The Big Red Sleigh

"Mom, Mom, wake up look outside!" said by two very excited children as they open the shades in my room, letting the blinding light in. I tried to sound excited when answering them, but I could only muster a "yeah, that's nice."

We all knew it was coming. The temp had turned colder, it is only a matter of time before the lake effect snow machine started up and most of the time, I don't mind the snow. But today I had to drive 40min away from home to work and most of that drive is back country roads.

I got up and started my day, when the phone rang. My good friend asked me if it was hard to drive a rear-wheel drive (RWD) vehicle in slick roads (she was getting a new RWD van). I have been driving RWD vehicles for 18 years, that is what I learned on. I said "No, just go slow and if you feel your back end kicking out, take your foot off the gas and the vehicles will usually correct itself." Didn't want to remind her of my driving story from last year when I tried to drive up a hill and the van ended up sliding down it sideways and backwards. But I had bad tires, which got replaced and now my van works like a charm on bad roads. No worries I tell her.

Kev comes home and tells me that one of the tires on my van has a nail in it and Discount Tire can't get it fixed by the time I needed to leave for my job. I had to take his van instead, which he lovingly reminds me that the tires aren't the best but the breaks will put me through the windshield, so be careful.

I leave Kevin home with the kids doing school and I drive away in his bright red sleigh. It took me a little longer to get to where I had to go, I had a few intense moments trying to get up some hills in the back country but I made it there safe and sound.

On my way back home Kevin calls and tells me that he had to have my van towed to auto shop because when he tried to back my van out and it wouldn't start. We formulate a plan on how we are going to get our kids to karate and I continue on my way home.

Knowing the roads are slick, knowing the tires aren't the best and knowing that this is the first snowfall of the season and people aren't as careful, I set out at a slow and steady pace.

I merge from one highway to another driving at 35 mph because the road looked like shear ice. Cars were flying past me and I continued on my poky pace. At one point I moved into the "fast lane" to pass a slow moving semi truck. There was a red blazer in front of me. He hit his breaks and turned onto an "authorized vehicle only" turn around. First thought that went through my head was.... man, that was a dumb move especially on a day like today. Had I been traveling closer I might not have been able to stop in time. I started to excellerate back up to speed when the back end of the van started to kick out. Not panicking I take my foot off the gas and wait for the van to straighten back out. It didn't. I start to slowly turn the wheel, because over correcting is almost worse, you can loose control even quicker.

The van kept fishtailing back and forth. I kept waiting for the tires to find traction and snap the van back into place. It never happened.

The next thing I knew the van had spun around not only once, but twice and I was facing the wrong way..... and still moving. It was during the spinning that I commenced panic mode. I held the steering wheel with both hands prayed that God would keep me safe and flew off the highway sideways down into the median. At one point I grabbed my seatbelt and performed the roller coaster tug. You know that tug that you do to make sure the seatbelt is pretty much cutting into your legs so you won't go flying out of the seat... I was sure that the van would start rolling at any second. How can you go sideways down a steep hill and not roll?

Thinking back on all of this, it seems like this all happened over several minutes. But playing it in real time, this all happened in seconds. My life didn't flash before my eyes per say, but I did have the.. oh no, am I going to live through this, this might really hurt, brace yourself, relax... drunks usually don't get hurt, I think I am going to fly up on the other side of the highway, when will I ever stop... thoughts.

Then the van spun around one more time and all was still.

I was alive...

I wasn't hurt...

Grab phone... call home... speak like a blubbering idiot so that your husband can't understand you...

Watch all the drivers that just watched Big Red do a triple lutz , drive by without even stopping to make sure I was OK...

Then for the next 20 minutes try and count all the drivers staring at you and giving up because really, it was pointless. Hundreds of people just drove by. Sad really...

Hearing about yourself on the traffic report over the radio...

Watched my knight in shining armor pull up in my Dad's big truck...

Then the cop pulled up and asked me what happened, and really at that time, I couldn't get my thoughts in order, I didn't remember the red blazer, I knew I wasn't driving fast, I couldn't even tell him if I hit anything or anyone else. It was so LOUD, when I was spinning around and sliding down the hill. All of Kev's tools came crashing out of there spots and rolled around. I really had no idea how it all happened.

The rest is really uneventful. The tow truck came and he pulled out the van. I didn't get a ticket. Then with my shaky hands and a heart beating wildly, I had to get back up on the horse, I had to drive myself home. I don't remember being that scared to drive since my first day in drivers-ed, and even then, I don't think I was that scared. I had the windshield wipers going to try a keep the windshield clear, but it really didn't do much good because it was my eyes that were making a blurry mess out of seeing.

I pulled into my driveway and let out a huge sigh. The van seems to be OK, except a big scratch when I hit a metal post, but other than that I was pretty blessed. Yes I use the word "blessed". There was no luck involved.

God's angels were protecting me as I was spinning. They were keeping other vehicles back, including the semi that I had just past. They were keeping the van upright as it screamed down the hill sideways. They were working on the cops computer, not allowing it to work, so that even if he wanted to write me a ticket, he would have to do it all by hand and really, what cop wants to do all that work. My children were not with me, I was driving a van that weighed much more then the van I usually drive. My husband was not working and was able to get to me quickly, my dad was home and able to watch the kids. Need I go on?

After I was home for awhile Micah just starts to cry. I ask him why he is crying and he says that he was scared that I would die. I could have, you have no idea the kinds of tools that were behind me that were missiles waiting to be launched at my head. But I didn't. I asked him who is always with me, he said "Jesus" and I tell him that no matter what happens, Jesus is always with me. Micah calms down and goes back to playing. There is comfort in knowing that no matter what, I have a Savior that will never leave me nor forsake me.

I am Blessed!!