telling me your doing great...this good...and basically we creeped home. It was a four hour trip from Grenada to Pontotoc..I have also never had to potty for that long in my life...by the time I made it to the Thaxton Dollar General I left my car running and raced/slid into the store.
Once that was finished we finally made it to the roads that 'weren't that bad'. Cullen and Dennis, Shar's husband, had told us for four hours the roads on the other side of Oxford weren't bad at all...well guess what...it took 3.5 hours to get to them.
I went through every emotion. Anger for being stuck, Fear of a wreck, Stress from the situation, laughter at the potty predicament, joy for the Pontotoc County Sign in Sight, embarrassment for almost losing it in front of a coworker, and then assurance that again God saw me through a difficult situation.
On a spiritual note, God has really been working on me lately about being obedient. I am just not a person that likes to be told what to do, or told how to do something. I am more of an independent person. I love my way- I would say that in the last six months God has used my prayer life as a way to call me into obedience. And as I have listened to his call and his will I must say that I have begun to see the blessings that are waiting.
In the midst of my mental breakdown on HWY 6, I felt God saying... Okay Felicia ask for my help...Call upon me and have faith... that of course was between the curse words I was thinking and wanting to blurt out...oh you see he works on me with those thoughts, too. As you can see God has his hands full with me. But God was faithful to us and he brought us home safely...and he even blessed me with the next day off which I needed to deal with the Post Traumatic Stress the drive gave me. Hope you could laugh with this or be worried the next time the roads ice up- don't worry I will NOT be on the road Good Lord willing.
1 comment:
you could have stayed at my house, duh! I would have called you to check on you, but my phone has been wiped out and I only know by heart about 4 phone numbers..not including the phone numbers that I will remember always of my 2 best friends growing up and my high school boyfriend's parent's house...
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